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: The structure of the Daily Scrum is set by the Scrum Master.. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- The structure of the Daily Scrum is set by the Scrum Master.
- A Developer has notified the Scrum Master of a potential data security risk. What action should the Scrum Mas…
- How can the Product Owner benefit from having time-boxed Sprints?
- What is the Product Owner accountable for in Scrum?
- Which two statements explain why the Definition of Done is important to the Scrum Team? (Choose the two best…
- Which two of the following are mandatory in Scrum?
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. The structure of the Daily Scrum is set by the Scrum Master.
Answer: A. False
The Developers are responsible for selecting and structuring the Daily Scrum to best meet their inspection needs. A key exam cue is that Scrum Masters act as facilitators and coaches rather than dictating internal team processes or meeting formats.
Q2. A Developer has notified the Scrum Master of a potential data security risk. What action should the Scrum Master take?
Answer: C. Ask the Developer to share the issue with the team as soon as possible.
The Scrum Master should coach the Developer to bring the issue to the team immediately so they can collaborate on a solution. Do not wait for a retrospective to address a serious impediment or risk that threatens the current Sprint.
Q3. How can the Product Owner benefit from having time-boxed Sprints?
Answer: A. By having shippable increments every Sprint, he/she can have work released in order to obtain feedback from users and the market in order to feed back into the Product Backlog.
Timeboxed Sprints allow the Product Owner to receive a usable Increment frequently, enabling early market feedback. This empirical feedback loop is essential for updating the Product Backlog. Scrum never guarantees fully delivered projects by a fixed deadline.
Q4. What is the Product Owner accountable for in Scrum?
Answer: C. Creating and sustaining a Product Backlog that maximizes value and represents the needs of the stakeholders
The Product Owner is accountable for creating and managing a transparent Product Backlog that maximizes value. They do not hand off refined items or dictate daily technical work. Writing user stories is just one possible technique, not a formal accountability.
Q5. Which two statements explain why the Definition of Done is important to the Scrum Team? (Choose the two best answers)
Answer: B,C. It assures the Increment reviewed at the Sprint review is usable so the Scrum Team may choose to release it. || It creates transparency regarding progress within the Scrum Team.
The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing a shared understanding of what work was completed, ensuring the Increment is usable. Options A and D fail because tracking open work or identifying undone work is a byproduct of artifact transparency, not the primary purpose of the Definition of Done.
Q6. Which two of the following are mandatory in Scrum?
Answer: B,D. Sprint Retrospectives || Sprint Backlog
Scrum mandates specific events and artifacts, making the Sprint Retrospective and Sprint Backlog required elements. Remember that Scrum does not dictate specific development techniques like pair-programming or formatting rules like user stories.
Q7. A group of stakeholders wants to come to the Daily Scrum. How should the Scrum Master handle that situation?
Answer: C. Instruct the stakeholders to remain quiet and refrain from asking questions or making comments; they are allowed to listen in for the sake of transparency but the meeting is for the developers
The Daily Scrum is exclusively for the Developers to inspect progress and adapt their plan. If stakeholders attend, the Scrum Master must ensure they only observe and do not disrupt the event.
Q8. What three questions must be answered during Sprint Planning in order to create an effective Sprint Goal?
Answer: B. Why, What, How
Sprint Planning addresses why the Sprint is valuable, what can be done, and how the work will get done. A solid exam cue is to remember these three distinct topics that guide the creation of the Sprint Goal and Sprint Backlog.
Q9. The Developers find out during the Sprint that they aren't likely to build everything they forecasted. What would you expect a Product Owner to do?
Answer: B. Re-work the selected Product Backlog items with the Developers to meet the Sprint Goal.
The Product Owner and Developers can renegotiate the scope of the Sprint Backlog as more is learned without changing the Sprint Goal. Canceling the Sprint is an extreme measure and only the Product Owner can take it.
Q10. As a Scrum Master, you observe that the Product Owner is not collaborating with the Developers effectively. What actions would you take?
Answer: C. Coach the Product Owner.
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by coaching them on effective collaboration with the Developers. Avoid acting as a proxy or go-between, as direct communication between the Product Owner and Developers is essential.
Q11. Why is it crucial for the Scrum Team to be familiar with the Definition of Done? (choose the best two answers)
Answer: A,C. It guarantees that the Increment presented at the Sprint Review is ready for deployment, allowing the Scrum Team to determine its release. || It creates transparency regarding progress within the Scrum Team.
Familiarity with the Definition of Done ensures the Increment is usable and creates transparency regarding progress. Options B and D fail because the Definition of Done is a quality measure, not a tracking tool or bottleneck identifier.
Q12. At the end of the Sprint, all items are done except for one that is almost done. What should be done with this item?
Answer: A. Do not include it in the Increment.
Only items that meet the Definition of Done can be included in the Increment, meaning partially finished work must remain out. Options involving customer acceptance or user testing fail because they violate the core rule that done means done without exceptions.
Q13. When is the proper time for a Business Analyst on a Scrum Team to discuss the proper workflow of the application?
Answer: C. There is no Business Analyst role recognized by Scrum
Scrum only recognizes three accountabilities: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. There is no Business Analyst role. Any team member performing analysis is considered a Developer and handles these discussions as needed during the Sprint.
Q14. Selena, a Product Owner for a Scrum Team, has refined the Product Backlog based on risk and value. John, a program manager with the PMO overseeing the group of projects Selena is working on, has ordered Selena to place a different item at…
Answer: C. Selena may consider the opinions of others as to how she organizes the product backlog, but the final say as to the order is hers and hers alone
The Product Owner is solely accountable for the final ordering of the Product Backlog. While stakeholders like John can offer input, Selena has the ultimate authority. The organization must respect her decisions to maintain clear accountability.
Q15. In what ways does the Scrum Master keep a Scrum Team working at its highest level of productivity?
Answer: C. By causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team's progress
Causing the removal of impediments directly supports Scrum Team productivity. Avoid options that assign administrative tracking tasks to the Scrum Master, since self-managing Developers should handle their own artifacts.
Q16. What must the Developers do for each Sprint?
Answer: D. Develop an increment of potentially releasable product meeting the definition of "Done"
Developers must create a potentially releasable Increment that meets the Definition of Done during every Sprint. For the exam, ignore specific estimation techniques like planning poker as mandatory rules, and focus on the core accountability of delivering value.
Q17. To deliver a single product, three different Scrum Teams are formed. How many Product Owners are needed?
Answer: B. One
A single product must have exactly one Product Backlog and one Product Owner to ensure a clear vision and maximize value. Multiple teams can work from this single backlog, even if the Product Owner delegates specific backlog management tasks to others.
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