Which part of the nervous system consists of the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body?

Which part of the nervous system consists of the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body?

• A. Peripheral nervous system
• B. Central nervous system
• C. Autonomic nervous system
• D. Somatic nervous system

Answer: (A)

The central idea is how nerves outside the brain and spinal cord connect the body to the brain. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves that carry sensory information from the body to the CNS and motor commands from the CNS to muscles and glands, effectively linking the CNS to the rest of the body. The brain and spinal cord themselves make up the central nervous system, not the network that reaches out to the body. The autonomic nervous system is a subdivision that manages automatic functions like heartbeat and digestion, not the entire set of sensory and motor connections to the body. The somatic nervous system handles voluntary control of skeletal muscles and conscious sensation, but the description in the question points to the broader network that interfaces with the whole body, which is the peripheral nervous system.

The central idea is how nerves outside the brain and spinal cord connect the body to the brain. The peripheral nervous system includes all the nerves that carry sensory information from the body to the CNS and motor commands from the CNS to muscles and glands, effectively linking the CNS to the rest of the body. The brain and spinal cord themselves make up the central nervous system, not the network that reaches out to the body. The autonomic nervous system is a subdivision that manages automatic functions like heartbeat and digestion, not the entire set of sensory and motor connections to the body. The somatic nervous system handles voluntary control of skeletal muscles and conscious sensation, but the description in the question points to the broader network that interfaces with the whole body, which is the peripheral nervous system.