LMSW Community-Level Practice 5 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker discovers that a community intervention was effective overall but produced no benefit for elderly participants. This finding best illustrates the importance of:
- Increasing the program's sample size
- Subgroup analysis in program evaluation (Correct answer)
- Randomized control trial design
- Pre-test/post-test measurement
Correct answer: Subgroup analysis in program evaluation
Subgroup analysis reveals whether interventions work equally across populations, preventing inequitable conclusions from aggregate success.
Question 2: In community practice, 'bridge building' between isolated racial or ethnic groups is a strategy primarily aimed at increasing:
- Bonding social capital
- Bridging social capital (Correct answer)
- Linking social capital
- Cultural assimilation
Correct answer: Bridging social capital
Bridging social capital refers to weaker, cross-cutting ties between people of different backgrounds that expand access to resources and reduce social fragmentation.
Question 3: A community task force on food insecurity wants to move from awareness to systemic change. Which strategy aligns most with a structural approach?
- Organizing a food drive to stock the local food bank
- Advocating for zoning changes to allow urban agriculture and grocery stores in food deserts (Correct answer)
- Creating a pamphlet listing local food assistance resources
- Training volunteers to deliver meals to homebound seniors
Correct answer: Advocating for zoning changes to allow urban agriculture and grocery stores in food deserts
Advocating for zoning policy changes addresses the structural and environmental root causes of food insecurity rather than providing temporary relief.
Question 4: A social worker is using 'popular epidemiology,' where community members collect and interpret data about local health hazards. This approach is rooted in which value?
- Scientific objectivity and researcher expertise
- Community ownership of research and knowledge production (Correct answer)
- Rapid evidence dissemination to policymakers
- Standardization of data collection protocols
Correct answer: Community ownership of research and knowledge production
Popular epidemiology challenges top-down expert models by positioning community members as valid knowledge producers about the hazards they experience.
Question 5: Which concept from community practice theory describes the cycle of reflection and action that leads to transformative social change?
- Cognitive reframing
- Praxis (Correct answer)
- Strengths-based assessment
- Motivational interviewing
Correct answer: Praxis
Praxis, central to Freire's critical pedagogy, is the iterative cycle of critical reflection followed by purposeful action to transform oppressive conditions.
Question 6: A social worker is documenting community strengths for a grant proposal using ABCD. Which source of data is MOST aligned with this approach?
- Local crime statistics from the police department
- Interviews mapping resident skills, associations, and institutions (Correct answer)
- Hospital data on emergency room utilization rates
- School district reports on chronic absenteeism
Correct answer: Interviews mapping resident skills, associations, and institutions
ABCD maps community assetsâindividual capacities, citizen associations, and local institutionsâthrough direct community engagement rather than deficit-focused administrative data.
Question 7: A social worker employed by a neighborhood organization learns that its executive director is diverting grant funds for personal use. The worker's primary ethical obligation is to:
- Confront the director privately and give them a chance to correct the situation
- Immediately resign to avoid association with the misconduct
- Report the misconduct to the board of directors and relevant authorities (Correct answer)
- Document the concern internally and monitor the situation
Correct answer: Report the misconduct to the board of directors and relevant authorities
NASW ethics require social workers to report unethical conduct that harms clients or the public; financial misconduct harming a community organization warrants formal reporting.
LMSW Community-Level Practice 5
A social worker discovers that a community intervention was effective overall but produced no benefit for elderly participants.
This finding best illustrates the importance of: