Practice Quizzes from Adelphi

Question 1

When a social worker uses an empathetic response, she is attempting to

A. Build a relationship with the client
B. Develop confidence
C. Be sympathetic
D. Provide accurate listening

Answer 1

A. Build a relationship with the client

Question 2

During an intake interview at a mental health center, a 22-year-old client who is being evaluated as a suicide risk leaves the office where the evaluation is taking place and walks out the door. The social worker’s first course of action is to

A. Try to reach the client later that day so as to give him time to adjust
B. Wait until the client tries to contact the social worker, as a means of establishing boundaries
C. Notify the police
D. Notify the client’s family if known

Answer 2

C. Notify the police

Question 3

You are working with a new client who has just come into your office and has begun a very detailed description of the events which have culminated in her current crisis and the need for your services. During her description, which of the following behaviors are not considered appropriate?

A. When she is done speaking, summarize everything she has said
B. Using body gestures, like, leaning forward and nodding
C. Interrupting her narrative when you feel you need to clarify details
D. Encouraging her with phrases, like, “go on” and “um-hum”

Answer 3

C. Interrupting her narrative when you feel you need to clarify details

Question 4

In an initial interview, a client becomes belligerent and threatening for no apparent reason. The social worker should first

A. Calls security
B. Share his or her concern with the client
C. Firmly tell the client to quiet down
D. Ask the client to reschedule for another time

Answer 4

B. Share his or her concern with the client

Question 5

You have just begun an initial session with a battered woman who is just starting to tell you about the story and history of abuse. The best thing you can do as a therapist is

A. During her disclosure, ask her leading questions as a method of eliciting as much information as possible and to let her know you are supportive of her situation.
B. Simply listen to her story and do not offer advice or suggestions.
C. Stop her at different times during her discussion and provide her with an interpretation of her nonverbal behavior and statements to assist her in becoming more self-aware
D. Provide her with information about other domestic violence victims you have worked with in order to help her understand you are empathetic to her situation.

Answer 5

B. Simply listen to her story and do not offer advice or suggestions.

Question 6

A 30-year-old woman appears at a family service agency walk-in. She has just come from the emergency room where she received care for a broken rib and a badly beaten face. She states that she has been beaten by her husband but she does not want to go to a shelter since her children are due home from school in an hour and she wants to be home with them. What is the first thing the social worker should do?

A. Contact the police
B. Take the woman to the shelter
C. Aid the woman in going home to get her children
D. Have the children picked up and get the woman to a shelter

Answer 6

D. Have the children picked up and get the woman to a shelter

Question 7

While undertaking grief counseling with a woman whose child has recently died, the social workers is most likely to do the following in the first session

A. Prescribe medication
B. Testing
C. Intervention
D. Assessment

Answer 7

D. Assessment

Question 8

While working with an elderly patient on a home-health basis, the social worker becomes aware that she has developed numerous bruises on her legs. When the social worker asks about the bruises, the patient states that she often hits her legs with her walker when she is trying to get around. The social worker knows that she has used this walker for almost 2 years and has not had thi problem before. The social worker is also aware that her daughter, who is her sole caretaker, has appeared very stressed out when she has run into her at her mother’s home. The social worker needs to

A. Assess for elder abuse
B. Have the walker examined
C. Accept the client’s explanation
D. Have a private meeting with the daughter

Answer 8

A. Assess for elder abuse

Question 9

A counselor at a local high school contacts a social worker in the child welfare protection agency and describes the situation of a 14-year-old girl reporting sexual abuse by her father. The social worker’s first step should be to

A. Interview the child immediately
B. Contact the family
C. Contact the police
D. Remove the child from the home

Answer 9

A. Interview the child immediately

Question 10

You accept a referral from an agency on a 65-year-old male client. During the initial interview you learn he has been physically abusive to his wife of 40 years and he appears very depressed. He relayed that 2 of his children will not talk to hum and did not call him for his birthday this year. You quickly find you dislike this client intensely and have difficulty feeling empathy for him and his situation. That evening after the session you realize he reminds you of your spouse’s step-father who was abusive to your spouse during their childhood. You should

A. Accept your feelings as part of the therapeutic process when working with abusers
B. Talk to your supervisor about your reactions toward this client
C. Continue your sessions with the client and ignore your feelings
D. Share your feelings with the client

Answer 10

B. Talk to your supervisor about your reactions toward this client

Question 11

Holly is going to meet a client for the first time. She plans to do a biopsychosocial history on the client in order to learn more about him. Holly asks her client to bring collateral data, such as medical records, pictures of family, and other information to their appointment. Why is collateral data important?

