Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) Practice Exam — All Questions

5 questions

Scrum Theory & Values

Scrum is founded on empiricism. Which three pillars uphold every empirical process control?

  • a.Planning, execution and review
  • b.Transparency, inspection and adaptation
  • c.Commitment, focus and courage
  • d.Roles, events and artifacts

Empiricism asserts that knowledge comes from experience and decisions are based on what is observed. Its three pillars are transparency (an agreed, visible reality), inspection (frequent checking), and adaptation (adjusting based on what is found).

Scrum Theory & Values

Which set correctly lists the five Scrum values?

  • a.Transparency, inspection, adaptation, respect and trust
  • b.Planning, delivery, review, retrospective and improvement
  • c.Honesty, simplicity, feedback, communication and respect
  • d.Commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage

The five Scrum values are commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage. When embodied by the Scrum Team, they build the trust that makes the empirical pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation work.

Scrum Theory & Values

Why does the Scrum framework depend on transparency being high?

  • a.Because inspection and adaptation based on low-transparency artifacts can produce misleading decisions
  • b.Because transparency removes the need for the Sprint Retrospective
  • c.Because it lets the Scrum Master approve the Product Backlog
  • d.Because it guarantees the Sprint will finish on time

Inspection and adaptation are only as reliable as the transparency of what is inspected. Decisions made on low-transparency artifacts diminish value and increase risk, so transparency is the foundation for the other two pillars.

Scrum Theory & Values

Scrum is best described as which of the following?

  • a.A complete methodology that prescribes every engineering practice a team must use
  • b.A rigid process that cannot be changed once adopted
  • c.A lightweight framework that helps people address complex problems, within which various practices can be employed
  • d.A project plan that fixes scope, cost and time up front

The Scrum Guide describes Scrum as a lightweight framework, purposely incomplete. It defines only the parts required to embody Scrum theory, and teams add complementary practices to fit their context.

Scrum Theory & Values

Which type of work is Scrum specifically designed to help teams address?

  • a.Simple, repetitive work with fully known requirements
  • b.Complex problems where more is unknown than known
  • c.Work that must never change once planned
  • d.Purely administrative tasks with no delivery of value

Scrum is designed for complex, adaptive problems in which requirements and technology are uncertain. Its empirical, iterative-incremental approach lets teams learn and adjust as more becomes known.

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