LSW EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is the time-frame for achieving steady state on a benzodiazepine? - Answers -One
day to 21 days.
A social worker providing case management services is attempting to determine the
needs of a client who has been unemployed for more than a year. The client is married
and has two children. To gather information about the client's financial needs and need
for other social provisions, the social worker should rely the MOST on which of the
following sources? - Answers -The clients report.
A client reports that her elderly father has seemed rather confused lately. A physician
recently evaluated the man, and all neuropsychiatric tests for a neurocognitive disorder
have been negative. The physician found no major medical problems. The client says
that she has decided to move her father (whose wife died 10 years ago) to an
independent living facility. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers
-Seek permission from the client to conduct an in-home assessment of her father.
A 40-year-old man is referred for case management services. Six months ago, the client
was fired from a construction job he had held for many years due to poor performance
and frequent absences that started shortly after he was injured at work. He has been
unable to find new work and is in danger of losing his apartment. The client appears
distracted during the interview and answers many of the social worker's questions by
saying "I'm not sure," or "I don't remember." Given all of this information, what should
the social worker explore FIRST? - Answers -Whether the client has had access to
medical care.
During the first interview, a client reports feeling extremely guilty about taking supplies
from his office to use at home. After she has acknowledged the client's feelings about
this, what should the social worker do FIRST? - Answers -Invite the client to continue
expressing himself and respond to him without judgment.
A social worker meets with a same-sex couple who wants help learning how to
communicate with each other because they fight too much. In the first interview, the
clients stipulate that they don't want to talk about being gay or anything else having to
do with sexuality. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers -Allow
the clients to present the problem as they perceive it, but let them know that she may
have ideas to share about the problem once she's heard what they have to say.
The MMPI-2 can be used to measure which of the following? - Answers -Characteristic
behavior.
A client has been in therapy since the break-up of his marriage several months ago. He
arrives for a session looking disheveled. After a few minutes, he tells the social worker
that he can't eat or sleep. As he speaks, his voice quivers and he appears to be in
significant emotional distress. In terms of assessing these changes in the client's
,functioning, what should the social worker do FIRST? - Answers -Determine threat to
life by asking direct questions.
If left untreated, diabetes mellitus can result in which of the following symptoms? -
Answers -Increased appetite with weight loss, apathy, confusion, mental dullness.
A client reports experiencing fatigue and excessive nervousness. She says she has a
history of periodic depression but has never felt so nervous or anxious before. She was
treated for depression two years ago and says that her mood has improved since then.
Now, she's just a "nervous wreck" and feels like she can never calm down. What should
the social worker do FIRST in assessing this client? - Answers -Collect a medical
history, including a review of medications, and refer the client for a physical exam.
Which of the following is the BEST definition of discrimination? - Answers -Unequal
treatment based on arbitrary characteristics such as race or gender.
An African American woman brings her 16-year-old son in for therapy. They moved to a
new neighborhood a few months ago. The mother reports that the boy has been feeling
depressed since they moved and is having difficulty making new friends. What should
the social worker assess FIRST? - Answers -The racial makeup of their new
neighborhood.
A hospital social worker is meeting with a Chinese-American man, age 50, and the
man's mother, age 80; the mother was hospitalized one week ago. The physician has
recommended that the mother be placed in a nursing home. She has become
disoriented and frail and her memory is very impaired. The social worker discusses the
doctor's recommendation with the man while his mother is also in the room. The man
listens politely for a few moments and then says that his mother is fine and can continue
living at his home. Which of the following would be the BEST way to interpret this
situation? - Answers -The man is not comfortable discussing this issue with the social
worker.
The client is a woman with severe migraine headaches who was hospitalized and given
medication by her doctor. Each time she took the medication, she felt nauseated and
several times she threw up. Although she stopped taking the medication when she left
the hospital, she finds that, whenever she visits her doctor at the hospital, she begins to
feel nauseated again. What does this situation illustrate? - Answers -Classical
conditioning
According to Freud's structural theory, cultural values are part of the - Answers -
superego.
Which defense mechanism rarely appears before adolescence? - Answers -
Rationalization.
