Read the passage given below carefully and answer the questions that follow :-
Major Chandra, an infantry soldier, was posted in the border area with his unit. One day, an informer gave a message that terrorists have entered in a school and are threatening to blow it, if some of their terrorist prisoners are not released. The major entered the school premises along with other soldiers, but was shocked to see the terrorists armed with the latest weapons. Soon the firing started, as the terrorists had an advantageous position so they immediately shot down a few soldiers without caring for their life. Major Chandra entered the school and started firing which led to killing of the terrorists and he got badly injured. Though the Major has recovered, still he gets flashback and recurring nightmares.
Pick out the other symptoms related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Emotional Numbing
The passage already names two symptoms of Major Chandra’s PTSD: flashbacks and recurring nightmares (recurrent dreams). The question asks for another symptom of the same disorder.
Option (1) Paralysis — Incorrect. Paralysis is a symptom of conversion disorder, in which a person reports the loss of part or all of some basic body function, such as paralysis, blindness or deafness, often after a stressful experience. It is not a symptom of PTSD.
Option (2) Depressed mood — Incorrect. A period of depressed mood and loss of interest or pleasure is the central feature of major depressive disorder. It is not among the symptoms of PTSD.
Option (3) Emotional Numbing — Correct. PTSD symptoms vary widely but may include recurrent dreams, flashbacks, impaired concentration and emotional numbing. With the dreams and flashbacks already in the passage, emotional numbing is the other symptom of the list.
Option (4) Exfoliation — Incorrect. Exfoliation is the peeling or shedding of the outer layer of the skin. It is a skin process, not a psychological symptom.
Note: The term in Option (4), ‘exfoliation’, is not in the 2023-24 NCERT, which NTA followed in 2024, or in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.
NCERT (2025-26): “Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders … Very often people who have been caught in a natural disaster (such as tsunami) or have been victims of bomb blasts by terrorists, or been in a serious accident or in a war-related situation, experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD symptoms vary widely but may include recurrent dreams, flashbacks, impaired concentration, and emotional numbing. Adjustment Disorders and Acute Stress Disorder are also included under this category.…” “Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders … The symptoms of conversion disorders are the reported loss of part or all of some basic body functions. Paralysis, blindness, deafness and difficulty in walking are generally among the symptoms reported.…” |