A. It helps fill gaps for biopsychosocial history that a client might leave out
B. It helps to show if the client is being honest during the biopsychosocial assessment
C. It provides information from family members to reveal their observations of the client
D. It helps Holly make observations about who in the clients family he is most like

Answer 11

A. It helps fill gaps for biopsychosocial history that a client might leave out

Question 12

A female client comes to see a social worker to discuss her relationship issues. According to the psychosocial perspective, the social worker should

A. Refer to a marriage and family therapist
B. Have her tell you about the issues affecting her life
C. Begin training behavioral techniques
D. Provide a referral to a psychologist for testing

Answer 12

B. Have her tell you about the issues affecting her life

Question 13

A newly graduated social worker has taken employment in a youth corrections agency as an intake worker. She must gather information from the clients and the assign them to other caseworkers. A type of question that is useful in obtaining specific information is

A. Specific questions
B. Leading questions
C. Open-ended questions
D. Close-ended questions

Answer 13

D. Close-ended questions

Question 14

A client has recently been referred to a social worker for issues related to domestic violence and drug use. The client asks questions about the social worker’s credentials and experience during the initial assessment. What should the social worker do next?

A. Move the conversation to a less threatening topic
B. Confront the client about how he is avoiding intake questions
C. Ask the client how he feels about being in therapy
D. Discuss the issues related to domestic violence

Answer 14

C. Ask the client how he feels about being in therapy

Question 15

You are in your fourth session with a man who is 32-years-old who has been married for 6 years. He and his wife have 2 small children. He states to you that he recently had a homosexual experience and now realizes that he has been gay all of his life. He wants to talk to his wife but he is afraid she will become angry and he will not be able to see his children. Your best course of action would be?

A. Tell the client they should remain in the closet until society is more accepting of their lifestyle.
B. Explore with the client the possible outcomes of his revelation, and the possible issues he will face in the future
C. Help the client plan for any upcoming legal actions
D. Explore with the client whether or not the single experience is worth giving up his marriage.

Answer 15

B. Explore with the client the possible outcomes of his revelation, and the possible issues he will face in the future

Question 16

During a family therapy session, the teenage daughter begins accusing her mother of being uncaring and neglecting her needs. The mother repeatedly responds very passively and does not defend herself, while the father continually attempts to take control of the session. The social worker needs to examine the family situation for

A. Individuation issues
B. Sexual abuse
C. Substance abuse
D. Triangulation

Answer 16

B. Sexual abuse

Question 17

Step-families often deal with a variety of different issues. The most common issue in step-families and therefore and important issue for the social worker to be aware of is

A. Personalities
B. Discipline styles
C. Age of parents
D. Age of children

Answer 17

B. Discipline styles

Question 18

In an initial therapy session, the 2 younger children (7 and 10 years old) begin acting out and fighting with each other. The parents do nothing to end the commotion. The social worker should first

A. Teach the parents how to stop the arguing
B. Allow the acting out to continue so he can assess the family dynamics
C. Tell the parents to control their children
D. Stop the arguing himself

Answer 18

B. Allow the acting out to continue so he can assess the family dynamics

Question 19

You have been asked by a colleague to consult with a young couple who have 2 children, ages 2 and 6. They have recently been told that their 6 year old child has an Affective Disorder. The diagnosis was made after a school referral to a clinical social worker. The first thing you should do for this couple is

A. Complete a thorough biopsychosocial assessment of the family
B. Empower the parents through education about the disorder
C. Refer the family to a support group for families with children with similar diagnoses
D. Help the parents identify different social supports for the child