, The clients are a young mother and father who report feeling overwhelmed by caring for
their 22-month-old son. They say that he has recently become more difficult to manage
than he was before. After acknowledging the parents' feelings, what should the social
worker do FIRST? - Answers -Discuss the developmental stages of early childhood with
the parents.
A 79-year-old client spends a lot of time in therapy sessions reminiscing about events
from her past. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers -Be patient
and recognize that reminiscing is a healthy activity.
A proponent of systems theory might say which of the following about the effects on a
family of contact with the environment? - Answers -It has a positive effect.
An Hispanic individual who recently immigrated to the United States is MOST likely to
have difficulty working with a social worker who - Answers -encourages individualism.
For Salvador Minuchin, "psychosomatic families" (i.e., those in which asthma, diabetes,
or anorexia threaten the life of one child) are MOST likely to be characterized by which
of the following? - Answers -Weak boundaries between family members and limited
opportunities for individual autonomy.
Cognitive dissonance theory would predict that which of the following individuals would
feel best about participating in therapy? - Answers -An individual who has to work
overtime to pay for his or her therapy.
A 67-year-old accountant exhibits impairments in memory and other cognitive functions
along with a depressed mood. The presence of which of the following suggests that his
symptoms are due to pseudodementia (depression) rather than mild neurocognitive
disorder? - Answers -The man tends to exaggerate his cognitive problems.
The clients are a family of three, including the mother, father, and 1-year-old son. The
family has been referred by their pediatrician because the child is underweight and
malnourished. The pediatrician has ruled out a medical condition that could account for
this. Assuming that this boy has nonorganic failure to thrive, which of the following is
LEAST likely to be true about him or his parents? - Answers -The boys Apgar scores
were low right after he was born.
In asthma, the muscles of the walls of the bronchi contract, making it difficult to breathe.
This response is triggered by which branch of the nervous system? - Answers -
Parasympathetic nervous system.
In behavioral therapy, extinction involves - Answers -withdrawal of reinforcement from a
previously reinforced behavior.
A 24-year-old client is referred by his family physician for help in dealing with persistent
feelings of sadness and apathy that emerged when he moved from his small hometown
What is the time-frame for achieving steady state on a benzodiazepine? - Answers -One
day to 21 days.
A social worker providing case management services is attempting to determine the
needs of a client who has been unemployed for more than a year. The client is married
and has two children. To gather information about the client's financial needs and need
for other social provisions, the social worker should rely the MOST on which of the
following sources? - Answers -The clients report.
A client reports that her elderly father has seemed rather confused lately. A physician
recently evaluated the man, and all neuropsychiatric tests for a neurocognitive disorder
have been negative. The physician found no major medical problems. The client says
that she has decided to move her father (whose wife died 10 years ago) to an
independent living facility. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers
-Seek permission from the client to conduct an in-home assessment of her father.
A 40-year-old man is referred for case management services. Six months ago, the client
was fired from a construction job he had held for many years due to poor performance
and frequent absences that started shortly after he was injured at work. He has been
unable to find new work and is in danger of losing his apartment. The client appears
distracted during the interview and answers many of the social worker's questions by
saying "I'm not sure," or "I don't remember." Given all of this information, what should
the social worker explore FIRST? - Answers -Whether the client has had access to
medical care.
During the first interview, a client reports feeling extremely guilty about taking supplies
from his office to use at home. After she has acknowledged the client's feelings about
this, what should the social worker do FIRST? - Answers -Invite the client to continue
expressing himself and respond to him without judgment.
A social worker meets with a same-sex couple who wants help learning how to
communicate with each other because they fight too much. In the first interview, the
clients stipulate that they don't want to talk about being gay or anything else having to
do with sexuality. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers -Allow
the clients to present the problem as they perceive it, but let them know that she may
have ideas to share about the problem once she's heard what they have to say.
The MMPI-2 can be used to measure which of the following? - Answers -Characteristic
behavior.
A client has been in therapy since the break-up of his marriage several months ago. He
arrives for a session looking disheveled. After a few minutes, he tells the social worker
that he can't eat or sleep. As he speaks, his voice quivers and he appears to be in
significant emotional distress. In terms of assessing these changes in the client's
,functioning, what should the social worker do FIRST? - Answers -Determine threat to
life by asking direct questions.
