CWEL EXAM PRACTICE QUESTIONS 2026
EXAMINATION TEST COMPLETE Q&A WITH
ACCURATE ANSWERS
◉ Psychological First Aid (PFA) has many objectives including:
Answer: -Enhancing immediate and ongoing safety and provide
physical and emotional comfort
- Connecting children and their caregivers to social support
networks
-Offering practical assistance and information to help children and
their caregivers with immediate needs and concerns
◉ Verbal abuse, withdrawal of love, and intentional social
deprivation best describe what type of child trauma? Answer:
Psychological Maltreatment
◉ Predatory violence (robbery) and violence arising from non-
family interpersonal conflicts are examples of: Answer: Community
violence
◉ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Include: Answer: -One or
no biological parents
-Unplanned placement moves
,-Sexual abuse
-An alcoholic or drug using caretaker
◉ In talking/intervening with younger children (infants through
preschoolers) who have experienced or are experiencing trauma, it
is best to: Answer: Reaffirm that there will always be someone to
take care pf them
◉ Strategies for working with a child who is having difficult not
blaming themselves for what happened to them (placement) and
their families should include: Answer: -Asking a child to think how
old they were when the trauma took place and help them realize
they were too young or small to really make a difference
-Helping a child think through what they could have done instead
◉ Strong, frequent or prolonged activation of the body' stress
management system, without access to supportive adults best
describes: Answer: Toxic Stress
◉ Which of these is not true of brain development? Answer: a. By
the fetal age of 20 weeks, most neurons are already in place though
the brain will still keep developing well after birth.
b. During the first two years of life the brain size expands 2-1/2
times
,c. The brainstem and midbrain are responsible for the body's basic
functions
d. The brain develops sequentially from less complex to more
complex functions
e. NONE OF THE ABOVE
◉ Multiple changes of placement in foster care can result in Answer:
Greater risk for delinquency and high school drop out
◉ Three steps that can reduce the impact of trauma are: Answer:
Identification of source of trauma, early intervention, and provision
of a healthy and responsive caregiver
◉ Children who have experienced trauma and need to heal often go
through a series of steps called guiding principles. The first and most
fundamental step in that process is: Answer: Feeling safe
◉ Children who experience the death of a loved one experience
traumatic grief Answer: False
◉ Adverse Childhood Experiences can result in lifelong physical
health concerns such as increased risk of smoking, adult alcoholism
and chronic depression. Answer: True
, ◉ Children, who are school age and over, should not be aware of the
services that their parents are engaged in as this breaches the
parent's confidentiality. Answer: False
◉ Confused, mentally shut down, memory like a broken puzzle
describes a normal "thinking" stress reaction. Answer: False
◉ Heart feels like bursting, gasping, feeling smothered, overreacting
or freezing describes an overwhelming "body" stress reaction
Answer: True
◉ Because children are young and more resilient they are more
likely to bounce back from traumatic experiences than adults.
Answer: False
◉ Normal brain development is disrupted when individuals remain
in a state of chronic stress for long periods of time resulting in
"chemical baths" of the brain Answer: True
◉ The most post-natal brain development occurs in adolescence.
Answer: False
◉ Placement is an Adverse Childhood Experience.` Answer: True
EXAMINATION TEST COMPLETE Q&A WITH
ACCURATE ANSWERS
◉ Psychological First Aid (PFA) has many objectives including:
Answer: -Enhancing immediate and ongoing safety and provide
physical and emotional comfort
- Connecting children and their caregivers to social support
networks
-Offering practical assistance and information to help children and
their caregivers with immediate needs and concerns
◉ Verbal abuse, withdrawal of love, and intentional social
deprivation best describe what type of child trauma? Answer:
Psychological Maltreatment
◉ Predatory violence (robbery) and violence arising from non-
family interpersonal conflicts are examples of: Answer: Community
violence
◉ Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Include: Answer: -One or
no biological parents
-Unplanned placement moves
,-Sexual abuse
-An alcoholic or drug using caretaker
◉ In talking/intervening with younger children (infants through
preschoolers) who have experienced or are experiencing trauma, it
is best to: Answer: Reaffirm that there will always be someone to
take care pf them
◉ Strategies for working with a child who is having difficult not
blaming themselves for what happened to them (placement) and
their families should include: Answer: -Asking a child to think how
old they were when the trauma took place and help them realize
they were too young or small to really make a difference
-Helping a child think through what they could have done instead
◉ Strong, frequent or prolonged activation of the body' stress
management system, without access to supportive adults best
describes: Answer: Toxic Stress
◉ Which of these is not true of brain development? Answer: a. By
the fetal age of 20 weeks, most neurons are already in place though
the brain will still keep developing well after birth.
b. During the first two years of life the brain size expands 2-1/2
times
,c. The brainstem and midbrain are responsible for the body's basic
functions
d. The brain develops sequentially from less complex to more
complex functions
e. NONE OF THE ABOVE
◉ Multiple changes of placement in foster care can result in Answer:
Greater risk for delinquency and high school drop out
◉ Three steps that can reduce the impact of trauma are: Answer:
Identification of source of trauma, early intervention, and provision
of a healthy and responsive caregiver
◉ Children who have experienced trauma and need to heal often go
through a series of steps called guiding principles. The first and most
fundamental step in that process is: Answer: Feeling safe
◉ Children who experience the death of a loved one experience
traumatic grief Answer: False
◉ Adverse Childhood Experiences can result in lifelong physical
health concerns such as increased risk of smoking, adult alcoholism
and chronic depression. Answer: True
, ◉ Children, who are school age and over, should not be aware of the
services that their parents are engaged in as this breaches the
parent's confidentiality. Answer: False
◉ Confused, mentally shut down, memory like a broken puzzle
describes a normal "thinking" stress reaction. Answer: False
◉ Heart feels like bursting, gasping, feeling smothered, overreacting
or freezing describes an overwhelming "body" stress reaction
Answer: True
◉ Because children are young and more resilient they are more
likely to bounce back from traumatic experiences than adults.
Answer: False
◉ Normal brain development is disrupted when individuals remain
in a state of chronic stress for long periods of time resulting in
"chemical baths" of the brain Answer: True
◉ The most post-natal brain development occurs in adolescence.
Answer: False
◉ Placement is an Adverse Childhood Experience.` Answer: True
