[Campbell Biology P.1137] According to Figure 49.6 and the accompanying text, which statement... | Practice Question

According to Figure 49.6 and the accompanying text, which statement correctly differentiates between the motor system and the autonomic nervous system?

  • A: The motor system controls involuntary actions, while the autonomic nervous system primarily controls voluntary skeletal muscle movements.
  • B: Both systems primarily regulate the internal environment, but only the autonomic system has sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions.
  • C: The motor system sends signals to skeletal muscles for both voluntary and involuntary control, whereas the autonomic nervous system controls smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands, generally involuntarily.
  • D: The autonomic nervous system is an efferent component, but the motor system is an afferent component of the PNS.

Explanation

The Peripheral Nervous System PNS has two efferent components: the motor system and the autonomic nervous system. The motor system controls skeletal muscles, which can be voluntary like raising a hand or involuntary like reflexes such as the knee-jerk . The autonomic nervous system primarily regulates smooth muscles, cardiac muscles, and glands, and its actions are generally involuntary. It further divides into sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric nervous systems.