If left untreated, diabetes mellitus can result in which of the following symptoms? -
Answers -Increased appetite with weight loss, apathy, confusion, mental dullness.
A client reports experiencing fatigue and excessive nervousness. She says she has a
history of periodic depression but has never felt so nervous or anxious before. She was
treated for depression two years ago and says that her mood has improved since then.
Now, she's just a "nervous wreck" and feels like she can never calm down. What should
the social worker do FIRST in assessing this client? - Answers -Collect a medical
history, including a review of medications, and refer the client for a physical exam.
Which of the following is the BEST definition of discrimination? - Answers -Unequal
treatment based on arbitrary characteristics such as race or gender.
An African American woman brings her 16-year-old son in for therapy. They moved to a
new neighborhood a few months ago. The mother reports that the boy has been feeling
depressed since they moved and is having difficulty making new friends. What should
the social worker assess FIRST? - Answers -The racial makeup of their new
neighborhood.
A hospital social worker is meeting with a Chinese-American man, age 50, and the
man's mother, age 80; the mother was hospitalized one week ago. The physician has
recommended that the mother be placed in a nursing home. She has become
disoriented and frail and her memory is very impaired. The social worker discusses the
doctor's recommendation with the man while his mother is also in the room. The man
listens politely for a few moments and then says that his mother is fine and can continue
living at his home. Which of the following would be the BEST way to interpret this
situation? - Answers -The man is not comfortable discussing this issue with the social
worker.
The client is a woman with severe migraine headaches who was hospitalized and given
medication by her doctor. Each time she took the medication, she felt nauseated and
several times she threw up. Although she stopped taking the medication when she left
the hospital, she finds that, whenever she visits her doctor at the hospital, she begins to
feel nauseated again. What does this situation illustrate? - Answers -Classical
conditioning
According to Freud's structural theory, cultural values are part of the - Answers -
superego.
Which defense mechanism rarely appears before adolescence? - Answers -
Rationalization.
, The clients are a young mother and father who report feeling overwhelmed by caring for
their 22-month-old son. They say that he has recently become more difficult to manage
than he was before. After acknowledging the parents' feelings, what should the social
worker do FIRST? - Answers -Discuss the developmental stages of early childhood with
the parents.
A 79-year-old client spends a lot of time in therapy sessions reminiscing about events
from her past. What is the social worker's BEST course of action? - Answers -Be patient
and recognize that reminiscing is a healthy activity.
A proponent of systems theory might say which of the following about the effects on a
family of contact with the environment? - Answers -It has a positive effect.
An Hispanic individual who recently immigrated to the United States is MOST likely to
have difficulty working with a social worker who - Answers -encourages individualism.
For Salvador Minuchin, "psychosomatic families" (i.e., those in which asthma, diabetes,
or anorexia threaten the life of one child) are MOST likely to be characterized by which
of the following? - Answers -Weak boundaries between family members and limited
opportunities for individual autonomy.
Cognitive dissonance theory would predict that which of the following individuals would
feel best about participating in therapy? - Answers -An individual who has to work
overtime to pay for his or her therapy.
A 67-year-old accountant exhibits impairments in memory and other cognitive functions
along with a depressed mood. The presence of which of the following suggests that his
symptoms are due to pseudodementia (depression) rather than mild neurocognitive
disorder? - Answers -The man tends to exaggerate his cognitive problems.
The clients are a family of three, including the mother, father, and 1-year-old son. The
family has been referred by their pediatrician because the child is underweight and
malnourished. The pediatrician has ruled out a medical condition that could account for
this. Assuming that this boy has nonorganic failure to thrive, which of the following is
LEAST likely to be true about him or his parents? - Answers -The boys Apgar scores
were low right after he was born.
In asthma, the muscles of the walls of the bronchi contract, making it difficult to breathe.
This response is triggered by which branch of the nervous system? - Answers -
Parasympathetic nervous system.
In behavioral therapy, extinction involves - Answers -withdrawal of reinforcement from a
previously reinforced behavior.
A 24-year-old client is referred by his family physician for help in dealing with persistent
feelings of sadness and apathy that emerged when he moved from his small hometown
