Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 18 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: What are the desired benefits of a Product Owner having a clear Product Vision? (choose the best three answers). Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- What are the desired benefits of a Product Owner having a clear Product Vision? (choose the best three answer…
- How can an organization know the results of a product under development? (choose the best answer)
- Which is not a Product Backlog management activity?
- How does the Scrum Master help the Product Owner? Select the three most appropriate answers.
- Who is responsible for addressing a lack of transparency in Scrum artifacts?
- In which event must the Key Stakeholders participate?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. What are the desired benefits of a Product Owner having a clear Product Vision? (choose the best three answers)
Answer: A,D,E. A Product vision provides the Sprint Review a way of inspecting the incremental progress. || A Product vision provides an overarching direction so that Sprints deliver high added-value. || It helps the Scrum Team stay focused and provides them something to check their decisions against.
A clear Product Vision provides overarching direction for high-value Sprints, offers a checkpoint for incremental progress, and helps the team stay focused. It does not dictate exact remaining work, as the vision represents the strategic goal rather than a fixed tactical checklist.
Q2. How can an organization know the results of a product under development? (choose the best answer)
Answer: A. By releasing often, and updating KPIs (key performance indicators) on value after every release and feeding this information back into work on the Product Backlog.
Frequent releases allow empirical inspection of value, letting the organization update performance indicators and adapt the Product Backlog accordingly. Be wary of distractors relying on velocity, as velocity only measures output and does not validate actual customer value.
Q3. Which is not a Product Backlog management activity?
Answer: B. Using formal change control to manage Product Backlog when market provides feedback from Product usage
Formal change control directly opposes Agile and Scrum principles. For the exam, remember that the Product Owner manages the backlog dynamically without bureaucratic gates. Effective backlog management relies on transparency and ordering, not rigid approval processes.
Q4. How does the Scrum Master help the Product Owner? Select the three most appropriate answers.
Answer: C,D,E. Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items || Helping find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and Product Backlog management || Facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by facilitating stakeholder collaboration and finding effective backlog management techniques. Avoid options suggesting the Scrum Master introduces technical development practices, as this belongs to the Developers.
Q5. Who is responsible for addressing a lack of transparency in Scrum artifacts?
Answer: B. The Scrum Team
The entire Scrum Team shares the responsibility to address any lack of transparency in Scrum artifacts. The Scrum Master is specifically accountable for detecting issues, but fixing them requires the collaborative effort of the whole team.
Q6. In which event must the Key Stakeholders participate?
Answer: B. The Sprint Review
Key Stakeholders are invited to participate in the Sprint Review to inspect the Increment and collaborate on what to do next. They are not required to attend other formal events like Sprint Planning or the Daily Scrum.
Q7. How does the Scrum Master serve the organization? Select the three most appropriate answers.
Answer: A,B,D. Working with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization || Leading and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption || Planning Scrum implementations within the organization
The Scrum Master serves the organization by leading Scrum adoption, planning implementations, and collaborating with other Scrum Masters. Avoid options involving arbitrary team mixing or micromanaging stakeholder invitations, as these violate empiricism.
Q8. What is a key inspect and adapt meeting for the Developers?
Answer: A. Daily Scrum
The Daily Scrum is the key inspect and adapt event specifically for the Developers. It focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapting the plan for the next twenty-four hours. Watch out for non-Scrum meetings like project status sessions acting as distractors.
Q9. The Sprint Backlog is owned by the:
Answer: B. Developers.
The Developers own the Sprint Backlog because they are solely responsible for creating the actionable plan and doing the work. Remember that while the Product Owner suggests the goal, the Developers decide how much work to take on.
Q10. Within the Scrum Team, who is most likely to identify the Key Stakeholders for the Product?
Answer: D. The Product Owner
The Product Owner is the best person to identify stakeholders because they are accountable for maximizing product value and managing the Product Backlog. They actively engage with stakeholders to understand their needs and gather valuable input.
Q11. The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed only during the current Sprint.
Answer: A. False
This statement is false because an Increment includes the sum of all prior completed work plus the new items. Exam cue: always think of the Increment as cumulative value that grows each Sprint, never as a standalone batch of work.
Q12. Which two statements describe the Definition of Done? (choose 2 answers)
Answer: B,C. Increases transparency || Helps ensure the Increment is releasable
The Definition of Done creates transparency and ensures the Increment is releasable by setting a shared quality standard. Options like increasing velocity or ensuring documentation are classic traps because Scrum strictly avoids equating velocity with value.
Q13. Who has the "final say" on the order of the Product Backlog Items?
Answer: C. The Product Owner
The Product Owner has the final say on Product Backlog ordering to maximize value. Remember that while the Developers provide effort estimates, the Product Owner alone decides what ranks highest and gets prioritized.
Q14. A product is a vehicle for delivering value. It has no boundaries, no known stakeholders and no defined users or customers.
Answer: A. False
A product actually has clear boundaries, known stakeholders, and defined users or customers. If a statement describes a product as having no boundaries or users, you should immediately recognize it as false.
Q15. What are the best ways for a Product Owner to manage value for the Product? (choose the best two answers)
Answer: C,D. Frequently releasing increments to validate assumptions built into the product. || Ordering of the Product Backlog.
A Product Owner manages value primarily through the strategic ordering of the Product Backlog and by frequently releasing increments to validate assumptions. Avoid value points or cost ratios, because empirical validation and ordering are key.
Q16. When is ownership of individual items in the Sprint Backlog assigned to Developers?
Answer: C. Never. Even if individuals work on specific Sprint Backlog items, the Developers as a whole remains accountable for the Sprint Backlog in its entirety.
Ownership is never assigned to individual Developers; the entire group of Developers remains accountable for the Sprint Backlog. Watch for options mentioning the Scrum Master assigning work, because self-management prevents this.
Q17. At the Sprint Retrospective meeting the Scrum Team identified some improvements related to the product that can be done. What may the Scrum Team do? Select the best option.
Answer: A. Add the improvements to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint.
The most impactful improvements identified during a Sprint Retrospective are often added directly to the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint. Assigning individual owners contradicts Scrum's emphasis on shared team accountability and self-management.
Q18. What is the commitment for the Sprint Backlog?
Answer: B. The Sprint Goal.
The Sprint Goal serves as the specific commitment for the Sprint Backlog. It provides focus and flexibility, allowing the Developers to negotiate scope if needed. Remember the three commitments map to specific artifacts: Product Goal, Sprint Goal, and Definition of Done.
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