It is the weekend before a major psychology exam on Monday, and Janine is experiencing total panic even though she is thoroughly prepared and aced the previous two psychology exams. Ianine's panic illustrates that: A. high arousal is optimal on complex tasks. B. the appraisal of stress is quite objective. C. the appraisal of stress is highly subjective. D. her adrenal cortex is malfunctioning.

First, let's understand the key concepts in each statement and use them to determine which statement best describes Janine's panic: - High arousal: A heightened state of awareness, especially during complex tasks. - Appraisal of stress: The process of assessing the demands of a situation and the person's ability to cope with it, either subjectively (based on personal experience) or objectively (generalized for everyone). - Adrenal cortex: A gland responsible for the production of certain hormones, including cortisol. Malfunction might lead to stressful responses if out of balance.

Now that we understand the concepts, we can analyze the connections between the statements and Janine's panic: - Statement A links her panic to high arousal on complex tasks. It can't be the answer because it is an explanation for why a person might not perform well on complex tasks rather than why they might feel panic. - Statement B claims that the appraisal of stress is quite objective. But given that Janine is thoroughly prepared and has aced the previous exams, an objective assessment of her situation should not result in panic. - Statement C suggests that the appraisal of stress is highly subjective, which means that even though Janine is prepared, her perception of the situation might cause her to feel stress and panic. - Statement D talks about adrenal cortex malfunction, which is considered a medical condition and unrelated to Janine's current situation.

Based on our analysis, the statement that best describes Janine's panic is: C. the appraisal of stress is highly subjective. This is because, despite being prepared and successful in previous exams, Janine still feels panic due to her subjective perception of the situation.