Answer 19

B. Empower the parents through education about the disorder

Question 20

You have been asked to work with a family with a known history of father-daughter incest. As you evaluate the family system, you should expect to see all of the following concerns in this relationship except

A. Daughter-father communication will be distorted and symbolic
B. Reversal between mother-daughter roles and expectations
C. Highly supportive and sharing mother-daughter relationship
D. Family structure is very strict, with highly moralistic expectations

Answer 20

C. Highly supportive and sharing mother-daughter relationship

Question 21

A school social worker is aware of several elementary school students whose parents are divorced. She is considering forming a group with these students. In what way would a group be beneficial?
A. It would let the students hear other students’ similar stories of experiences that have happened in their homes
B. It would let them know they are not alone
C. It would give the students ideas about how to get their parents back together
D. It would reduce the students trauma

Answer 21

B. It would let them know they are not alone

Question 22

You have been hired by a private, non-profit agency, which works with the HIV/AIDS population. The primary function of your unit is to educate sexually active individuals about the disease and to help them understand the importance of testing, life-style changes, and treatment if necessary. What is the best way to describe your agency’s type of prevention?

A. Tertiary prevention
B. Crisis intervention
C. Secondary prevention
D. Primary prevention

Answer 22

C. Secondary prevention

Question 23

A marriage and family treatment clinic is offering couples group therapy sessions, to be conducted by a social worker. The focus of the group is to discuss marital problems of the couples with the hopes that the couples can provide support and suggestions to one another. While the social worker is conducting the first session with the group, a member of the group expresses concerns over the relatively low number of male participants in the group. The social workers response should be

A. To encourage the group to discuss the issue
B. To discuss mens’ reluctance to seek help
C. To allow the men in the group to respond
D. To agree with the group member

Answer 23

A. To encourage the group to discuss the issue

Question 24

You are writing a proposal to begin a group therapy project. As you are listing the different aspects of the group, you realize the most important aspect you should consider for establishing membership in the therapy group is

A. Personalities of individual group members
B. Length of each group session
C. Client diagnoses
D. Goals of the group

Answer 24

C. Client diagnoses

Question 25

A school social worker in a public high school has been asked by her principal to set up a group for students who have been arrested for using drugs. He asks her to include some of the student leaders who have not used drugs, as positive role models for the other students. Which statement best describes this type of group?

A. The group is not a good idea
B. This is an educational group
C. This is a support group
D. This is a therapy group B

Answer 25

A. The group is not a good idea

Question 26

A social worker in a mental health agency decides to form a therapy group for individuals who are having marital difficulties. The social worker has asked colleagues to refer individuals to the group. In forming this group, the social worker will need all of the following information about individuals except

A. Their stage in life
B. Their age
C. The nature of their problem
D. The number of children they have

Answer 26

D. The number of children they have

Question 27

Group therapy is not appropriate for all of the following client groups except

A. Isolated from others
B. Compulsively in need of attention
C. Paranoid or psychotic
D. Actively in crisis

Answer 27

A. Isolated from others

Question 28

There are many different types of groups that social workers lead. The type of group most associated with self-improvement and opportunities to expand self-awareness is

A. Socialization group
B. Growth group
C. Therapeutic group
D. Recreational group

Answer 28

B. Growth group

Question 29

A social worker in a child abuse center creates a group for abusive parents. During the first session, one of the mothers becomes angry and starts to argue with another parent. The social worker should handle the situation by

A. Allowing the mother to vent her anger
B. Insisting the mother stop arguing
C. Having the parents work through the disagreement in an appropriate manner
D. Asking the mother to explain what caused her anger

Answer 29

A. Allowing the mother to vent her anger

Question 30

Brian has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). His social worker recommends that he join a treatment group with others who have OCD. In the group he learns more about the disorder, completes assignments, and exchanges ideas with others in the group. What type of group is this?

