Practice Exam For Certified Hospice And
Palliative Social Worker (C-HPSW)
Examination QUESTION AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which of the following is the primary role of a hospice social worker?
A. Prescribing medication
B. Managing financial accounts
C. Providing psychosocial support to patients and families
D. Performing medical procedures
Rationale: Hospice social workers focus on addressing emotional, social,
and spiritual needs of patients and families.
2. A patient expresses fear about dying and spiritual concerns. The social
worker should:
A. Refer immediately to a psychologist
B. Explore the patient’s spiritual beliefs and provide support
C. Avoid the topic to prevent distress
D. Focus only on symptom management
Rationale: Addressing spiritual concerns is a core responsibility, helping
patients find meaning and comfort.
3. In palliative care, the primary goal is:
A. Cure of the illness
B. Relief of suffering and improvement of quality of life
C. Hospitalization at all costs
D. Isolation of the patient
, Rationale: Palliative care prioritizes comfort and quality of life rather than
curing the underlying disease.
4. When conducting a family assessment, the social worker should:
A. Only meet with the patient
B. Focus solely on medical history
C. Explore family dynamics, communication, and coping strategies
D. Avoid discussing sensitive topics
Rationale: Family assessment in hospice care evaluates strengths,
conflicts, and support systems.
5. Advance care planning primarily involves:
A. Determining the patient’s diet
B. Discussing patient preferences for end-of-life care
C. Scheduling daily activities
D. Assigning nursing tasks
Rationale: Advance care planning ensures patient wishes are respected
regarding life-sustaining treatments.
6. A patient with terminal illness expresses anger towards family members.
The best social work intervention is:
A. Encourage avoidance of conflict
B. Criticize the patient for anger
C. Facilitate communication and expression of feelings
D. Medicate to suppress anger
Rationale: Hospice social workers support emotional expression and
family communication.
7. Which of the following is a common ethical dilemma in hospice care?
A. Choosing the color of the patient’s room
B. Administering routine medications
C. Balancing patient autonomy with family wishes
D. Scheduling recreational activities
Rationale: Conflicts often arise when family wishes differ from the
patient’s end-of-life preferences.
8. Cultural competence in hospice care requires the social worker to:
A. Apply the same approach to all patients
, B. Focus only on medical needs
C. Respect cultural beliefs and adapt interventions accordingly
D. Avoid discussing cultural topics
Rationale: Understanding and integrating cultural beliefs improves
patient and family support.
9. A patient refuses pain medication because of fear of addiction. The social
worker should:
A. Ignore the refusal
B. Force the patient to take medication
C. Educate about safe use and address concerns
D. Remove all pain interventions
Rationale: Educating and supporting patient autonomy helps manage
pain while respecting patient concerns.
10.Bereavement support includes:
A. Only medical follow-up
B. Daily hospital visits
C. Counseling and support for family after patient death
D. Ignoring family needs
Rationale: Social workers provide ongoing grief support and referrals to
resources.
11.Which of the following is an example of a psychosocial intervention?
A. Administering IV fluids
B. Writing prescriptions
C. Counseling patient to cope with fear of death
D. Performing lab tests
Rationale: Psychosocial interventions address emotional, social, and
mental health needs.
12.The difference between hospice and palliative care is:
A. Hospice is for all chronic illnesses
B. Hospice is for terminal illness with prognosis of six months or less;
palliative can be at any stage
C. Palliative care requires hospitalization
D. Hospice focuses on cure
Palliative Social Worker (C-HPSW)
Examination QUESTION AND CORRECT
ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A INSTANT
DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which of the following is the primary role of a hospice social worker?
A. Prescribing medication
B. Managing financial accounts
C. Providing psychosocial support to patients and families
D. Performing medical procedures
Rationale: Hospice social workers focus on addressing emotional, social,
and spiritual needs of patients and families.
2. A patient expresses fear about dying and spiritual concerns. The social
worker should:
A. Refer immediately to a psychologist
B. Explore the patient’s spiritual beliefs and provide support
C. Avoid the topic to prevent distress
D. Focus only on symptom management
Rationale: Addressing spiritual concerns is a core responsibility, helping
patients find meaning and comfort.
3. In palliative care, the primary goal is:
A. Cure of the illness
B. Relief of suffering and improvement of quality of life
C. Hospitalization at all costs
D. Isolation of the patient
, Rationale: Palliative care prioritizes comfort and quality of life rather than
curing the underlying disease.
4. When conducting a family assessment, the social worker should:
A. Only meet with the patient
B. Focus solely on medical history
C. Explore family dynamics, communication, and coping strategies
D. Avoid discussing sensitive topics
Rationale: Family assessment in hospice care evaluates strengths,
conflicts, and support systems.
5. Advance care planning primarily involves:
A. Determining the patient’s diet
B. Discussing patient preferences for end-of-life care
C. Scheduling daily activities
D. Assigning nursing tasks
Rationale: Advance care planning ensures patient wishes are respected
regarding life-sustaining treatments.
6. A patient with terminal illness expresses anger towards family members.
The best social work intervention is:
A. Encourage avoidance of conflict
B. Criticize the patient for anger
C. Facilitate communication and expression of feelings
D. Medicate to suppress anger
Rationale: Hospice social workers support emotional expression and
family communication.
7. Which of the following is a common ethical dilemma in hospice care?
A. Choosing the color of the patient’s room
B. Administering routine medications
C. Balancing patient autonomy with family wishes
D. Scheduling recreational activities
Rationale: Conflicts often arise when family wishes differ from the
patient’s end-of-life preferences.
8. Cultural competence in hospice care requires the social worker to:
A. Apply the same approach to all patients
, B. Focus only on medical needs
C. Respect cultural beliefs and adapt interventions accordingly
D. Avoid discussing cultural topics
Rationale: Understanding and integrating cultural beliefs improves
patient and family support.
9. A patient refuses pain medication because of fear of addiction. The social
worker should:
A. Ignore the refusal
B. Force the patient to take medication
C. Educate about safe use and address concerns
D. Remove all pain interventions
Rationale: Educating and supporting patient autonomy helps manage
pain while respecting patient concerns.
10.Bereavement support includes:
A. Only medical follow-up
B. Daily hospital visits
C. Counseling and support for family after patient death
D. Ignoring family needs
Rationale: Social workers provide ongoing grief support and referrals to
resources.
11.Which of the following is an example of a psychosocial intervention?
A. Administering IV fluids
B. Writing prescriptions
C. Counseling patient to cope with fear of death
D. Performing lab tests
Rationale: Psychosocial interventions address emotional, social, and
mental health needs.
12.The difference between hospice and palliative care is:
A. Hospice is for all chronic illnesses
B. Hospice is for terminal illness with prognosis of six months or less;
palliative can be at any stage
C. Palliative care requires hospitalization
D. Hospice focuses on cure
