PRSA APR EXAMINATION QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔An employee in the sales department has turned in her two week notice, and one
month later, your supervisor calls you in to discuss a negative posting on a company
review site that she believes was the former employee.Your supervisor accuses this
former employee and would like to explore the option of pressing charges for
defamation of character. Your supervisor asks you to confirm that the former employee
made these same negative statements in her exit interview.Which one of the following is
the best course of action?
A. Contact the former employee and inform her that the company is looking into a
defamation case.
B. Provide your supervisor with the exit questionnaire filled out by the former employee
at the exit interview.
C. Share your personal reactions to the exit interview.
D. Discuss previous conversations other employes have had with the former employee.
- ✔✔Correct Answer: B
✔✔You have been tasked to put together a web page containing op-eds pertaining to
your organization's mission that members might be interested in. Which of the following
do you not have to seek copyright permission for:
a. Publish the entire article on the web
b. Publish excerpt of the article on the web
c. Email the article to your members - ✔✔Correct answer: b.
You do not have to seek copyright permission if if you post just an excerpt from the
article and link to the original source of the article (EPR, 10th, pg 158
,✔✔You are the Communications Director for a local school district. One of your duties is
to manage the content that goes on the public website. All of the schools that have PTO
organizations are listed on the website. A parent group that is not connected to a school
but are very active in the community ask to be listed on the website with other PTO
groups. What should you do? Choose one.
A. Allow the group to be listed because they are a parent group.
B. Inform the group that there are schools without PTO's and they should help establish
a group at one of those schools.
C. Inform the group that you can't accomodate their request because the list is for PTO
groups that are attached to a school.
D. Tell the group that you need to talk to your boss and you will get back in touch with
them. - ✔✔The correct answer is C. APR study guide page 20. "Maintain the integrity of
communication channels."
✔✔You are the Public Relations Manager for a company that is contracted by the
Federal Government. The National Sales Manager has asked that the company website
be updated to include testimonials and quotes from various departments in the
organization, customers and potential clients, and affiliated membership organization
partners. You agree and begin to gather quotes directly from sales team members and
management; however, your third party affiliates tell you to just pull from their website.
Which of the following protects the right to include such information?
a. Freedom of Information Act
b. First Amendment
c. Commercial Speech
d. Copyright Protection
e. Consent - ✔✔Correct answer: e
Citation: Cutlip and Center's Effective Public Relations. 10th ed. Chapter 6.
✔✔On your first day on the job, you learn that one of the company's servers has been
hacked and client information has been compromised. Information has been leaked to
the press about the security breach and reporters are calling. The CEO asks for your
counsel. He also wants you to limit the amount of information given to key publics as a
"security" precaution. You immediately identify the ethical dilemma and work on
gathering data to justify your decision regarding the best course of action. What is your
next step? Choose one option below.
a) Work with internal departments to compile a contact list of key publics.
b) Meet with the company's designated spokesperson to coordinate media interviews.
,c) Review company policies and SEC regulations to influence your decision.
d) Identify key values and ethical principles to support your recommendation. -
✔✔Answer is c. Reference: APR study guide pg 21-22. Example of the ethical decision-
making process.
✔✔You represent a large pharmaceutical company. Your client asks you to develop a
public relations campaign for a new drug that will be released soon. What is your first
step?
a) start planning an official launch party
b) research the industry and similar products in the market
c) hold a focus group to review and offer feedback on messaging options
d) call a member of the media to offer them an exclusive on the story - ✔✔Correct
Answer: B
http://www.praccreditation.org/aprdemo/htmldemo/item_12_ans.htm
✔✔You were recently hired by AARP in Baltimore, MD. Your first project is to convince
city government to increase the discount qualified seniors can receive on their quarterly
water, stormwater and sewer bills from 35% to 50%. The incentive you have to offer to
city government is a list of guaranteed water suppliers that will make the discount
possible. Which of the following does AARP not have to do on your behalf?
A. Report contact info for anyone who contributes $10,000 or more in six-month period
for this project
B. Report the water suppliers' contact info to Congress
C. File financial reports twice a year for this project
D. Register you as a public relations practitioner under the Foreign Agents Act of 1938 -
✔✔The answer is D based on the requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
listed on p. 153 in Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, 10th Edition.