A. Therapy group
B. Support group
C. Educational group
D. Growth group

Answer 30

C. Educational group

Question 31

A local counseling center is planning to start a bereavement group for families who have suffered the loss of a loved one to AIDS. The programs will have an evaluation component that assesses the programs from the planning stage through the implementation stage. This type of evaluation is called

A. A summative program evaluation
B. A cost effectiveness evaluation
C. A formative program evaluation
D. A cost-benefit analysis

Answer 31

C. A formative program evaluation

Question 32

The primary factor for a social worker to consider when setting up a behavioral treatment program for a cline tis

A. The outcome desired
B. The dysfunctional thoughts behind the behavior
C. The triggers for the behavior
D. The nature of the dysfunctional behavior

Answer 32

D. The nature of the dysfunctional behavior

Question 33

There are different styles of leadership that can be utilized in organizations as a function of management. Which of these following describes the laissez-faire style of leadership organizations?

A. Staff members have a high level of say in decision-making; administration is only minimally involved in the process
B. Administration engages in unilateral decision making
C. Staff input on decisions is sought, administration makes the final decision
D. None of the above

Answer 33

A. Staff members have a high level of say in decision-making; administration is only minimally involved in the process

Question 34

Social workers can work as managers in human service organizations at all levels of administration. The primary function of management is to

A. Maintain the morale of employees
B. Attend to the staffing of the organization
C. Plan organizational activities
D. Achieve the goals of the organization

Answer 34

D. Achieve the goals of the organization

Question 35

While working at a child welfare agency, a social worker learned that agency staff members are making decisions based upon positive feelings towards certain clients. These feelings may influence staff member decisions regarding financial assistance. The social workers first step should be to

A. Contact the local NASW
B. Organize clients around the issue
C. Hold a meeting with all social workers
D. Speak with the director to clarify the process

Answer 35

D. Speak with the director to clarify the process

Question 36

An experienced social worker has recently been employed in a small family therapy clinic. The social worker has been asked to provide supervision to staff members and she wants to do a good job. She knows that effective supervision is

A. Unstructured, consistent, and case-oriented
B. Structured, consistent, and evaluated
C. Unstructured, consistent, and theory-oriented
D. Unstructured, consistent, and evaluated

Answer 36

B. Structured, consistent, and evaluated

Question 37

A social work supervisor has chosen to use group supervision rather than individual supervision with his supervisors. All of the following statements about group supervision are true except

A. Group supervision is often less threatening to supervisees
B. Group supervision involves the sharing of supervisory responsibilities by the supervisor and supervisees
C. Group supervision is a time saver for supervisors
D. Group supervision is a more effective approach to supervision than individual supervision

Answer 37

D. Group supervision is a more effective approach to supervision than individual supervision

Question 38

Joseph is meeting his client, Catherine, for their regular session. Catering is engaged in many troublesome activities including gambling and high-risk sexual behavior. Joseph tries to get Cathering to understand the risks of these activities before serious consequences occur. Which of the following prevention strategies is Joseph using?

A. Passive prevention
B. Secondary prevention
C. Tertiary prevention
D. Primary prevention

Answer 38

D. Primary prevention

Question 39

A social worker has been seeing a client (who is an accomplished artist) in private practice for 10 months. The client has made excellent progress and is ready to terminate therapy. During the final session the client presents the social worker with a painting of his dog, which she painted from a photo that he had on his desk. What is the best way for the social worker to handle this situation?

A. The social worker should explain that he cannot accept this gift, even though this is a kind and generous gesture
B. The social worker should offer to buy the painting from the client
C. The social worker should remind the client that he discussed gift giving during the initial interview
D. The social worker should accept the gift as it is a painting of his dog and would not have meaning to anyone else

Answer 39

A. The social worker should explain that he cannot accept this gift, even though this is a kind and generous gesture

Question 40

Which of the following would be least effective with an involuntary client?

