Which of the following situations show anxiety that is normal and expected?
(A) Riya feels nervous the night before her board examination and revises harder because of it.
(B) Arjun feels uneasy while waiting in the clinic for his turn with the dentist.
(C) For many months, Meena's worry has been so high and distressing that she cannot attend classes or finish any work.
(D) Kabir feels tense before his solo song at the school function, and the tension makes him practise well.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → A, B and D only
(A) Riya feels nervous the night before her board examination and revises harder because of it. — Correct. Anxiety while waiting for an examination is normal and expected. Here it even pushes Riya to revise, so it helps her work.
(B) Arjun feels uneasy while waiting in the clinic for his turn with the dentist. — Correct. Feeling uneasy before a visit to the dentist is an everyday fear. It does not stop Arjun from doing anything, so it is normal anxiety.
(C) For many months, Meena's worry has been so high and distressing that she cannot attend classes or finish any work. — Incorrect. Meena's anxiety is high, distressing and interferes with effective functioning, as she cannot study or work. This points to an anxiety disorder.
(D) Kabir feels tense before his solo song at the school function, and the tension makes him practise well. — Correct. Tension before a solo performance is normal. It motivates Kabir to practise, which is the useful side of normal anxiety.
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