Which statement about negative feedback in homeostasis is true?

Which statement about negative feedback in homeostasis is true?

• A. It promotes changes away from the set point.
• B. It eliminates the need for a set point entirely.
• C. It counteracts deviations from a set point to restore balance.
• D. It only operates during disease.

Answer: (C)

Negative feedback keeps internal conditions stable by counteracting changes that push a variable away from its target value. The body uses sensors to detect when a value deviates from the set point, a control center to interpret the signal, and effectors to bring the variable back toward the set point. This is why the statement that negative feedback counteracts deviations from a set point to restore balance is true. For example, if body temperature rises, mechanisms like sweating and increased blood flow to the skin help cool the body down; if it falls, shivering and reduced heat loss help raise it. Negative feedback is a continual process, not something that only happens during illness, and it relies on a defined set point rather than eliminating it.

Negative feedback keeps internal conditions stable by counteracting changes that push a variable away from its target value. The body uses sensors to detect when a value deviates from the set point, a control center to interpret the signal, and effectors to bring the variable back toward the set point. This is why the statement that negative feedback counteracts deviations from a set point to restore balance is true. For example, if body temperature rises, mechanisms like sweating and increased blood flow to the skin help cool the body down; if it falls, shivering and reduced heat loss help raise it. Negative feedback is a continual process, not something that only happens during illness, and it relies on a defined set point rather than eliminating it.