Fears and Phobias

What is a phobia?

• a fear that is outgrown over time

• an extreme fear that makes a person feel out of control

• a fear of the dark or of spiders

• a type of fear that involves dogs or airplanes

Fear is not always a bad thing.

What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

• Different people are afraid of different things over time.

• Some people have a fear of dentists, so they avoid going to see dentists.

• Sometimes fear becomes extreme and unreasonable. This is known as a phobia.

• Fear can be a normal reaction that helps us avoid harm and survive.

How can the treatment options for people with phobias be described?

• Most treatment options get rid of pain and sickness but not the phobia

• Most treatment options involve getting used to friendly dogs.

• There are many different treatment options for people with phobias, and treatments are often effective.

• Some treatment options are helpful, but others can actually make phobias worse.

One problem mentioned in the passage is that some people cannot get over their phobias on their own.What is a solution to this problem?

• People can try to turn their phobia into a social anxiety or panic disorder.

• People can try new activities or situations that help them forget about their phobia.

• People can get help from a psychologist or psychiatrist to overcome a phobia.

• People can learn the names of their phobias.

What is the main idea of this passage?

• Fears are most common during Halloween, but they can also occur at other times.

• Fears can sometimes be extreme, but they can also be treated and overcome.

• Everyone gets scared, so it shouldn't be embarrassing.

• Phobias can be about many things and have severe effects on people’s health.

Read these sentences from the text.

"Doctors believe that most of these phobias, like Greg’s, are learned. But in some cases, a phobia follows an unrelated trauma, such as a death in the family."

As used in the passage, what does the word "trauma" mean?

• a meeting

• a failure

• a difficult event

• an accident

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.

Some phobias have weird names, _______ arachnophobia (fear of spiders) or brontophobia (fear of thunderstorms).

• however

• otherwise

• finally

• such as

Choose the word that fits best.

Flying in an airplane fills some people with .

• Frighten

• Anxiety

Answer explanation

How can the treatment options for people with phobias be described?

• Most treatment options get rid of pain and sickness but not the phobia.

• Most treatment options involve getting used to friendly dogs.

• There are many different treatment options for people with phobias, and treatments are often effective.

• Some treatment options are helpful, but others can actually make phobias worse.