Practice for the Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) exam with 16 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: Scrum is an Agile framework for developing complex products.. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- Scrum is an Agile framework for developing complex products.
- Agility is enhanced by:
- The Product Owner wants to get some additional product backlog items added to the current Sprint Backlog. Spr…
- In a two-week-long Sprint, how long should the Sprint Planning meeting be?
- Besides user stories, what helps a product team understand requirements?
- Which of the following statements are false? (choose all that apply)
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. Scrum is an Agile framework for developing complex products.
Answer: B. True
This is true because Scrum is specifically designed as a framework to manage complex product development. Remember that while Scrum is Agile, it explicitly targets complexity.
Q2. Agility is enhanced by:
Answer: B. Continuous attention to technical excellence and design
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design directly enhances agility according to Agile principles. Be careful of options promoting rigid planning or fast paces without quality.
Q3. The Product Owner wants to get some additional product backlog items added to the current Sprint Backlog. Sprint planning has already happened, what should the Product Owner do?
Answer: A. The Product Owner should hold a separate meeting with the developers and discuss the options of adding some additional items; the developers can consider the possibility and may be able to accommodate the additional work
The Product Owner and Developers should negotiate any changes to the Sprint Backlog scope outside of the Daily Scrum. Remember that only the Developers can pull new work into a Sprint, and hijacking the Daily Scrum violates its strict timebox.
Q4. In a two-week-long Sprint, how long should the Sprint Planning meeting be?
Answer: A. Never longer than 8 hours. Usually about 4 hours for a two-week sprint.
Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint, so a two-week Sprint is usually around four hours. While meetings should be as short as effective, saying they can take unlimited time ignores Scrum timeboxes.
Q5. Besides user stories, what helps a product team understand requirements?
Answer: B. all of these choices
Acceptance criteria, story maps, and process models all help a team fully grasp requirements. While these complementary practices are common, remember that the Scrum Guide formally requires only Product Backlog items and their descriptions.
Q6. Which of the following statements are false? (choose all that apply)
Answer: B,C. after the Sprint Planning, a Sprint cannot proceed without a complete architecture || after the Sprint Planning, a Sprint cannot proceed without complete requirement specifications
Scrum uses an empirical approach, meaning Sprints do not require complete upfront architecture or detailed requirement specifications. A Sprint can proceed without a complete Sprint Backlog, but it absolutely requires a Sprint Goal to provide direction.
Q7. During the Sprint…
Answer: A,C. Any adjustments that could compromise the Sprint Goal are avoided || The standard of quality is maintained
During the Sprint, quality must not decrease and changes that endanger the Sprint Goal are avoided. Clarifying scope is done with the Product Owner, not the Scrum Master, so be careful with distractors involving the wrong accountabilities.
Q8. In the middle of the Sprint, a team member was required by another Department Manager to support an important task outside the Sprint work. What is recommended for the team member to do?
Answer: C. The team member should politely decline and explain to the manager about his ownership and accountability for the Scrum Team
Developers self-manage their work and must protect the Sprint Goal from external disruptions. For the exam, always prioritize self-organization and defer external new work additions to the Product Owner.
Q9. All of the following are examples of valid SCRUM rules EXCEPT:
Answer: D. Scrum Master can add/remove items from a Sprint.
A Scrum Master cannot add or remove items from the Sprint Backlog because Developers own it. Watch for options that incorrectly assign Sprint Backlog modification authority to the Scrum Master or Product Owner.
Q10. The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an estimated date of release to production (when).
Answer: A. False
The answer is false because the Sprint Backlog includes an actionable plan for delivering the Increment, not a release date. Remember the three parts of the Sprint Backlog for the exam: the why, the what, and the how.
Q11. Antonio is a Product Owner for a Scrum Team. A three-week-long Sprint began four days ago and the Scrum Team is well on their way towards meeting the Sprint Goal they set. Antonio has just learned that four of the five features chosen for…
Answer: C. Antonio should consider cancelling the current Sprint and begin a new Sprint immediately; the one item that is not obsolete can be placed back in the Product Backlog and reevaluated for another Sprint
Only a Product Owner can cancel a Sprint early, and only if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Since four of five features are cancelled, the original goal is likely invalid; however, Antonio must collaborate with the team before making this drastic decision.
Q12. During the Daily Scrum, a team member says he does not know when his task will be complete.
Answer: A. Developers should collaborate to plan alternative steps such as pairing with someone else, etc. to eliminate the risk of not meeting the Sprint Goal
Developers must collaborate to adjust their plan and protect the Sprint Goal. The Daily Scrum is for inspection and adaptation, not status reporting or management intervention.
Q13. You are the lead for a project ABC and you receive communication from the client that the work units delivered by the team are not satisfactory. What is the BEST method to address this issue?
Answer: B. Setup a meeting with the team to gain an understanding of the exact situation and devise a strategy to meet the acceptance criteria.
Collaborating with the team to understand the exact situation and meet acceptance criteria aligns with agile principles of transparency. Options suggesting formal notices or defending the team without investigation fail to support continuous improvement.
Q14. Which topic should NOT be discussed at the Sprint Review?
Answer: A. Coding best practices
The Sprint Review focuses on inspecting the Increment and collaboratively adapting future plans, not internal coding practices. While quality is vital, discussing technical best practices is appropriate for the Sprint Retrospective or internal Development discussions, not the Review.
Q15. In an Agile environment, which accountability BEST describes the 'Voice of the Customer'?
Answer: D. Product Owner
The Product Owner represents the stakeholders and acts as the voice of the customer to maximize product value. Other roles like the Business Analyst are not formal accountabilities in Scrum and do not hold this decision authority.
Q16. In addition to leadership, communication, analysis, and decision-making skills, a Product Owner needs to be skilled at:
Answer: C. relationship building
A Product Owner must excel at relationship building to effectively collaborate with stakeholders and the Scrum Team. Technical skills like programming or database management are not required, as the Product Owner focuses on maximizing product value.
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