Julie's mother died of lung cancer but Julie is not fearful of cigarettes, and she shocked herself accidentally on a faulty electrical outlet but is not fearful of outlets. However, she has phobias of both snakes and spiders, despite never having been harmed by either. A likely reason for this is that __________.

A) people do not prepare themselves properly when faced with something that frightens them
B) evolution favors those creatures with a built-in fear of dangerous things, like snakes or spiders
C) society prepares people to be afraid of dangerous things like snakes
D) none of the above

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maitha ahmed · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : B, Explanation :  The phobias of snakes and spiders can be seen as a built-in fear that has evolved over time, as both creatures have been potentially dangerous to humans throughout history. The lack of fear towards cigarettes and electrical outlets may be due to a lack of evolutionary pressure or societal conditioning. Option A is not supported by the information given and option C may be a contributing factor but is not the most likely reason for Julie's specific phobias.

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