NUR 257 Grief & Loss Exam Questions with
Correct Answers (VerifiedAnswers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A Instant Download PDF
Practice Exam
Question 1
A nurse is caring for a client who recently experienced the
death of a spouse. Which statement best describes grief?
A. A psychiatric disorder that always requires treatment
B. A predictable sequence of emotional responses that occurs in
exactly the same order for everyone
C. A normal, individualized response to a significant loss
D. A response that occurs only after the death of a loved one
Rationale: Grief is a normal human response to loss and may
involve emotional, physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and
spiritual responses. Although theories describe common
patterns of grief, individuals do not necessarily experience grief
in a fixed sequence or with identical symptoms. Grief can occur
after many types of losses, including death, divorce, loss of
health, loss of employment, or loss of independence.
,Question 2
Which nursing intervention is most appropriate when caring for
a grieving client who begins to cry while discussing the
deceased person?
A. Change the subject to prevent further distress
B. Tell the client that crying will make coping more difficult
C. Leave the client alone until the crying stops
D. Remain with the client and allow the expression of feelings
Rationale: Allowing the client to express emotions is an
important component of therapeutic nursing care. The nurse
should provide presence, active listening, acceptance, and
emotional support rather than attempting to stop or redirect
the client's grief. Crying can be a healthy expression of sadness
and does not necessarily indicate pathological grief.
Question 3
A client states, “I keep thinking that if I had taken my mother to
the hospital sooner, she would still be alive.” Which grief
response is the client demonstrating?
A. Acceptance
B. Guilt
C. Euphoria
D. Detachment
,Rationale: The client's statement reflects guilt and self-blame,
which can occur during grief. Bereaved individuals may
repeatedly review events surrounding a death and wonder
whether they could have prevented it. The nurse should listen
without judgment and help the client distinguish realistic
responsibility from irrational self-blame.
Question 4
Which statement by a nurse demonstrates therapeutic
communication with a grieving client?
A. “You need to stay strong for your family.”
B. “Everything happens for a reason.”
C. “Tell me what this loss has been like for you.”
D. “You will feel better once you keep yourself busy.”
Rationale: Open-ended statements encourage the client to
describe thoughts and feelings in their own words. Statements
such as “stay strong” or “everything happens for a reason” can
minimize the client's experience or impose the nurse's beliefs.
Therapeutic communication focuses on the client's individual
experience rather than attempting to provide quick reassurance.
Question 5
, A client whose parent recently died says, “I know my parent is
dead, but sometimes I still expect to hear the key in the door.”
How should the nurse interpret this statement?
A. Evidence of psychosis
B. Evidence of severe cognitive impairment
C. Evidence that the client has not understood the death
D. A potentially normal experience during grief
Rationale: Bereaved individuals may temporarily experience a
sense of the deceased person's presence, expect to see or hear
the person, or have vivid memories. These experiences can occur
during normal grief and do not automatically indicate psychosis.
The nurse should assess the client's overall functioning, distress,
safety, and ability to distinguish the experience from reality.
Question 6
Which finding is most characteristic of anticipatory grief?
A. Grief that occurs only after a sudden death
B. Grief that begins several years after a loss
C. Grief experienced before an expected loss occurs
D. Grief that occurs only when a person refuses to accept reality
Rationale: Anticipatory grief can occur when an individual
expects a significant loss, such as when a loved one has a
terminal illness. Family members and the person who is ill may
Correct Answers (VerifiedAnswers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A Instant Download PDF
Practice Exam
Question 1
A nurse is caring for a client who recently experienced the
death of a spouse. Which statement best describes grief?
A. A psychiatric disorder that always requires treatment
B. A predictable sequence of emotional responses that occurs in
exactly the same order for everyone
C. A normal, individualized response to a significant loss
D. A response that occurs only after the death of a loved one
Rationale: Grief is a normal human response to loss and may
involve emotional, physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and
spiritual responses. Although theories describe common
patterns of grief, individuals do not necessarily experience grief
in a fixed sequence or with identical symptoms. Grief can occur
after many types of losses, including death, divorce, loss of
health, loss of employment, or loss of independence.
,Question 2
Which nursing intervention is most appropriate when caring for
a grieving client who begins to cry while discussing the
deceased person?
A. Change the subject to prevent further distress
B. Tell the client that crying will make coping more difficult
C. Leave the client alone until the crying stops
D. Remain with the client and allow the expression of feelings
Rationale: Allowing the client to express emotions is an
important component of therapeutic nursing care. The nurse
should provide presence, active listening, acceptance, and
emotional support rather than attempting to stop or redirect
the client's grief. Crying can be a healthy expression of sadness
and does not necessarily indicate pathological grief.
Question 3
A client states, “I keep thinking that if I had taken my mother to
the hospital sooner, she would still be alive.” Which grief
response is the client demonstrating?
A. Acceptance
B. Guilt
C. Euphoria
D. Detachment
,Rationale: The client's statement reflects guilt and self-blame,
which can occur during grief. Bereaved individuals may
repeatedly review events surrounding a death and wonder
whether they could have prevented it. The nurse should listen
without judgment and help the client distinguish realistic
responsibility from irrational self-blame.
Question 4
Which statement by a nurse demonstrates therapeutic
communication with a grieving client?
A. “You need to stay strong for your family.”
B. “Everything happens for a reason.”
C. “Tell me what this loss has been like for you.”
D. “You will feel better once you keep yourself busy.”
Rationale: Open-ended statements encourage the client to
describe thoughts and feelings in their own words. Statements
such as “stay strong” or “everything happens for a reason” can
minimize the client's experience or impose the nurse's beliefs.
Therapeutic communication focuses on the client's individual
experience rather than attempting to provide quick reassurance.
Question 5
, A client whose parent recently died says, “I know my parent is
dead, but sometimes I still expect to hear the key in the door.”
How should the nurse interpret this statement?
A. Evidence of psychosis
B. Evidence of severe cognitive impairment
C. Evidence that the client has not understood the death
D. A potentially normal experience during grief
Rationale: Bereaved individuals may temporarily experience a
sense of the deceased person's presence, expect to see or hear
the person, or have vivid memories. These experiences can occur
during normal grief and do not automatically indicate psychosis.
The nurse should assess the client's overall functioning, distress,
safety, and ability to distinguish the experience from reality.
Question 6
Which finding is most characteristic of anticipatory grief?
A. Grief that occurs only after a sudden death
B. Grief that begins several years after a loss
C. Grief experienced before an expected loss occurs
D. Grief that occurs only when a person refuses to accept reality
Rationale: Anticipatory grief can occur when an individual
expects a significant loss, such as when a loved one has a
terminal illness. Family members and the person who is ill may
