CERTIFIED GRIEF COUNSELOR EXAM
PRACTICE EXAM QUESTION AND
CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES 2026 Q&A
INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Grief is best defined as:
A. A mental disorder
B. A temporary emotional reaction that should resolve quickly
C. A natural response to loss involving emotional, physical, cognitive, and
behavioral reactions
D. A sign of psychological weakness
Answer: C
Rationale: Grief is a normal, multidimensional response to loss and not a
pathology or weakness.
2. Which loss is most likely to result in disenfranchised grief?
A. Death of a spouse
B. Death of an elderly parent
C. Death of an ex-partner
D. Death after long illness
Answer: C
Rationale: Disenfranchised grief occurs when a loss is not socially recognized or
supported.
, 3. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross originally described how many stages of grief?
A. Three
B. Four
C. Five
D. Seven
Answer: C
Rationale: The Kübler-Ross model includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression,
and acceptance.
4. Which stage of grief may include feelings of injustice and resentment?
A. Denial
B. Anger
C. Bargaining
D. Acceptance
Answer: B
Rationale: Anger often involves blame, resentment, and frustration related to
the loss.
5. Worden’s Task Model of Grief focuses on:
A. Fixed emotional stages
B. Biological healing
C. Active tasks the bereaved must work through
D. Medication-based recovery
Answer: C
Rationale: Worden emphasized adaptive tasks rather than linear stages.
6. Which is NOT one of Worden’s four tasks of mourning?
A. Accept the reality of the loss
B. Process the pain of grief
, C. Forget the deceased
D. Adjust to a world without the deceased
Answer: C
Rationale: Healthy grieving does not require forgetting the deceased.
7. Anticipatory grief occurs:
A. After sudden death
B. Only in children
C. Before an impending loss
D. Only after traumatic loss
Answer: C
Rationale: Anticipatory grief occurs when loss is expected, such as during
terminal illness.
8. Complicated grief is characterized by:
A. Short grieving period
B. Mild emotional reactions
C. Persistent, intense grief that impairs functioning
D. Absence of sadness
Answer: C
Rationale: Complicated grief involves prolonged distress and difficulty adapting
to loss.
9. Which symptom is most associated with complicated grief?
A. Temporary sadness
B. Inability to accept the death
C. Occasional crying
D. Brief anxiety
PRACTICE EXAM QUESTION AND
CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED
ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES 2026 Q&A
INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Grief is best defined as:
A. A mental disorder
B. A temporary emotional reaction that should resolve quickly
C. A natural response to loss involving emotional, physical, cognitive, and
behavioral reactions
D. A sign of psychological weakness
Answer: C
Rationale: Grief is a normal, multidimensional response to loss and not a
pathology or weakness.
2. Which loss is most likely to result in disenfranchised grief?
A. Death of a spouse
B. Death of an elderly parent
C. Death of an ex-partner
D. Death after long illness
Answer: C
Rationale: Disenfranchised grief occurs when a loss is not socially recognized or
supported.
, 3. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross originally described how many stages of grief?
A. Three
B. Four
C. Five
D. Seven
Answer: C
Rationale: The Kübler-Ross model includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression,
and acceptance.
4. Which stage of grief may include feelings of injustice and resentment?
A. Denial
B. Anger
C. Bargaining
D. Acceptance
Answer: B
Rationale: Anger often involves blame, resentment, and frustration related to
the loss.
5. Worden’s Task Model of Grief focuses on:
A. Fixed emotional stages
B. Biological healing
C. Active tasks the bereaved must work through
D. Medication-based recovery
Answer: C
Rationale: Worden emphasized adaptive tasks rather than linear stages.
6. Which is NOT one of Worden’s four tasks of mourning?
A. Accept the reality of the loss
B. Process the pain of grief
, C. Forget the deceased
D. Adjust to a world without the deceased
Answer: C
Rationale: Healthy grieving does not require forgetting the deceased.
7. Anticipatory grief occurs:
A. After sudden death
B. Only in children
C. Before an impending loss
D. Only after traumatic loss
Answer: C
Rationale: Anticipatory grief occurs when loss is expected, such as during
terminal illness.
8. Complicated grief is characterized by:
A. Short grieving period
B. Mild emotional reactions
C. Persistent, intense grief that impairs functioning
D. Absence of sadness
Answer: C
Rationale: Complicated grief involves prolonged distress and difficulty adapting
to loss.
9. Which symptom is most associated with complicated grief?
A. Temporary sadness
B. Inability to accept the death
C. Occasional crying
D. Brief anxiety
