Ace Your EXSS 288 Exam 3: 2026 Study
Guide, Practice Test & Environmental Stress
Review for UNC Chapel Hill Students
Description:
Stop stressing and start mastering your material with this definitive, professionally formatted
review for EXSS 288 Exam 3. This targeted resource covers every critical topic from the official
syllabus, including hyperthermia, hypothermia, heat stroke treatment, lightning safety EAP,
dehydration calculations, wound care, shock management, and behavioral emergencies.
Updated for 2026 guidelines, it features 50 realistic practice questions with detailed
explanations that mimic the actual test format at UNC Chapel Hill.
Whether you're in EXSS 288, Sports Medicine, or Athletic Training, this guide clarifies
complex concepts like WBGT index, sickle cell trait protocols, and the POLICE method for
injuries. Don't just study—understand.
Download your free practice exam and study guide now to pass with confidence!
, EXSS 288 Exam 3 Review: Study Guide & Practice Questions
(2026)
1. How can environmental stress impact an athlete’s performance and health?
a) It can slightly improve focus and reaction time.
b) It has no measurable effect on performance.
c) It can adversely impact performance and pose serious health risks.
d) It only affects hydration, not performance.
Answer: c) It can adversely impact performance and pose serious health risks.
Explanation: Environmental stressors such as extreme heat, cold, or altitude introduce external
challenges that disrupt physiological homeostasis. This forces the body to divert energy and
resources toward thermoregulation and acclimatization, which can detract from athletic
performance, increase perceived exertion, and elevate the risk of conditions like heat illness,
hypothermia, or altitude sickness, thereby posing significant health threats.
2. Which of the following is NOT a primary area of concern for environmental stress in athletics?
a) Hyperthermia
b) Hypothermia
c) Dietary preferences
d) Lightning storms
Answer: c) Dietary preferences
Explanation: While nutrition is vital for performance, it is not classified as a
primary environmental stressor. The core environmental concerns are hyperthermia (heat-related
illness), hypothermia (cold-related illness), and lightning storms, which are direct external
conditions posing immediate physiological and safety risks.
3. Hyperthermia is best defined as:
a) A dangerous decrease in core body temperature.
b) A condition characterized by abnormally low sodium levels.
c) An increase in body temperature, which becomes a concern when it moves outside the normal
, range.
d) A response to high humidity alone.
Answer: c) An increase in body temperature, which becomes a concern when it moves outside
the normal range.
Explanation: Hyperthermia refers to an elevated core body temperature. While the body can
tolerate minor increases during exercise, a rise beyond the normal physiological range indicates
failing thermoregulation, leading to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
4. The thermal load on an athlete is generated by:
a) Internal metabolic processes only.
b) External environmental conditions only.
c) A combination of internal (metabolic) and external (environmental) sources.
d) Hydration status alone.
Answer: c) A combination of internal (metabolic) and external (environmental) sources.
Explanation: Thermal load is the total heat stress on the body. Internally, muscle metabolism
during exercise produces heat. Externally, ambient temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and air
movement contribute to heat gain. Both sources interact to determine an athlete's heat stress
level.
5. Which factors collectively contribute to an athlete's level of heat stress?
a) Shoe type and uniform color
b) Temperature (body and ambient), weather conditions, humidity, and hydration status
c) Time of day and type of sport
d) Pre-game meal timing
Answer: b) Temperature (body and ambient), weather conditions, humidity, and hydration status
Explanation: Heat stress is a multifactorial condition. Ambient and core temperatures set the
baseline, while humidity impairs evaporative cooling. Weather conditions (e.g., sun exposure,
wind) modify heat exchange, and hydration status is critical for sustaining thermoregulatory
processes like sweating.
Guide, Practice Test & Environmental Stress
Review for UNC Chapel Hill Students
Description:
Stop stressing and start mastering your material with this definitive, professionally formatted
review for EXSS 288 Exam 3. This targeted resource covers every critical topic from the official
syllabus, including hyperthermia, hypothermia, heat stroke treatment, lightning safety EAP,
dehydration calculations, wound care, shock management, and behavioral emergencies.
Updated for 2026 guidelines, it features 50 realistic practice questions with detailed
explanations that mimic the actual test format at UNC Chapel Hill.
Whether you're in EXSS 288, Sports Medicine, or Athletic Training, this guide clarifies
complex concepts like WBGT index, sickle cell trait protocols, and the POLICE method for
injuries. Don't just study—understand.
Download your free practice exam and study guide now to pass with confidence!
, EXSS 288 Exam 3 Review: Study Guide & Practice Questions
(2026)
1. How can environmental stress impact an athlete’s performance and health?
a) It can slightly improve focus and reaction time.
b) It has no measurable effect on performance.
c) It can adversely impact performance and pose serious health risks.
d) It only affects hydration, not performance.
Answer: c) It can adversely impact performance and pose serious health risks.
Explanation: Environmental stressors such as extreme heat, cold, or altitude introduce external
challenges that disrupt physiological homeostasis. This forces the body to divert energy and
resources toward thermoregulation and acclimatization, which can detract from athletic
performance, increase perceived exertion, and elevate the risk of conditions like heat illness,
hypothermia, or altitude sickness, thereby posing significant health threats.
2. Which of the following is NOT a primary area of concern for environmental stress in athletics?
a) Hyperthermia
b) Hypothermia
c) Dietary preferences
d) Lightning storms
Answer: c) Dietary preferences
Explanation: While nutrition is vital for performance, it is not classified as a
primary environmental stressor. The core environmental concerns are hyperthermia (heat-related
illness), hypothermia (cold-related illness), and lightning storms, which are direct external
conditions posing immediate physiological and safety risks.
3. Hyperthermia is best defined as:
a) A dangerous decrease in core body temperature.
b) A condition characterized by abnormally low sodium levels.
c) An increase in body temperature, which becomes a concern when it moves outside the normal
, range.
d) A response to high humidity alone.
Answer: c) An increase in body temperature, which becomes a concern when it moves outside
the normal range.
Explanation: Hyperthermia refers to an elevated core body temperature. While the body can
tolerate minor increases during exercise, a rise beyond the normal physiological range indicates
failing thermoregulation, leading to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
4. The thermal load on an athlete is generated by:
a) Internal metabolic processes only.
b) External environmental conditions only.
c) A combination of internal (metabolic) and external (environmental) sources.
d) Hydration status alone.
Answer: c) A combination of internal (metabolic) and external (environmental) sources.
Explanation: Thermal load is the total heat stress on the body. Internally, muscle metabolism
during exercise produces heat. Externally, ambient temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and air
movement contribute to heat gain. Both sources interact to determine an athlete's heat stress
level.
5. Which factors collectively contribute to an athlete's level of heat stress?
a) Shoe type and uniform color
b) Temperature (body and ambient), weather conditions, humidity, and hydration status
c) Time of day and type of sport
d) Pre-game meal timing
Answer: b) Temperature (body and ambient), weather conditions, humidity, and hydration status
Explanation: Heat stress is a multifactorial condition. Ambient and core temperatures set the
baseline, while humidity impairs evaporative cooling. Weather conditions (e.g., sun exposure,
wind) modify heat exchange, and hydration status is critical for sustaining thermoregulatory
processes like sweating.
