Which is a sign of heat stroke?

• A. Hot dry skin, confusion, collapse
• B. Sweating
• C. Nausea
• D. Paleness

Answer: (D)

Heat stroke is a medical emergency in which the body's cooling system fails, causing a dangerous rise in core temperature. The key signals are very high temperature, altered mental status (such as confusion), and often a collapse. The skin is typically hot and dry because sweating has stopped.

So, a sign like hot, dry skin with confusion and collapse best fits heat stroke, because it reflects both the extreme temperature and the loss of sweating that characterizes this condition. Sweating is not usually present in heat stroke; it’s more typical of earlier heat illnesses like heat exhaustion. Nausea can occur with heat illness, but it isn’t the defining feature of heat stroke, and paleness is not a specific indicator of heat stroke.

If you encounter someone with these heat-stroke signs, treat it as an emergency: call for help, move the person to shade, remove excess clothing, begin cooling (cool water or cold packs on the neck, armpits, and groin), and monitor consciousness and breathing until help arrives.