Catherine Smith, a second-year college student at Colorado State University, first had a p

roblem taking tests when she began college. "I was always well prepared for my tests. Sometimes I studied for weeks before a test. Yet I would go to take the test, only to find I could not answer the questions correctly. I would blank out because of nervousness and fear. I couldn't think of the answer. My low grades on the test did not show what I knew to the teacher."

This student was experiencing something called test anxiety. Because a student worries and is uneasy about a test, his or her mind does not work as well as it usually does. The student cannot write or think clearly because of the extreme tension and nervousness. Although poor grades are often a result of poor study habits, sometimes test anxiety causes the low grades. Recently, test anxiety has been recognized as a real problem, not just an excuse or a false explanation of lazy students.

Special university counseling course try to help students. In these courses, counselors try to help students by teaching them how to manage test anxiety. At some universities, students take tests to measure their anxiety. If the tests show their anxiety is high, the students can take short courses to help them deal with their tension. These courses teach students how to relax their minds. Students are trained to become calm in very tense situations. By controlling their nervousness, they can let their minds work at ease. Learned information then comes out without difficulty on a test.

An expert at the University of California explains, "With almost all students, relaxation and less stress are felt after talking our program. Most of them experience better control during their tests. Almost all have some improvement. With some, the improvement is very great.

To "blank out" is probably ______.

A．to be like a blanket

B．to be sure of an answer

C．to be unable to think clearly

D．to show knowledge to the teacher