NDA (II) 2025 General Ability Test · Question 136 of 147

Correct — A, involuntary actions such as blood pressure, salivation and vomiting. The hindbrain contains the medulla oblongata, which houses the automatic control centres for life-sustaining involuntary actions — regulating blood pressure and heart rate, and driving reflexes such as salivation, vomiting, coughing and swallowing. These run without conscious effort, which is exactly the description in option (a).

• (b)Controlling the regions receiving sensory impulses from receptors — Receiving and interpreting sensory impulses is the job of the cerebrum (the sensory areas of the cerebral cortex), which is part of the forebrain, not the hindbrain.
• (c)Controlling the movement of voluntary muscles — Initiating voluntary muscle movement is controlled by the motor areas of the cerebrum (forebrain). The hindbrain's cerebellum only fine-tunes and coordinates such movement; it does not command it.
• (d)Sensation of hunger or being full — Hunger and satiety are regulated by the hypothalamus, a part of the forebrain, not by the hindbrain.

The human brain has three broad divisions — forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. The hindbrain comprises the medulla oblongata, the pons and the cerebellum. The medulla controls vital involuntary functions (blood pressure, heartbeat, breathing, salivation, vomiting), while the cerebellum coordinates posture, balance and precise voluntary movement.

The trick is to sort each listed function to its correct brain region. Conscious thought, sensory perception and voluntary commands belong to the forebrain's cerebrum; hunger and thirst belong to the hypothalamus (also forebrain); only the automatic, life-support actions belong to the hindbrain's medulla. Matching 'involuntary actions like blood pressure and vomiting' to the medulla gives option (a).

• The hindbrain includes the medulla oblongata, pons and cerebellum.
• The medulla oblongata controls involuntary actions — blood pressure, heart rate, salivation and vomiting.
• The cerebellum (hindbrain) coordinates balance and fine voluntary movements but does not initiate them.
• Sensory perception and voluntary movement are cerebrum functions; hunger and satiety are hypothalamus functions (forebrain).

• The cerebellum (hindbrain) only coordinates voluntary movement; it does not initiate it — that is the cerebrum's job.
• Hunger and satiety belong to the hypothalamus (forebrain), a common distractor slipped in with hindbrain functions.

Asked to match a function to a part of the brain, or to identify which actions the medulla or hindbrain controls.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which part of the human brain controls involuntary actions such as heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure?

  • (a)Cerebrum
  • (b)Cerebellum
  • (c)Medulla oblongata
  • (d)Hypothalamus

  Answer(c) Medulla oblongata — this part of the hindbrain runs the automatic life-support functions.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Maintenance of body balance and coordination of voluntary muscular activity is the function of the

  • (a)Cerebrum
  • (b)Cerebellum
  • (c)Medulla
  • (d)Spinal cord

  Answer(b) Cerebellum — this hindbrain structure fine-tunes posture, balance and precise movement.