Which of the following is an external cause of over-arousal?

• A. Injuries
• B. Crowd noise
• C. Fatigue
• D. Anxiety

Answer: (B)

The concept here is how arousal levels are driven by what’s outside the body versus inside it. Over-arousal means arousal is excessive and can hinder performance.

Crowd noise is external because it comes from the environment—the spectators’ cheers, shouts, and general noise stimulate the senses directly. That external stimulation raises arousal by increasing adrenaline and bodily readiness, which can push performance into an overstimulated state if it’s too intense.

In contrast, injuries, fatigue, and anxiety are internal states affecting arousal from within the body or mind. They influence arousal levels, but they’re not external environmental stimuli like crowd noise. Hence, crowd noise best fits an external cause of over-arousal.