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: Which of the following statements are true about the Scrum Master's accountability?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- Which of the following statements are true about the Scrum Master's accountability?
- Several Sprints into a project, a client is complaining to the Product Owner about the poor performance of th…
- James and Bob are Developers on a Scrum Team. They have a disagreement about how to implement a package track…
- The duration (length) of Sprint is decided by:
- How important is it for a Product Owner to order Product Backlog items by value points?
- Burn-down charts are the only recognized way in Scrum to track progress.
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. Which of the following statements are true about the Scrum Master's accountability?
Answer: B. The Scrum Master helps those outside the Scrum Team understand which interactions are helpful and teaches the Developers to keep the Scrum meetings to within the timebox.
The Scrum Master serves the organization by facilitating interactions and coaching timeboxes. A key distractor has the Scrum Master assigning tasks, which violates self-management.
Q2. Several Sprints into a project, a client is complaining to the Product Owner about the poor performance of the product. As a Scrum Master, how can you help the Product Owner?
Answer: D. Coach the Product Owner on effective ways to communicate this concern to the Developers and encourage the Product Owner to add the performance issue to the Product Backlog.
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner by coaching them on managing the Product Backlog and facilitating collaboration. Avoid taking over the problem, and instead encourage direct communication to add concerns to the backlog.
Q3. James and Bob are Developers on a Scrum Team. They have a disagreement about how to implement a package tracking feature they are working on in the current sprint. The end result of each method is the same; It is only the process to implem…
Answer: A. Discuss each option with the other members of the Scrum Team and gain their input; if necessary each team member can vote on what they believe to be the best course of action
Developers are self-managing and must resolve their own technical disagreements internally. A practical cue is to reject options asking external roles like the Product Owner or Scrum Master to dictate technical solutions.
Q4. The duration (length) of Sprint is decided by:
Answer: B. Scrum Team
The entire Scrum Team collaboratively decides the maximum duration of a Sprint, ensuring it balances risk and complexity while remaining consistent. Avoid assuming the Scrum Master dictates timeboxes, as self-management governs structural decisions.
Q5. How important is it for a Product Owner to order Product Backlog items by value points?
Answer: A. It is a good practice, keeping in mind that market reception is the best measure of value.
Assigning value points is a useful practice for ordering work, but actual value is only confirmed by real market reception. Remember that empirical process control means you must validate predicted value through actual product increments.
Q6. Burn-down charts are the only recognized way in Scrum to track progress.
Answer: A. False
Scrum does not mandate any specific tracking tool, leaving the choice to the Developers based on what works best for them. Do not confuse common agile practices with mandatory Scrum rules, as burn-downs are merely optional.
Q7. Which of the following is NOT correct about the Product Owner's accountability?
Answer: C. Participates in the Daily Scrum meeting
Only the Developers actively participate in the Daily Scrum, making the third option the incorrect statement about Product Owner accountabilities. While the Product Owner manages the backlog and maximizes value, they do not attend this specific daily inspection.
Q8. The Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog are two names for the exact same backlog.
Answer: A. False
The Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog are distinct artifacts with different purposes. The Product Backlog outlines all desired product features, while the Sprint Backlog contains only the work selected for the current Sprint.
Q9. Which accountability would know the most about the progress toward a business objective and be able to explain clearly the alternatives?
Answer: A. The Product Owner
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing product value and managing the Product Backlog. Therefore, they track business objectives and clearly communicate trade-offs. Developers focus on technical progress, while the Scrum Master focuses on team effectiveness.
Q10. As a Product Owner, John is encountering challenges with Developers not completing the selected items for the Sprint. What steps should John take to support the Developers in meeting the Sprint Goal?
Answer: D. John should work more closely with the Scrum Team; items should not be added to the Sprint Backlog by the Product Owner. Developers must choose the items and commit to completing them within the Sprint
The Developers self-manage and select their own work for the Sprint Backlog to foster commitment. John should collaborate closely to clarify items rather than forcing scope or pushing for overtime. The Scrum Master can help resolve underlying impediments.
Q11. Developers maintain a Sprint burndown to track estimated remaining work. In the middle of the Sprint, the burndown graph shows an upward spike. This indicates:
Answer: B. The Developers added new work
An upward spike on a burndown chart means the total estimated remaining work has increased. This happens when Developers discover new tasks or realize work is more complex than initially thought. The Product Owner cannot unilaterally add items mid-Sprint.
Q12. What can you take into consideration when ordering items in the Product Backlog? (choose the best answers)
Answer: D,E,F. The dependencies between Product Backlog items. || The value of Product Backlog items. || The dependencies to other products.
The Product Owner orders the Product Backlog to maximize value, which requires considering dependencies and value. Tooling or the Scrum Master's availability does not directly dictate the priority order of the Product Backlog items.
Q13. On average, items on the Sprint Backlog tend to be:
Answer: A. Smaller than those on the Product Backlog
Sprint Backlog items are smaller because they must be small enough to be completed within a single Sprint. A practical exam cue is that Product Backlog refinement breaks down large items so they fit into the upcoming Sprint.
Q14. When is user acceptance testing done?
Answer: D. During the Sprint
All work, including user acceptance testing, must be completed during the Sprint to create a Done Increment. Remember that hardening Sprints and release phases are not Scrum concepts and violate the rule of a potentially releasable Increment.
Q15. What is the accountability of the Scrum Master in the Daily Scrum?
Answer: C. The Scrum Master does not need to attend the Daily Scrum, they only need to make sure the Daily Scrum is occurring
The Daily Scrum is strictly for the Developers to inspect progress and adapt their plan. The Scrum Master ensures the event happens but does not need to attend or lead it. Status updates fail because the meeting is about alignment, not reporting.
Q16. The three questions must always be answered during the Daily Scrum.
Answer: A. False
The three specific questions are no longer mandated in the current Scrum Guide. Developers simply need to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan. Choosing true fails because the team can structure the meeting however they see fit.
Q17. What should happen to the "Done" Product Backlog items when the Sprint is cancelled?
Answer: C. They will be reviewed, and if they are potentially releasable, the Product Owner typically accepts them.
When a Sprint is cancelled, completed work is reviewed for potential release. Because these items meet the Definition of Done, the Product Owner typically accepts them. Moving them back to the Product Backlog fails because done work is usable.
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