✔✔XYZ Corporation just received a painting created in 1913, with significant history and
monetary value, from an art dealer on loan from the artist's estate. The painting has not
been copyrighted, but a photo of the painting was published in Life Magazine, March
1916. You have decided the same photo of the painting will serve as the visual
centerpiece for the community art initiative public relations campaign. What best states
that you are able to use the photo of the painting as your visual centerpiece for the
community art initiative public relations campaign without violating copyright
permission? (Choose one.)
A. The painting was never copyrighted.
, B. The photo appeared in the Life Magazine more than 75 years ago.
C. The photographer who supplied the photo is unknown.
D. The artist created the piece before 1990. - ✔✔Answer B. - EPR - Chapter 6, page
157-158
The photo is now in the public domain in that it was first published in 1916 by Life
Magazine, which is a copyrighted magazine, for which the issue's copyright has expired
according to the 1909 Copyright Act.
✔✔You are a Public Relations Director for a major medical center, and are being asked
to set up a photo shoot for your "Annual Report" - a publication sent to donors
worldwide. You are photographing your local mayor, chief medical officer and a
pediatric patient, who has appeared in numerous campaigns, in the past. The
photographer is eager to begin shooting, and you ask for all three to sign a consent
form. The photographer says, "it's not necessary to get forms signed, since one of the
people is an elected official and public figure, and pictures are part of their job
description, as they interact with their publics." What do you do?
a. You allow the photographer to take pictures
b. You ask the mayor, medical officer, and patient's parent to each sign a consent form
c. You get the participant's verbal permission to take pictures
d. You contact your hospital's legal department - ✔✔Answer: b - You must always have
each participant sign a consent form if they are taking part in any pictures, etc, in which
their likeliness is being used.
Reference: Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, Chapter 6, Legal
Considerations, page 144.
✔✔You manage the Facebook page for a prominent software company. Last month you
posted a link to an article that reported on trends in your industry and included a quote
from an industry analyst who stated that the CEO of your main competitor was on anti-
depressants and "crazy." You featured that quote in your post. You just found out that
this quote was based on information from a leaked medical record. Now your competitor
is threatening to sue your company for defamation. What should be your course of
action?
A) Claim that you were only quoting someone else accurately as well as using accurate
information (Fair and accurate report) and therefore are protected so your post is
defensible in court.
B) Tell your supervisor the situation and let them handle it.
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔An employee in the sales department has turned in her two week notice, and one
month later, your supervisor calls you in to discuss a negative posting on a company
review site that she believes was the former employee.Your supervisor accuses this
former employee and would like to explore the option of pressing charges for
defamation of character. Your supervisor asks you to confirm that the former employee
made these same negative statements in her exit interview.Which one of the following is
the best course of action?
A. Contact the former employee and inform her that the company is looking into a
defamation case.
B. Provide your supervisor with the exit questionnaire filled out by the former employee
at the exit interview.
C. Share your personal reactions to the exit interview.
D. Discuss previous conversations other employes have had with the former employee.
- ✔✔Correct Answer: B
✔✔You have been tasked to put together a web page containing op-eds pertaining to
your organization's mission that members might be interested in. Which of the following
do you not have to seek copyright permission for:
a. Publish the entire article on the web
b. Publish excerpt of the article on the web
c. Email the article to your members - ✔✔Correct answer: b.
You do not have to seek copyright permission if if you post just an excerpt from the
article and link to the original source of the article (EPR, 10th, pg 158
,✔✔You are the Communications Director for a local school district. One of your duties is
to manage the content that goes on the public website. All of the schools that have PTO
organizations are listed on the website. A parent group that is not connected to a school
but are very active in the community ask to be listed on the website with other PTO
groups. What should you do? Choose one.
A. Allow the group to be listed because they are a parent group.
B. Inform the group that there are schools without PTO's and they should help establish
a group at one of those schools.
C. Inform the group that you can't accomodate their request because the list is for PTO
groups that are attached to a school.
D. Tell the group that you need to talk to your boss and you will get back in touch with
them. - ✔✔The correct answer is C. APR study guide page 20. "Maintain the integrity of
communication channels."
✔✔You are the Public Relations Manager for a company that is contracted by the
Federal Government. The National Sales Manager has asked that the company website
be updated to include testimonials and quotes from various departments in the
organization, customers and potential clients, and affiliated membership organization
partners. You agree and begin to gather quotes directly from sales team members and
management; however, your third party affiliates tell you to just pull from their website.
