Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 17 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: When is a Product Backlog retired?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- When is a Product Backlog retired?
- Who is responsible for estimating the work effort in the Product Backlog? (choose the best answer)
- In addition to product requirements, Scrum Teams also impose some technical conditions that the product must…
- What does not happen when a Sprint is cancelled? Select two.
- Who works on building an increment without Technical Debt?
- How does the Product Owner communicate marketplace knowledge to the Scrum Team? Select three.
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. When is a Product Backlog retired?
Answer: C. When the Product retires
A Product Backlog exists as long as the product exists. Because Scrum has no final project sign-offs, the backlog is only retired when the product itself is retired. As long as the product provides value, its backlog continues evolving.
Q2. Who is responsible for estimating the work effort in the Product Backlog? (choose the best answer)
Answer: C. The Developers
The Developers performing the work are solely responsible for estimating Product Backlog items. The Product Owner might influence them by clarifying trade-offs, but those doing the actual work create the estimates to ensure accountability.
Q3. In addition to product requirements, Scrum Teams also impose some technical conditions that the product must meet. These conditions must be added to the:
Answer: B. Definition of Done
Technical conditions and quality standards that apply universally to the product belong in the Definition of Done. This ensures every Increment meets required quality measures for release. Individual requirements belong in the Product Backlog.
Q4. What does not happen when a Sprint is cancelled? Select two.
Answer: C,E. Several top Product Backlog Items are taken into the Sprint Backlog to replace the obsolete items || At the Sprint Retrospective the Scrum Master determines who from the Developers are responsible for cancelling the Sprint
When a Sprint is cancelled, completed work is reviewed and incomplete items return to the Product Backlog. The team does not swap in new items, and no one is blamed during the Retrospective. Use process of elimination on negative questions to find the false statements.
Q5. Who works on building an increment without Technical Debt?
Answer: D. The Developers
Developers are specifically accountable for creating a usable increment and managing technical quality. They must negotiate a robust Definition of Done to prevent accumulating defects. On the exam, always associate hands-on creation and quality control directly with the developers.
Q6. How does the Product Owner communicate marketplace knowledge to the Scrum Team? Select three.
Answer: A,B,C. Sprint Reviews || Product Backlog Refinement || Informal daily interactions
The Product Owner shares market insights through backlog refinement, Sprint Reviews, and ongoing daily interactions. Remember that Daily Scrums are exclusively for Developers, so exclude that option. Prioritize continuous collaboration over formal events for communicating market knowledge.
Q7. Scrum's artifacts are designed to maximize the Developers' velocity.
Answer: A. False
Scrum artifacts exist to maximize transparency of key work information, not to optimize speed or velocity. Increased transparency enables effective inspection and adaptation. When you see velocity mentioned in relation to artifacts on the exam, assume it is a distractor.
Q8. A key concern when multiple Scrum Teams are working for the same Product Backlog is minimizing dependencies between teams.
Answer: A. True
Minimizing cross-team dependencies reduces complexity and boosts agility when multiple teams share a Product Backlog. Remember that while dependencies cannot always be eliminated completely, the goal during refinement is to make them transparent and minimize them.
Q9. How can the Product Owner bring his Product vision to life? (choose the best three answers)
Answer: B,D,E. Articulating the product vision to the Scrum Team and the Key Stakeholders early and often. || Via the Product Backlog and iterating towards that vision every Sprint. || Utilizing the underlying empirical product planning features of Scrum.
The Product Owner brings the vision to life by articulating it often, using empirical planning, and iterating via the Product Backlog. Avoid options that involve management approval or delegating communication to the Scrum Master.
Q10. Within just a few Sprints, Scrum increases the transparency of the following:
Answer: C. Both
Scrum quickly increases transparency around both real progress and the team's technical ability to create Increments. Remember that Scrum ruthlessly exposes reality, making both project status and technical constraints visible.
Q11. How long does the Product Backlog exist?
Answer: B. As long as the Product exists
The Product Backlog exists as long as the product itself exists, continuously evolving to remain competitive. Do not assume the backlog disappears when a team disbands or a specific release is shipped.
Q12. What activities should a Product Owner do during an active Sprint?
Answer: C. Engage with the stakeholders and answer questions from the Developers.
During an active Sprint, a Product Owner engages with stakeholders and answers questions from the Developers to clarify requirements. A practical exam cue is that Product Owners never prioritize the Sprint Backlog, as only the Developers manage the Sprint Backlog.
Q13. What must the Developers do during the first Sprint?
Answer: C. Create a potentially shippable product Increment that includes at least one piece of functionality.
During the first Sprint, Developers must create a potentially shippable product Increment that includes at least one piece of functionality. A practical exam cue is that every Sprint without exception must result in a usable Increment.
Q14. Developers are self-managed and empowered. They are also the authority in deciding which business needs are required to be developed.
Answer: A. False
The Product Owner is the sole authority responsible for managing and ordering the Product Backlog to maximize value. Developers decide how to build the work, but they never dictate which business needs or features take priority.
Q15. Who is responsible for ensuring the Product Backlog items are understood to the needed level?
Answer: C. The Product Owner.
The Product Owner is accountable for ensuring that Product Backlog items are transparent and understood to the level needed by the Developers. The Product Owner may do this directly or delegate the actual writing, but they remain accountable for the clarity.
Q16. The Product Owner should be expertly aware of the marketplace for the product.
Answer: B. True
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the Developers' work. To make effective ordering decisions, the Product Owner must deeply understand the marketplace, competition, and evolving customer needs.
Q17. Which of these tools is mandatory for the Product Owner to use?
Answer: D. None of the answers is correct.
The Scrum framework does not mandate any specific project management tools, charts, or software for the Product Owner. The Product Owner may use whatever techniques and tools they find most effective for managing the Product Backlog.
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