diff --git a/test/parallel/test-child-process-send-returns-boolean.js b/test/parallel/test-child-process-send-returns-boolean.js
index e273d1c205..2fbba1a454 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-child-process-send-returns-boolean.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-child-process-send-returns-boolean.js
@@ -1,28 +1,58 @@
 'use strict';
 const common = require('../common');
+
+// subprocess.send() will return false if the channel has closed or when the
+// backlog of unsent messages exceeds a threshold that makes it unwise to send
+// more. Otherwise, the method returns true.
+
 const assert = require('assert');
 const net = require('net');
 const { fork, spawn } = require('child_process');
 const fixtures = require('../common/fixtures');
 
-const emptyFile = fixtures.path('empty.js');
+// Just a script that stays alive (does not listen to `process.on('message')`).
+const subScript = fixtures.path('child-process-persistent.js');
+
+{
+  // Test `send` return value on `fork` that opens and IPC by deafult.
+  const n = fork(subScript);
+  // `subprocess.send` should always return `true` for the first send.
+  const rv = n.send({ h: 'w' }, (err) => { if (err) assert.fail(err); });
+  assert.strictEqual(rv, true);
+  n.kill();
+}
 
-const n = fork(emptyFile);
+{
+  // Test `send` return value on `spawn` and saturate backlog with handles.
+  // Call `spawn` with options that open an IPC channel.
+  const spawnOptions = { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe', 'ipc'] };
+  const s = spawn(process.execPath, [subScript], spawnOptions);
 
-const rv = n.send({ hello: 'world' });
-assert.strictEqual(rv, true);
+  const server = net.createServer(common.mustNotCall()).listen(0, () => {
+    const handle = server._handle;
 
-const spawnOptions = { stdio: ['pipe', 'pipe', 'pipe', 'ipc'] };
-const s = spawn(process.execPath, [emptyFile], spawnOptions);
-let handle = null;
-s.on('exit', function() {
-  handle.close();
-});
+    // Sending a handle and not giving the tickQueue time to acknoladge should
+    // create the internal backlog, but leave it empty.
+    const rv1 = s.send('one', handle, (err) => { if (err) assert.fail(err); });
+    assert.strictEqual(rv1, true);
+    // Since the first `send` included a handle (should be unackoladged),
+    // we can safly queue up only one more message.
+    const rv2 = s.send('two', (err) => { if (err) assert.fail(err); });
+    assert.strictEqual(rv2, true);
+    // The backlog should now be indicate to backoff.
+    const rv3 = s.send('three', (err) => { if (err) assert.fail(err); });
+    assert.strictEqual(rv3, false);
+    const rv4 = s.send('four', (err) => {
+      if (err) assert.fail(err);
+      // `send` queue should have been drained.
+      const rv5 = s.send('5', handle, (err) => { if (err) assert.fail(err); });
+      assert.strictEqual(rv5, true);
 
-net.createServer(common.mustNotCall()).listen(0, function() {
-  handle = this._handle;
-  assert.strictEqual(s.send('one', handle), true);
-  assert.strictEqual(s.send('two', handle), true);
-  assert.strictEqual(s.send('three'), false);
-  assert.strictEqual(s.send('four'), false);
-});
+      // End test and cleanup.
+      s.kill();
+      handle.close();
+      server.close();
+    });
+    assert.strictEqual(rv4, false);
+  });
+}