Read the following passage and answer the question by choosing the correct option :-
Trauma means 'a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.' Have you ever experienced trauma? If so, how did you deal with it? A traumatic experience such as a car accident or a natural disaster may last only for a short time, while other traumatic experiences such as war, persecution, bullying, discrimination, and so on can last for a long time. One thing common to all these traumatic experiences is its lasting effect. People who have experienced a form of trauma often have to deal with their pain for a long time afterwards. The damaging effect of trauma may lead people to change their identity:
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events, or trauma, Someone with PTSD often relives the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks. and may experience feelings of isolation, irritability and guilt. They may also have problems sleeping (insomnia) and find concentrating difficult. These symptoms are often severe and persistent enough to have significant impact on the person's day-to-day life.
Here are some types of events that can cause PTSD:
- Serious road accidents
- Violent personal assaults, such as sexual assault, mugging or robbery
- Prolonged sexual abuse, violence or severe neglect
- Witnessing violent deaths
- Military combat
- Being held hostage
- Terrorist attacks
- Natural disasters, such as severe floods, earthquakes or tsunamis.
Do you know anyone who has experienced any of the above? How can you help someone who has suffered trauma?
Choose the correct word to fill in the blank:
Sleep problems: insomnia:: Unpleasant dreams: _________
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → nightmare
Insomnia is the name for a particular sleep problem: being unable to sleep. In the same way, a nightmare is the name for an unpleasant, frightening dream. The pair links a general description with the one word that names it.
Example: The child woke up screaming after a nightmare.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: trauma — Incorrect. Trauma is a deeply distressing experience, as the passage defines it; it may cause bad dreams but is not itself a dream.
Example: The trauma of the earthquake stayed with him for years.
Option 3: flashback — Incorrect. A flashback is a sudden, vivid memory of a past event that comes while one is awake; it is not a dream.
Example: The sound of the siren gave her a flashback of the accident.
Option 4: irritability — Incorrect. Irritability is the state of being easily annoyed; it is a mood, not a dream.
Example: Lack of sleep often leads to irritability.