Sensory tracts are _______________ pathways, while motor tracts are ______________ pathways.

• A. ascending; descending
• B. descending; ascending
• C. afferent; efferent
• D. sensory; motor

Answer: (A)

Sensory tracts carry information toward the brain, so they are ascending pathways, while motor tracts send commands from the brain to muscles, making them descending pathways. This directional language—ascending for sensory, descending for motor—best fits how these tracts transmit information. Terms like afferent/efferent describe direction in a broader sense, but the standard labeling of tracts uses ascending and descending to reflect the actual flow of signals. Therefore, pairing ascending with descending matches the true directions of sensory and motor information flow.