Which of the following protects the right to include such information?
a. Freedom of Information Act
b. First Amendment
c. Commercial Speech
d. Copyright Protection
e. Consent - ✔✔Correct answer: e
Citation: Cutlip and Center's Effective Public Relations. 10th ed. Chapter 6.
✔✔On your first day on the job, you learn that one of the company's servers has been
hacked and client information has been compromised. Information has been leaked to
the press about the security breach and reporters are calling. The CEO asks for your
counsel. He also wants you to limit the amount of information given to key publics as a
"security" precaution. You immediately identify the ethical dilemma and work on
gathering data to justify your decision regarding the best course of action. What is your
next step? Choose one option below.
a) Work with internal departments to compile a contact list of key publics.
b) Meet with the company's designated spokesperson to coordinate media interviews.
,c) Review company policies and SEC regulations to influence your decision.
d) Identify key values and ethical principles to support your recommendation. -
✔✔Answer is c. Reference: APR study guide pg 21-22. Example of the ethical decision-
making process.
✔✔You represent a large pharmaceutical company. Your client asks you to develop a
public relations campaign for a new drug that will be released soon. What is your first
step?
a) start planning an official launch party
b) research the industry and similar products in the market
c) hold a focus group to review and offer feedback on messaging options
d) call a member of the media to offer them an exclusive on the story - ✔✔Correct
Answer: B
http://www.praccreditation.org/aprdemo/htmldemo/item_12_ans.htm
✔✔You were recently hired by AARP in Baltimore, MD. Your first project is to convince
city government to increase the discount qualified seniors can receive on their quarterly
water, stormwater and sewer bills from 35% to 50%. The incentive you have to offer to
city government is a list of guaranteed water suppliers that will make the discount
possible. Which of the following does AARP not have to do on your behalf?
A. Report contact info for anyone who contributes $10,000 or more in six-month period
for this project
B. Report the water suppliers' contact info to Congress
C. File financial reports twice a year for this project
D. Register you as a public relations practitioner under the Foreign Agents Act of 1938 -
✔✔The answer is D based on the requirements of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995
listed on p. 153 in Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, 10th Edition.
✔✔XYZ Corporation just received a painting created in 1913, with significant history and
monetary value, from an art dealer on loan from the artist's estate. The painting has not
been copyrighted, but a photo of the painting was published in Life Magazine, March
1916. You have decided the same photo of the painting will serve as the visual
centerpiece for the community art initiative public relations campaign. What best states
that you are able to use the photo of the painting as your visual centerpiece for the
community art initiative public relations campaign without violating copyright
permission? (Choose one.)
A. The painting was never copyrighted.
, B. The photo appeared in the Life Magazine more than 75 years ago.
C. The photographer who supplied the photo is unknown.
D. The artist created the piece before 1990. - ✔✔Answer B. - EPR - Chapter 6, page
157-158
The photo is now in the public domain in that it was first published in 1916 by Life
Magazine, which is a copyrighted magazine, for which the issue's copyright has expired
according to the 1909 Copyright Act.
✔✔You are a Public Relations Director for a major medical center, and are being asked
to set up a photo shoot for your "Annual Report" - a publication sent to donors
worldwide. You are photographing your local mayor, chief medical officer and a
pediatric patient, who has appeared in numerous campaigns, in the past. The
photographer is eager to begin shooting, and you ask for all three to sign a consent
form. The photographer says, "it's not necessary to get forms signed, since one of the
people is an elected official and public figure, and pictures are part of their job
description, as they interact with their publics." What do you do?
a. You allow the photographer to take pictures
b. You ask the mayor, medical officer, and patient's parent to each sign a consent form
c. You get the participant's verbal permission to take pictures
d. You contact your hospital's legal department - ✔✔Answer: b - You must always have
each participant sign a consent form if they are taking part in any pictures, etc, in which
their likeliness is being used.
Reference: Cutlip & Center's Effective Public Relations, Chapter 6, Legal
Considerations, page 144.
✔✔You manage the Facebook page for a prominent software company. Last month you
posted a link to an article that reported on trends in your industry and included a quote
from an industry analyst who stated that the CEO of your main competitor was on anti-
depressants and "crazy." You featured that quote in your post. You just found out that
this quote was based on information from a leaked medical record. Now your competitor
is threatening to sue your company for defamation. What should be your course of
action?
A) Claim that you were only quoting someone else accurately as well as using accurate
information (Fair and accurate report) and therefore are protected so your post is
defensible in court.
B) Tell your supervisor the situation and let them handle it.
