Is this phrase used anywhere in real world "too startled to say something"

Question

I got this question in one of my mock tests for an exam.

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She was too startled at first saying something, but finally she blurted out the truth.

The website correctly points out that to say must be used in the place of saying. But I feel that something should also be replaced with anything. I feel that we need an extra word (probably adjective) after something and before the comma for the sentence to be correct.

She was too startled to say something smart, but finally blurted out the truth.

Even that doesn't sit well with the second part of the sentence.
Using anything feels much better. Am I wrong?

DJClayworth · Accepted Answer

Following many decades of native English usage, I can tell you that both A and C would be considered correct. If anything A is more correct than C. "Anything" is more usually used rather than "something" in negative contexts:

I did not say anything.

is preferred over

I did not say something.

But your sentence isn't quite the same, and everybody I know would consider "too started to say something" to be unquestionably acceptable.
Given that the focus of the explanation is on "to" versus "too", but there is no option that includes a "too", I wonder if there is a mistake in the question and either answer A or C was meant to read "too say something/anything".
TLDR: If your exam is testing your ability to speak formally correct English like a native, then A should be a correct answer, probably along with C.

Is this phrase used anywhere in real world "too startled to say something"

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