The Sum of All Fears Trivia Quiz

Answer: Plants

First of all, an explanation of the solution:

The initial clue tells us that the ten fears have to sum to 55 and since they have unique positive values, the only possible solution is that they represent the numbers 1 to 10 (inclusive).

Firstly, we can work out that Blood has to be either 2 or 3 as it is the square root of another value of 10 or less (Q1). Flying then has to be either 1 or 2 as Q2 tells us that its value is 1 less than Blood's. However, Q4 says it isn't worth 1, so Flying must be 2 and Blood must be 3.

Q4 also tells us that Snakes can't be worth more than 5 (otherwise the product of Flying and Snakes would be greater than the maximum value of 10) or 1, so must be either 4 or 5. From Q7 we know that Clowns has to be a multiple of Snakes, i.e. either 8 or 10, but we can instantly rule out 10 as Clowns is also worth less than Plants. Therefore Clowns has to be worth 8 and Snakes has to be worth 4.

Q6 indicates that both Dogs and Spiders have even-numbered values, so can now only be either 6 or 10, but Q9 also tells us that Dogs can't hold the maximum value of 10 (as Needles must have a bigger value). So Dogs equals 6 and Spiders equals 10.

From Q7 we know that Plants is greater than Clowns, so has to be worth 9. Finally, from Q5, Needles has to be worth 2 more than Darkness - so Needles is 7, Darkness is 5 and that just leaves Heights to equal 1.

---

The fear of plants is also known as botanophobia. This can be a particularly unfortunate affliction for people with a large garden to maintain or those who like watching nature programmes but are left cringing thanks to time-lapse photography of plants growing at an unnatural speed. It can also have the effect of making 'Little Shop of Horrors' seem like the scariest horror movie ever made...

Answer: Snakes

The term 'ophidiophobia' - meaning an irrational fear of snakes - comes from a combination of the Greek for 'snake' (ophis) and 'fear' (phobia). While many snakes are harmless or pose little risk to humans, having a fear of certain snakes, like the highly venomous black mamba, actually seems like a sensible reaction for anyone who cares about staying alive.

Answer: Needles

If you have a fear of needles, then it is most likely to cause a problem when you take a trip to see your doctor for an injection. The fear is usually associated with the large hypodermic needles or syringes used in medical procedures rather than implements like knitting needles.

The medical definition of this phobia includes both people who fear the needles themselves and those who fear the pain caused by an injection.

Answer: Clowns

Clowns are meant to be fun, brightly-coloured characters who provide humour and entertainment for children's birthday parties or in circus performances. However, some horror genres make use of the idea of an "evil clown" (such as in the Stephen King novel 'It') and sighting a clown (evil or otherwise) can be terrifying for anyone who suffers with coulrophobia.

Instances of pranksters dressing up as clowns with the intention of freaking out people on the street have also been popularised over social media.

Answer: Dogs

Dogs might be "man's best friend", but to anyone with cynophobia they might be more aptly described as "man's worst enemy". In many cases the phobia develops because of a previous bad experience with a dog, such as witnessing aggressive behaviour or being bitten by one. For some people the fear will extend to all dogs, while others may only experience symptoms when faced with a large breed like a rottweiler and be perfectly happy around yappy chihuahuas... 

Answer: Spiders

If someone tells you that they have arachnophobia then they usually mean that they have a fear of spiders, but it can also mean a fear of arachnids in general (scorpions, ticks, mites, etc). It is one of the most common phobias people will admit to and famous fictional sufferers of the condition include the nursery rhyme character Little Miss Muffet (who missed out on her curds and whey thanks to the arrival of a spider) and Harry Potter's best friend Ron Weasley (whose fear was probably justified when it turned out that Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest was home to a whole family of man-eating arachnids).

Answer: Flying

Since air travel is the primary means of being able to get away and see the world, helping people to overcome a fear of flying (or more specifically the fear of flying in an aircraft) is quite a lucrative business. Options include medication, hypnotherapy, specialist courses run by airlines or even the option to take an emotional support animal with you on the flight.

Answer: Blood

A fear of the sight of blood - either your own or someone else's - can be a real problem for anyone contemplating a career in medicine or the emergency services. Known as haemophobia, severe cases of this particular fear can often result in fainting, which is particularly unfortunate since falling over onto anything other than a nice comfy surface may well result in the appearance of more blood and the start of a vicious circle...  

Answer: Heights

The fear of heights is known as acrophobia and shouldn't be confused with vertigo - which is a spinning sensation (and a possible symptom of acrophobia). It is also different to the fear of falling (basophobia), which is usually considered to be a natural fear rather than an irrational one. Acrophobia varies in severity, for some people climbing a few steps up a ladder can bring on symptoms whereas others only become affected when in tall buildings or other high places.

Answer: Darkness

Nyctophobia - a fear of the dark - is more common in children than in adults and is something that most people will "grow out of" as they get older. It generally stems from a fear of what might be lurking out of sight in the darkness rather than a fear of darkness itself.

This fear is often exploited by horror stories featuring monsters that jump out from the dark or the tradition of telling ghost stories in the depths of the night.