A. Asserting the therapeutic structure
B. Rewarding positives shown by the client
C. Showing empathy
D. Acknowledging the client’s circumstances

Answer 40

A. Asserting the therapeutic structure

Question 41

Marco is a clinical social worker who has just taken a position with a community mental health agency which primarily serves Latino families in a 30 mile radius. When dealing with families referred to the agency, Marco should first be concerned with

A. Determine the degree of assimilation into American culture
B. Avoid modalities which directly conflict with Latino cultures
C. Use highly directive behavioral techniques
D. Assume the family will have a strictly patriarchal structure

Answer 41

A. Determine the degree of assimilation into American culture

Question 42

A social worker has been working with a family that has a 16-year-old son who has had a drug problem. The son, in an individual session, tells the social worker that he has started to use drugs again. The social worker’s first responsibility is to

A. Maintain the son’s confidentiality
B. Ask the son to identify the reasons he has started using again
C. Assess the son’s drug use
D. Disclose this information to his parents

Answer 42

C. Assess the son’s drug use

Question 43

A social worker who is an administrator of an agency is evaluating his agency using a formative program evaluation. Which of the following statements describes a formative program evaluation?

A. Evaluation in process
B. Evaluation of the outcome
C. Evaluation of effectiveness
D. Validity of program

Answer 43

A. Evaluation in process

Question 44

A social worker in a detoxification facility discovers that a new patient told her former social worker that she bought prescription drugs in her lipstick case to the detox facility. Agency policy calls for the patient to start detox from the beginning if drugs are found. However, the client states that she has not taken any drugs since being admitted. The social worker should

A. Meet with other members of the facility to make a decision
B. Ask the patient to leave
C. Start detoxification over again since that is the policy
D. Ignore the drugs and continue treatment

Answer 44

C. Start detoxification over again since that is the policy

Question 45

A social worker at a private mental health clinic has been asked to turn all of his records for a particular client over to the director’s administrative assistant. There appears to be a family relationship between the director and the husband of the client. The social worker needs to

A. Contact the client
B. Speak with the director regarding the reasons for the request
C. Turn the records over
D. Refuse, as this is an unethical situation

Answer 45

B. Speak with the director regarding the reasons for the request

Question 46

A social worker in a large agency has several workers whom he supervises. All of the following are responsibilities of the social worker supervisor except

A. Making work assignments
B. Providing counseling to the supervisee
C. Evaluating the work of the supervisee
D. Educating the supervisee about agency policy and procedure

Answer 46

B. Providing counseling to the supervisee

Question 47

A social worker at a homeless shelter is asked by a mother to take her children to the social worker’s home on Christmas Eve so the children will have Christmas in a nice home. The social worker should

Al. Explain the ethical reasons why this cannot be done
B. Take the children home on Christmas Eve
C. Spend Christmas Eve with the family
D. Call the local family service agency to obtain more support for the mother

Answer 47

D. Call the local family service agency to obtain more support for the mother

Question 47

In a hospital setting, a social worker working with an elderly man is instructed by a physician to find the man a nursing home, as the doctor believes that the man is unable to care for himself a thome. The man does not want to go to a nursing home, and the social worker is aware of some services that might enable the man to live independently. However, the doctor refuses to listen. The social worker’s first responsibility is to

A. Follow the patient’s wishes
B. Follow the hospital’s rules
C. Follow the doctor’s orders
D. Follow the social worker’s own opinion

Answer 47

A. Follow the patient’s wishes

Question 48

A social worker who is the administrator of a large organization that works to find adequate housing for homeless clients has been conducting research to determine the effectiveness of the agency. Which of the following is another term for summative program evaluation?

A. Cost effective analysis
B. Process analysis
C. Formative program evaluation
D. Outcome analysis

Answer 48

D. Outcome analysis

Question 49

While presenting a workshop at a conference on the topic of personality disorders, an attendee speaks with a social worker at the break and describes herself as a Borderline Personality Disorder previously diagnosed at a psychiatrist’s office. She asks the social worker to confirm the diagnosis. What is the best response for the social worker to take?

A. Explain that she cannot diagnose under the circumstances. If the attendee has concerns, she should check with her doctor
B. Set an appointment to meet with the attendee
C. Advise her to see another psychiatrist for a second opinion
D. Meet with the individual after the conference to discuss her concerns

Answer 49

C. Advise her to see another psychiatrist for a second opinion