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GRIEF AND LOSS ASSESSMENT EXAM
|QS&AS|A+GRADE
1. Which of the following best defines "bereavement"?
A) The emotional reaction to loss
B) The objective state of having experienced a loss
C) The outward expression of grief
D) The process of adapting to loss
Answer: B – Bereavement is the state of having lost someone
significant through death. It is objective, while grief is the
emotional response and mourning is the expression.
2. The term "mourning" refers to:
A) The internal emotional experience of loss
B) The culturally and socially prescribed behaviors following a
death
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C) The clinical diagnosis of prolonged grief
D) The sudden onset of grief symptoms
Answer: B – Mourning is the outward, public expression of grief,
shaped by cultural, religious, and social norms (e.g., wearing
black, funeral rituals).
3. Which statement about grief is TRUE?
A) Grief is a uniform experience with predictable stages
B) Grief is a highly individual process without a fixed timeline
C) Grief always requires professional intervention
D) Grief resolves completely within one year
Answer: B – Grief is unique to each person; it can fluctuate,
recur, and last a lifetime. There is no single "normal" trajectory.
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4. The concept of "continuing bonds" suggests that:
A) Healthy grief requires complete detachment from the
deceased
B) Maintaining a symbolic or internal connection with the
deceased can be adaptive
C) Continuing bonds always indicate pathology
D) Only children should maintain bonds
Answer: B – Research (Klass, Silverman, Nickman) shows that
many people maintain ongoing connections (e.g., talking to the
deceased, keeping mementos) without adverse effects.
5. Which term describes the period immediately following a
death when a person may feel numb or in disbelief?
A) Acute grief
B) Integrated grief
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C) Complicated grief
D) Anticipatory grief
Answer: A – Acute grief is the early, intense phase that may
include shock, yearning, and emotional pain. Integrated grief is
when the loss is incorporated into life.
6. "Complicated grief" (now Prolonged Grief Disorder) is
characterized by:
A) Absence of any distress
B) Persistent, intense symptoms lasting beyond 12 months with
functional impairment
C) Grief that begins before the death
D) Grief that is fully resolved within 6 months
Answer: B – Prolonged Grief Disorder (DSM-5-TR) requires
separation distress and other symptoms for at least 12 months (6
months for children) causing significant impairment.
GRIEF AND LOSS ASSESSMENT EXAM
|QS&AS|A+GRADE
1. Which of the following best defines "bereavement"?
A) The emotional reaction to loss
B) The objective state of having experienced a loss
C) The outward expression of grief
D) The process of adapting to loss
Answer: B – Bereavement is the state of having lost someone
significant through death. It is objective, while grief is the
emotional response and mourning is the expression.
2. The term "mourning" refers to:
A) The internal emotional experience of loss
B) The culturally and socially prescribed behaviors following a
death
,Page 2 of 129
C) The clinical diagnosis of prolonged grief
D) The sudden onset of grief symptoms
Answer: B – Mourning is the outward, public expression of grief,
shaped by cultural, religious, and social norms (e.g., wearing
black, funeral rituals).
3. Which statement about grief is TRUE?
A) Grief is a uniform experience with predictable stages
B) Grief is a highly individual process without a fixed timeline
C) Grief always requires professional intervention
D) Grief resolves completely within one year
Answer: B – Grief is unique to each person; it can fluctuate,
recur, and last a lifetime. There is no single "normal" trajectory.
,Page 3 of 129
4. The concept of "continuing bonds" suggests that:
A) Healthy grief requires complete detachment from the
deceased
B) Maintaining a symbolic or internal connection with the
deceased can be adaptive
C) Continuing bonds always indicate pathology
D) Only children should maintain bonds
Answer: B – Research (Klass, Silverman, Nickman) shows that
many people maintain ongoing connections (e.g., talking to the
deceased, keeping mementos) without adverse effects.
5. Which term describes the period immediately following a
death when a person may feel numb or in disbelief?
A) Acute grief
B) Integrated grief
, Page 4 of 129
C) Complicated grief
D) Anticipatory grief
Answer: A – Acute grief is the early, intense phase that may
include shock, yearning, and emotional pain. Integrated grief is
when the loss is incorporated into life.
6. "Complicated grief" (now Prolonged Grief Disorder) is
characterized by:
A) Absence of any distress
B) Persistent, intense symptoms lasting beyond 12 months with
functional impairment
C) Grief that begins before the death
D) Grief that is fully resolved within 6 months
Answer: B – Prolonged Grief Disorder (DSM-5-TR) requires
separation distress and other symptoms for at least 12 months (6
months for children) causing significant impairment.
