🧠 Nervous System Quiz

Q1. The four survival programs

When the nervous system detects threat, it launches an automatic protective response. Which of the following are not recognised survival programs?

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Fight — confront or overpower the threat
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Flee — escape to safety
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Reason — think your way out of danger
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Fawn — appease the threat by making yourself useful or agreeable
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None of the above
Correct answer: C only. Fight, flee, freeze, and fawn are all recognised survival responses. “Reason” is not a survival program the nervous system can run automatically under threat — in fact, activation makes rational thinking harder, not easier.

Q2. Neuroception

The nervous system constantly scans the environment for cues of safety or danger. This happens:

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Only when we consciously decide to assess a situation
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Below the level of conscious awareness
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Only during sleep
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Automatically, which is why we can feel unsafe even when we “know” we are safe
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None of the above
Correct answers: B and D. Neuroception is the nervous system’s automatic, sub-conscious threat detection. It does not wait for conscious evaluation — which is why someone can “know” they are safe intellectually while their body remains on high alert.

Q3. Window of tolerance

The “window of tolerance” describes the zone where we can experience activation without becoming overwhelmed. Which of the following is not true about it?

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Trauma narrows the window, making it easier to become dysregulated
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Everyone’s window is the same size
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Above the window is hyperarousal — anxiety, panic, racing thoughts
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Below the window is hypoarousal — numbness, shutdown, disconnection
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None of the above
Correct answer: B only. Window of tolerance varies significantly between individuals. Early experiences, attachment history, chronic stress, and trauma all shape how wide or narrow the window is. A narrow window is not a personal failing — it is an adaptation.

Q4. Polyvagal theory

Polyvagal theory describes three nervous system states. Which of the following correctly matches a state with its description?

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Ventral vagal — safe, connected, calm, able to think clearly
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Sympathetic — mobilised for action, fight or flight
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Dorsal vagal — shutdown, collapsed, disconnected, freeze
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Sympathetic — relaxed and social
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All of the above
Correct answers: A, B, and C. Polyvagal theory maps three states: ventral vagal (safety, social engagement), sympathetic (mobilisation, fight/flight), and dorsal vagal (shutdown, immobilisation). D is incorrect — sympathetic is associated with threat response, not relaxation.

Q5. Early relationships and the nervous system

How do early relationships with caregivers affect the nervous system?

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They have no lasting effect — the nervous system is fully formed at birth
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Secure early relationships help build a wide window of tolerance
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Insecure or frightening early relationships can narrow the window of tolerance from the start
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A narrow window of tolerance in adulthood is a character flaw, not an adaptation
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None of the above
Correct answers: B and C. The nervous system is shaped by early relational experience. Co-regulation with a calm, attuned caregiver builds regulatory capacity. When that is absent or frightening, the nervous system calibrates to a more defended state.

Q6. Containment

Containment is a stabilisation technique taught in this module. Which of the following are true about it?

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It permanently resolves difficult memories
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It allows you to put overwhelming material aside temporarily so you can function
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It involves imagining a container that can securely hold difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations
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It means you are avoiding your problems
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None of the above
Correct answers: B and C. Containment is a stabilisation technique, not a processing technique. It does not resolve material — it temporarily stores it. The material is acknowledged and held, not denied. This is deliberate and different from avoidance.

Q7. The five foundations

This module introduces five foundations that support nervous system regulation. Which of the following is unlikely to be among them?

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Sleep
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Intensive exercise programs
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Social connection
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Mindfulness practice
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None of the above
Correct answer: B only. The five foundations are sleep, movement, social connection, mindfulness, and time in nature. High-intensity exercise can be dysregulating for some trauma survivors and is not what this module recommends.

Q8. Case study

Marcus, 44, handles work pressure well — tight deadlines, complex problems. But when his teenage daughter gets upset with him, he goes blank. He feels nothing. He becomes “logical” and waits for the emotion to pass. His ex-wife used to say he was “like talking to a wall.” He grew up in a home where his father never showed emotion, and his brother died when Marcus was seven. Which of the following could explain what is happening?

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Marcus is in a dorsal vagal (shutdown) state when emotional demands arise
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His nervous system learned early that emotions were dangerous, and shutting down was how he survived
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His “calmness” under emotional pressure may actually be a freeze response rather than genuine regulation
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He simply does not care about his daughter’s feelings
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There is not enough information to make a definitive determination
Correct answers: A, B, C, and E. Marcus presents with what looks like calm but is more likely dorsal vagal shutdown — a protective state that cuts off emotional access. His history suggests shutdown was a survival strategy. D is not supported by the information given.

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