Short test used to assess the intensity of physical and cognitive anxiety symptoms.

• A. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
• B. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
• C. Beck Anxiety Inventory
• D. Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children

Answer: (C)

The key idea is using a brief self-report tool that measures how severe anxiety symptoms are, including both physical arousal and cognitive worry. The Beck Anxiety Inventory is designed for that purpose: it asks about 21 common anxiety symptoms and asks respondents to rate how much they’ve been bothered by each over the past week. The items cover somatic sensations (like racing heart, dizziness, trembling) and cognitive worries (such as fears of losing control), and each is scored from 0 to 3. Adding these up gives a total that reflects the overall intensity of anxiety symptoms—the higher the score, the greater the severity. This focus on symptom seriousness over a recent period makes it the best fit for a short measure of anxiety intensity.

In contrast, other options serve different aims: one assesses both how a person feels right now and their general tendency to be anxious (state and trait anxiety) and is longer; another is a general hospital screen for anxiety and depression; and the last is a broader, multi-domain tool designed for children.