LMSW Social Policy and Advocacy 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A social worker is helping a community group challenge a proposed factory near a low-income neighborhood due to environmental health concerns. This is an example of:
- Individual case advocacy
- Environmental justice advocacy (Correct answer)
- Legislative lobbying
- Policy implementation
Correct answer: Environmental justice advocacy
Environmental justice advocacy addresses the disproportionate exposure of marginalized communities to environmental hazards and pollution.
Question 2: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded Medicaid eligibility to adults up to what percentage of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in states that adopted expansion?
- 100%
- 133% (Correct answer)
- 200%
- 250%
Correct answer: 133%
The ACA expanded Medicaid to cover adults with incomes up to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level in states that chose to adopt expansion.
Question 3: Which concept describes the phenomenon where policies intended to help marginalized groups are systematically undermined by bureaucratic processes or eligibility restrictions?
- Policy drift
- Street-level bureaucracy (Correct answer)
- Welfare retrenchment
- Policy diffusion
Correct answer: Street-level bureaucracy
Street-level bureaucracy refers to how frontline workers' discretionary decisions can limit or shape how policies are actually implemented and experienced.
Question 4: A social worker is writing a policy brief to advocate for expanded mental health parity. The MOST important element to include for persuading legislators is:
- A detailed literature review
- Evidence of cost-effectiveness alongside personal narratives (Correct answer)
- A comparison to international mental health systems
- Historical background on mental health legislation
Correct answer: Evidence of cost-effectiveness alongside personal narratives
Effective policy briefs combine data on cost-effectiveness with personal narratives to appeal to both the logic and values of decision-makers.
Question 5: Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), eligible employees are entitled to up to how many weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year?
- 6
- 8
- 12 (Correct answer)
- 16
Correct answer: 12
The FMLA provides eligible employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave annually for qualifying family or medical reasons.
Question 6: A social worker is evaluating a social welfare program using a needs assessment. Which method BEST captures the gap between existing services and unmet community needs?
- Client satisfaction surveys
- Key informant interviews combined with secondary data analysis (Correct answer)
- Randomized controlled trials
- Focus groups with service providers only
Correct answer: Key informant interviews combined with secondary data analysis
Combining key informant interviews with secondary data analysis captures both qualitative community perspectives and quantitative service gaps.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the role of a social worker engaging in coalition building for policy change?
- Developing individual treatment plans for policy stakeholders
- Uniting diverse organizations around a shared policy goal to amplify influence (Correct answer)
- Lobbying independently without coordinating with other groups
- Focusing solely on litigation to achieve policy outcomes
Correct answer: Uniting diverse organizations around a shared policy goal to amplify influence
Coalition building involves bringing together diverse stakeholders with a shared interest to increase collective power and advocacy effectiveness.
LMSW Social Policy and Advocacy 5
A social worker is helping a community group challenge a proposed factory near a low-income neighborhood due to environmental health concerns.
This is an example of: