MSW COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ A family seeks counseling help after the accidental death of one of their two
children. The social worker's genuine concern and "over involvement" with
the family is noticed by the social worker's supervisor. The supervisor
should.
Answer: 3. Involve the social worker in assessing the effect his subjective
reactions may have on the quality of his work and on his clients.
◍ In working with clients from a racial or ethnic group different from their
own, what are social workers advised to do?.
Answer: Avoid generalizations.
◍ How would a social worker first react to a delusional and disorganized
20-year-old homeless woman who refuses to consider hospitalization?.
Answer: 2. By encouraging her to come to a walk-in emergency room.
◍ A 14-year-old depressed adolescent boy receiving treatment at a family
agency mentions that he is actively thinking of suicide. The social worker
believes the youth is serious and knows that the family is deeply concerned
about him. Of the choices below, which action is required and should guide
the worker's actions?.
Answer: 4. To protect the client, the worker should call the client's family,
after telling him that she is required to follow this procedure for his own
safety.
◍ Kinship bonds and corresponding extended family forms are cultural
dimensions that are important to consider in family practice with diverse
families. Which of the following aspects of practice may be most affected
, by how these dimensions are defined?.
Answer: Confidentiality.Defining family boundaries.(Both a and b.)
◍ A client's wife calls her husband's social worker for information concerning
her husband's emotional problems. the worker know they have a close
relationship and that the wife is aware that her husband is in treatment. The
social worker would most likely first respond by?.
Answer: 2. Probing her reasons for calling and asking for information.
◍ An elderly woman in her late 70s whose husband recently died has had
difficulty adjusting to living alone and caring for herself. The social worker
arranged for support services and suggested that her children call her more
frequently. Which statement is NOT true of this social work intervention?.
Answer: 3. Concrete helping services are usually the only intervention
needed by the elderly.
◍ A social worker is conducting an initial assessment with a client. What is the
best way for the social worker to inquire about the client's sexual
orientation?.
Answer: "What is your sexual orientation?"
◍ Eduardo is a 60 year old Latino man who identifies as gay and is disabled
due to a work-related accident. These aspects of his identity illustrate which
of the following terms?.
Answer: Intersectionality.
◍ David, a social worker at a family service agency, has been meeting for
several months with Jason, a moderately depressed man in his mid-20s.
They have developed a treatment contract with specific activities and goals.
The goals are designed to help Jason become less socially isolated and to
take more initiative at work. David notes that Jason does not follow-through
on specified weekly tasks. In social work responsibility for following
through on decisions concerning the client rests mainly with the ?.
Answer: 4. Client
◍ Jason is an African American man who has just recently gained employment
, with an advertising company. One of Jason's coworkers is resentful of Jason
because he thinks Jason was hired because of Affirmative Action and not
because he is qualified for the position. This same coworker also assumes
that Jason is not as smart as their colleagues because of his minority status.
What term best describes the attitude of the coworker?.
Answer: Prejudice.
◍ A social worker at a neighborhood cocktail party casually learns from a
neighbor that he has abused his child and is not receiving any help. Though
not in a professional setting the social worker should?.
Answer: 1. Report this incident to the authorities for further investigation.
◍ An elementary school teacher has placed a disruptive child away from all
activities for a predetermined, though short period. This is an example of?.
Answer: 3. A time-out strategy.
◍ In clinical work with sexually abused children, an important treatment goal
is to?.
Answer: 2. Relieve guilt
◍ Following an initial visit to an elderly client, a social worker notifies the
client that they will meet again in six weeks. The next day and for several
subsequent days the client continues to call the worker. The questions seem
contrived and trivial and do not concern significant or pressing issues. The
worker should?.
Answer: 3. Ask the client if she would like to schedule an earlier visit.
◍ Most group leaders/group therapists will have group members from diverse
cultural backgrounds. What is not a good way for group leaders to become
culturally competent?.
Answer: Promote universal values.
◍ A client states that he is convinced the FBI is watching him and that they are
trying to influence his thoughts. This is an example of a (an)?.
Answer: 1. Delusion.
◍ A social worker conducts a home visit to a 45 year old Latino client whose
, young son was killed in a recent automobile accident. The social worker
observes that a large altar has been made. It contains many candles and
pictures of the boy and other deceased relatives. The client sobs throughout
the interview and tells the social worker that the boy has been
communicating to the client each evening through angels. In order to most
effectively work with the client, what should the social worker do FIRST?.
Answer: Explore the mourning rituals of the client's family.
◍ Play therapy can be successful with children because?.
Answer: 1. Play is the natural self-expression of children.
◍ A social worker at a community mental health center is working with a 21
year old client who has been experiencing rejection from family and friends
following the admission by the client that she is a lesbian. During the third
session the client begins to cry and says, "Maybe my mom is right. She says
all I need to do is find the right man." After reflecting the client's unhappy
feelings, what should the social worker do NEXT?.
Answer: Use universalization to provide reassurance to the client about the
behavior of others in these circumstances.
◍ Mia
H. and Johnny
B. interviewed for the same job. Mia has more education and experience
than Johnny, and is the better qualified candidate for the position. However,
the hiring official did not offer the job to Mia because he believes women
are inferior to men and do not belong in the work force. Based on this
information, Mia experienced which of the following?.
Answer: Discrimination.(Discrimination involves acting on prejudice, which
the hiring official has done in this case. He is discriminating against Mia H.
on the basis of prejudice regarding her gender/discriminating based on his
sexism.)
◍ Cultural humility includes all but which of the following ?.
Answer: Focus on immigrants and minorities.
◍ Parents in treatment at a community mental health center are seen as
2026 FULL QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◍ A family seeks counseling help after the accidental death of one of their two
children. The social worker's genuine concern and "over involvement" with
the family is noticed by the social worker's supervisor. The supervisor
should.
Answer: 3. Involve the social worker in assessing the effect his subjective
reactions may have on the quality of his work and on his clients.
◍ In working with clients from a racial or ethnic group different from their
own, what are social workers advised to do?.
Answer: Avoid generalizations.
◍ How would a social worker first react to a delusional and disorganized
20-year-old homeless woman who refuses to consider hospitalization?.
Answer: 2. By encouraging her to come to a walk-in emergency room.
◍ A 14-year-old depressed adolescent boy receiving treatment at a family
agency mentions that he is actively thinking of suicide. The social worker
believes the youth is serious and knows that the family is deeply concerned
about him. Of the choices below, which action is required and should guide
the worker's actions?.
Answer: 4. To protect the client, the worker should call the client's family,
after telling him that she is required to follow this procedure for his own
safety.
◍ Kinship bonds and corresponding extended family forms are cultural
dimensions that are important to consider in family practice with diverse
families. Which of the following aspects of practice may be most affected
, by how these dimensions are defined?.
Answer: Confidentiality.Defining family boundaries.(Both a and b.)
◍ A client's wife calls her husband's social worker for information concerning
her husband's emotional problems. the worker know they have a close
relationship and that the wife is aware that her husband is in treatment. The
social worker would most likely first respond by?.
Answer: 2. Probing her reasons for calling and asking for information.
◍ An elderly woman in her late 70s whose husband recently died has had
difficulty adjusting to living alone and caring for herself. The social worker
arranged for support services and suggested that her children call her more
frequently. Which statement is NOT true of this social work intervention?.
Answer: 3. Concrete helping services are usually the only intervention
needed by the elderly.
◍ A social worker is conducting an initial assessment with a client. What is the
best way for the social worker to inquire about the client's sexual
orientation?.
Answer: "What is your sexual orientation?"
◍ Eduardo is a 60 year old Latino man who identifies as gay and is disabled
due to a work-related accident. These aspects of his identity illustrate which
of the following terms?.
Answer: Intersectionality.
◍ David, a social worker at a family service agency, has been meeting for
several months with Jason, a moderately depressed man in his mid-20s.
They have developed a treatment contract with specific activities and goals.
The goals are designed to help Jason become less socially isolated and to
take more initiative at work. David notes that Jason does not follow-through
on specified weekly tasks. In social work responsibility for following
through on decisions concerning the client rests mainly with the ?.
Answer: 4. Client
◍ Jason is an African American man who has just recently gained employment
, with an advertising company. One of Jason's coworkers is resentful of Jason
because he thinks Jason was hired because of Affirmative Action and not
because he is qualified for the position. This same coworker also assumes
that Jason is not as smart as their colleagues because of his minority status.
What term best describes the attitude of the coworker?.
Answer: Prejudice.
◍ A social worker at a neighborhood cocktail party casually learns from a
neighbor that he has abused his child and is not receiving any help. Though
not in a professional setting the social worker should?.
Answer: 1. Report this incident to the authorities for further investigation.
◍ An elementary school teacher has placed a disruptive child away from all
activities for a predetermined, though short period. This is an example of?.
Answer: 3. A time-out strategy.
◍ In clinical work with sexually abused children, an important treatment goal
is to?.
Answer: 2. Relieve guilt
◍ Following an initial visit to an elderly client, a social worker notifies the
client that they will meet again in six weeks. The next day and for several
subsequent days the client continues to call the worker. The questions seem
contrived and trivial and do not concern significant or pressing issues. The
worker should?.
Answer: 3. Ask the client if she would like to schedule an earlier visit.
◍ Most group leaders/group therapists will have group members from diverse
cultural backgrounds. What is not a good way for group leaders to become
culturally competent?.
Answer: Promote universal values.
◍ A client states that he is convinced the FBI is watching him and that they are
trying to influence his thoughts. This is an example of a (an)?.
Answer: 1. Delusion.
◍ A social worker conducts a home visit to a 45 year old Latino client whose
, young son was killed in a recent automobile accident. The social worker
observes that a large altar has been made. It contains many candles and
pictures of the boy and other deceased relatives. The client sobs throughout
the interview and tells the social worker that the boy has been
communicating to the client each evening through angels. In order to most
effectively work with the client, what should the social worker do FIRST?.
Answer: Explore the mourning rituals of the client's family.
◍ Play therapy can be successful with children because?.
Answer: 1. Play is the natural self-expression of children.
◍ A social worker at a community mental health center is working with a 21
year old client who has been experiencing rejection from family and friends
following the admission by the client that she is a lesbian. During the third
session the client begins to cry and says, "Maybe my mom is right. She says
all I need to do is find the right man." After reflecting the client's unhappy
feelings, what should the social worker do NEXT?.
Answer: Use universalization to provide reassurance to the client about the
behavior of others in these circumstances.
◍ Mia
H. and Johnny
B. interviewed for the same job. Mia has more education and experience
than Johnny, and is the better qualified candidate for the position. However,
the hiring official did not offer the job to Mia because he believes women
are inferior to men and do not belong in the work force. Based on this
information, Mia experienced which of the following?.
Answer: Discrimination.(Discrimination involves acting on prejudice, which
the hiring official has done in this case. He is discriminating against Mia H.
on the basis of prejudice regarding her gender/discriminating based on his
sexism.)
◍ Cultural humility includes all but which of the following ?.
Answer: Focus on immigrants and minorities.
◍ Parents in treatment at a community mental health center are seen as
