Overview: The FEMA IS-904 course was published on 9/2/2021 to focus on actions you can take to help reduce the likelihood of an active shooter incident in your workplace.
While we can’t prevent these incidents 100% of the time, we can reduce the likelihood of an incident and prevent some incidents from occurring, thereby saving lives.
FEMA IS-904 test answers
Each time this test is loaded, you will receive a unique set of questions and answers. The test questions are scrambled to protect the integrity of the exam.
Question 1. Which of the following are not tools to help reduce the likelihood of an active-shooter incident?
A. Be curious and suspicious; confirm that a threat really exists before engaging others.
B. Provide support with empathy and compassion when these indicators are present.✅
C. Engage professional help to intervene.
D. Recognize the indicators that someone is in need of support or intervention.
Question 2. On average, what percent of active shooters demonstrated at least 2 concerning behaviors prior to their attack?
A. Ninety-five percent, with most demonstrating 4-5 concerning behaviors, some of which occurred years before the attack.
B. Active shooters are unpredictable, and as such, concerning behaviors are difficult to identify.
C. Seventy-five percent. With specialized training, all active shooters are predictable.
D. Fifty percent. Behaviors are infrequent, and if demonstrated at normally very minor and indistinguishable.✅
Question 3. A coworker pulls you aside and tells you that he or she is extremely stressed out and has a grievance. But you believe the grievance is likely unfounded. How should you respond?
A. Let your coworker know that you believe their grievance is unfounded and that they should seek alternative means to file a grievance.
B. Recommend the coworker seek out an arbitrator to ensure his or her grievance is properly addressed.
C. Since you have been involved in past grievances, offer your assistance.
D. Empathize with your coworker, and let him or her know you care. You may recommend accessing support from HR.✅
Question 4. What percent of surveyed adults had thoughts of self-harm (including thoughts of suicide)?
A. 1%
B. 4%✅
C. 15%
D. 25%
Question 5. Empathy is
A. Gaining awareness of another person’s challenge and helping him or her solve it.
B. Connecting with the feelings other people are experiencing.✅
C. Reminding a person how good they really have it compared to people in other parts of the world.
D. Noticing the positive aspects of a person and pointing them out.
Question 6. Whether a person appears to be experiencing depression or anxiety, has been bullied or harassed, or appears to be overwhelmed or overly stressed, engage him or her in conversation and remember to do the following:
A. Refrain from saying anything that could make another person liable for the situation.
B. Approach these conversations from a place of care and concern.✅
C. Refer the person to a mental health professional.
D. Ask why they feel the way they do. Provide alternatives to their situation.
Question 7. Other indicators that active shooters demonstrate before their attack include all of the following except
A. Risk-taking✅
B. Financial strain
C. Anger and physical aggression
D. Grievances
E. Abuse of illicit drugs or alcohol
F. Threats and confrontations
Question 8. If you believe someone is exhibiting signs that he or she may be having thoughts of suicide, you should do which of the following:
A. Offer to sit with the person in a quiet place and ask if he or she is considering suicide. If yes, stay with the person until you can get support from HR, a national suicide hotline, or a counselor.
B. Offer to sit with the person in a quiet place and ask if he or she is considering suicide. If yes, talk to others to see if they think a problem exists. Take action only if others agree with your assessment.
C. Offer to sit with the person and listen to what they say. Offer solutions and ask the person to check back with you in a day or so.✅
D. Offer to sit with the person in a quiet place and ask if he or she is considering suicide. If yes, keep a watch from a distance; if the situation seems particularly serious, intervene.
Question 9. On average, what percent of active shooters experienced a major stressor in the year leading up to the attack?
A. 58%
B. 68%✅
C. 78%
D. 98%
Question 10. Which of the following is an example of constructive conflict?
A. Focus on winning✅
B. Focus on retaliation or hurting
C. Focus on behaviors that expand and escalate the conflict
D. Focus on curiosity for the other party’s interest
Question 11. When you notice that someone is dealing with a major stressor, which of the following is NOT a proper response?
A. Reach out to the person.
B. Offer to resolve their problem.✅
C. Let them know you are there to support them.
D. Listen rather than speak.
Question 12. Conflict at work should be
A. Avoided; conflict in the workplace reduces the level of psychological safety in teams.
B. Addressed by leadership to ensure the right person with the authority rules on disagreements.
C. A delicate balance of pushing the limits so as not to escalate the conflict to a point that causes too much stress.
D. Engaged in ways that seek to make progress, through curiosity or perspective-taking.✅
Question 13. The threshold for calling 9-1-1 should be lower. When should you call 9-1-1, in terms of an active-shooter situation?
A. When a person is experiencing multiple stressors
B. When you believe the individual may be fixated on a grievance
C. When a person’s behavior seems concerning or violent✅
D. When a person is experiencing multiple non-violent indicators
Question 14. If a coworker has been bullied or harassed, you should do the following:
A. Directly confront the bully and tell him or her these actions will not be tolerated.
B. Tell the person they should not put up with bullying and to stand up for himself or herself
C. Avoid situations that are not your business. But if you must get involved, notify HR or your supervisor.
D. Offer to go with the coworker to report the situation to a supervisor, manager, or HR.✅
Question 15. Conflict is part of all relationships— work, romantic, or otherwise. In regard to conflict, what would indicate a concern for potential violence?
A. Newly discovered conflicting values
B. Unclear or unfair expectations
C. An unusual increase in levels of conflict
D. Lack of understanding✅
Question 16. If someone is experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, you should do the following:
A. Make an appointment to speak with a counselor to let them know someone may have depression.
B. Let the person know you care, ask open-ended nonjudgmental questions, and suggest that he or she talk to a counselor.✅
C. Address the situation to your supervisor and suggest he or she refer the person to a counselor.
D. Go with the person to report his or her depression to a supervisor or counselor.
Question 17. Which of the following is not a quality of empathy?
A. Perspective-taking
B. Recognizing emotions in others
C. Addressing the person’s positive aspects.✅
D. Staying out of judgment
Question 18. Fifty-six percent of active shooters engaged in leakage prior to the attack. What does the term leakage mean?
A. Engagement in excessive conflict with friends, family members, or significant others
B. The revealing of clues, either intentionally or unintentionally, to a third-party about feelings, thoughts, fantasies, attitudes, or intentions
C. The coercion of others to support them in their violent actions
D. Acts of publicizing an attack by writing a manifesto and leaving it on the computer desktop to be found after the attack✅
Question 19. The five most common pre-attack indicators of active shooters are as follows:
A. Grievances, mental health struggles, increased conflict, leakage of intent, and reduced quality of thinking or communication.✅
B. Grievances, leakage of intent, marital problems, financial strain, and anger.
C. Grievances, mental health struggles, psychotic disorder or mood disorder, leakage of intent, and reduced quality of thinking or communication.
D. Grievances, adult criminal convictions, illicit substance use, physical aggression, and financial strain.
Question 20. Violent ideation could be described by all of the following except?
A. Violent ideation refers to someone having thoughts of hurting or even killing another person.
B. Violent ideation typically stems from an individual being fixated on an individual or group of people.
C. Statistically, violent ideation is not a reliable predictor of a pending attack.✅
D. Violent ideation typically emerges from a grievance on the pathway to violence.
Related FEMA test answers
- IS-905: Responding to an Active Shooter: You Can Make a Difference
- IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do
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