Read the scenario below and answer the question that follows. Ted is a high school student. He is very good at math, but he is not a very good English student. He likes all of his teachers; he thinks they are fair and want him to learn. On Tuesday, Ted was sitting in his English classroom, listening to his teacher’s lecture. The teacher asked the class a question. He called on Ted. Ted had not been paying attention. His palms began to sweat, and his heart rate increased. He felt embarrassed that he did not know the answer. On Wednesday, Ted was asked to answer another question in his math classroom. Even though this time he was listening and knew the answer, his palms began to sweat and his heart rate increased. Why did Ted’s palms sweat and heart rate increase on Wednesday?
Answer
A
Ted associated his embarrassment with being in high school.
B
Ted associated his math teacher with feelings of embarrassment.
C
Ted was not completely sure that his answer was correct.
D
Ted associated being asked a question with embarrassment.
Explanation
On Tuesday, being called on while unprepared made Ted feel embarrassed and caused a physical stress response: sweaty palms and a faster heartbeat. On Wednesday, he experienced the same response when asked a question, even though he knew the answer and was in a different class. This suggests he associated being asked a question with embarrassment, rather than associating those feelings with his math teacher or with high school generally.
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