Which statement about seasickness is supported by the material?

Which statement about seasickness is supported by the material?

• A. It is caused by dehydration.
• B. It is caused by a change in equilibrium in the middle ear.
• C. It is caused by engine noise alone.
• D. It is unrelated to balance.

Answer: (B)

Seasickness comes from the body’s balance system being disrupted by motion. The vestibular apparatus in the inner ear constantly monitors head movement and orientation relative to gravity. On a bobbing boat, those signals change continually, while what you see may not match what your inner ear feels, creating a sensory mismatch. That mismatch triggers the nausea and dizziness characteristic of seasickness. So describing it as a change in equilibrium in the middle ear aligns with the idea that the balance system is being disrupted, which is the root cause. Dehydration can worsen symptoms but isn’t the primary cause, engine noise alone isn’t the mechanism, and it isn’t unrelated to balance.

Seasickness comes from the body’s balance system being disrupted by motion. The vestibular apparatus in the inner ear constantly monitors head movement and orientation relative to gravity. On a bobbing boat, those signals change continually, while what you see may not match what your inner ear feels, creating a sensory mismatch. That mismatch triggers the nausea and dizziness characteristic of seasickness. So describing it as a change in equilibrium in the middle ear aligns with the idea that the balance system is being disrupted, which is the root cause. Dehydration can worsen symptoms but isn’t the primary cause, engine noise alone isn’t the mechanism, and it isn’t unrelated to balance.