In the AVPU scale, the 'V' stands for Verbal.

• A. Verbal
• B. Visual
• C. Pain
• D. Alert

Answer: (A)

In this quick assessment, the letter V stands for Verbal, which means the person responds to spoken stimuli. A Verbal response shows some level of awareness: they might answer a question, follow a simple instruction, or acknowledge you when you call their name. This is different from an Alert state, which means the person is fully awake and oriented without needing prompting; and different from Pain, where the only response comes after a painful stimulus, or Unresponsive, where there is no response at all. Visual isn’t part of this scale—the AVPU framework focuses on how the patient responds to voice rather than to visual cues.