Question

When a student raises her hand so that she can answer a teacher's question, the ___________ branch of the peripheral nervous system was responsible for her hand going up.

Answer 1

The somatic nervous system branch of the peripheral nervous system is responsible for the student raising her hand in class, as it controls voluntary muscle movements.

Step-by-step explanation:

Peripheral Nervous System and Hand Movement

When a student raises her hand to answer a teacher's question, the somatic nervous system branch of the peripheral nervous system is responsible for the hand going up. This system is tasked with our voluntary responses to our environment, using skeletal muscles to execute movements. In the scenario of raising a hand, the brain sends a message down the motor neurons to activate the muscles necessary for the arm to be lifted.

The somatic nervous system is a part of the motor division of the peripheral nervous system, which carries messages from the central nervous system to the muscles. This is in contrast to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions such as heart rate and digestion. In the case of the student, her voluntary, conscious decision to raise her hand to participate in class exemplifies the somatic nervous system at work.

Answer 2

motor (efferent)

Step-by-step explanation:

The somatic nervous system is the component of the motor division of the peripheral nervous system. The motor division of the peripheral nervous system carries the motor information from the central nervous system to the muscles and/or glands. The motor branch includes the somatic and autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system of the motor branch delivers the motor information from the CNS to skeletal muscles resulting in the generation of voluntary responses such as raising hand in a class.