__________ is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situation.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Agoraphobia
Option (1) Anxiety disorder — Incorrect. Anxiety is a diffuse, vague, very unpleasant feeling of fear and apprehension, and anxiety disorders are a whole group: generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias and others. The question asks for the name of one particular fear, not the name of the group it belongs to.
Option (2) Specific phobia — Incorrect. Specific phobias, the most common type, are irrational fears of particular objects or situations, such as a certain animal or an enclosed space. The fear in the question is of unfamiliar situations in general, which has its own name.
Option (3) Social phobia — Incorrect. Social phobia (social anxiety disorder) is intense and incapacitating fear and embarrassment when dealing with others. The fear is of people and being judged, not of unfamiliar situations as such.
Option (4) Agoraphobia — Correct. Agoraphobia is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situations. Many people with agoraphobia are afraid of leaving their home, which severely limits their normal life.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 31-05-2023 (Slot 3) and 15-06-2023 (Slot 3), and in CUET (UG) 2025 on 22-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Anxiety Disorders … Phobias can be grouped into three main types, i.e. specific phobias, social phobias, and agoraphobia. Specific phobias are the most commonly occurring type of phobia. This group includes irrational fears such as intense fear of a certain type of animal, or of being in an enclosed space. Intense and incapacitating fear and embarrassment when dealing with others characterises social anxiety disorder (social phobia). Agoraphobia is the term used when people develop a fear of entering unfamiliar situations. Many people with agoraphobia are afraid of leaving their home.…” |