Fill in the blanks: "Stress can be defined as a state of _______ or emotional strain, or _______ resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstance."

• A. Bodily, psychological
• B. Physical, psychological
• C. Physical, mental
• D. Mental, tension

Answer: (D)

Stress is a psychological response that centers on internal experience rather than a purely physical condition. The definition often used describes stress as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. The best fit for the blanks is mental for the first part and tension for the second, because stress centers on our internal mental or emotional experience, and the resulting feeling described is tension that arises from challenging situations. The other options bring in bodily or physical terms or don’t fit the natural way the phrase is typically put together, making them less accurate representations of the standard definition.