WGU C854 CAPSTONE CPE 2026
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
1. During the project planning phase, which document serves as the formal authorization for
a project to begin and provides the project manager with authority to apply organizational
resources?
A. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
B. Project Charter
C. Statement of Work (SOW)
D. Business Case
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The Project Charter is the document that formally authorizes the
existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply
organizational resources to project activities.
2. In the context of the SDLC, which architectural pattern is characterized by decoupled
components that communicate through asynchronous message passing?
A. Monolithic Architecture
,B. Layered Architecture
C. Client-Server Architecture
D. Event-Driven Architecture
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Event-Driven Architecture involves decoupled components that
respond to events or messages, often asynchronously, allowing for high scalability and
flexibility.
3. When evaluating project risks, which formula is used to calculate the Expected Monetary
Value (EMV)?
A. Cost + Contingency
B. Risk Score / Total Resources
C. Probability * Impact
D. Impact - Probability
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: EMV is a statistical concept that calculates the average outcome
when the future includes scenarios that may or may not happen (i.e., Probability times
Impact).
, 4. Which agile ceremony focuses on the team inspecting their way of working and identifying
improvements for the next iteration?
A. Sprint Planning
B. Daily Stand-up
C. Sprint Review
D. Sprint Retrospective
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: The Sprint Retrospective is specifically designed for the team to
reflect on the past sprint and plan improvements for the next one.
5. In database design, which normal form addresses the removal of transitive dependencies?
A. Third Normal Form (3NF)
B. Second Normal Form (2NF)
C. First Normal Form (1NF)
D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires that all columns be
dependent only on the primary key, effectively removing transitive dependencies.
6. Which of the following describes a ‘Black Box’ testing approach?
A. Testing the internal logic and code structure.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
1. During the project planning phase, which document serves as the formal authorization for
a project to begin and provides the project manager with authority to apply organizational
resources?
A. Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
B. Project Charter
C. Statement of Work (SOW)
D. Business Case
Answer: B
Conceptual Explanation: The Project Charter is the document that formally authorizes the
existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply
organizational resources to project activities.
2. In the context of the SDLC, which architectural pattern is characterized by decoupled
components that communicate through asynchronous message passing?
A. Monolithic Architecture
,B. Layered Architecture
C. Client-Server Architecture
D. Event-Driven Architecture
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: Event-Driven Architecture involves decoupled components that
respond to events or messages, often asynchronously, allowing for high scalability and
flexibility.
3. When evaluating project risks, which formula is used to calculate the Expected Monetary
Value (EMV)?
A. Cost + Contingency
B. Risk Score / Total Resources
C. Probability * Impact
D. Impact - Probability
Answer: C
Conceptual Explanation: EMV is a statistical concept that calculates the average outcome
when the future includes scenarios that may or may not happen (i.e., Probability times
Impact).
, 4. Which agile ceremony focuses on the team inspecting their way of working and identifying
improvements for the next iteration?
A. Sprint Planning
B. Daily Stand-up
C. Sprint Review
D. Sprint Retrospective
Answer: D
Conceptual Explanation: The Sprint Retrospective is specifically designed for the team to
reflect on the past sprint and plan improvements for the next one.
5. In database design, which normal form addresses the removal of transitive dependencies?
A. Third Normal Form (3NF)
B. Second Normal Form (2NF)
C. First Normal Form (1NF)
D. Boyce-Codd Normal Form (BCNF)
Answer: A
Conceptual Explanation: Third Normal Form (3NF) requires that all columns be
dependent only on the primary key, effectively removing transitive dependencies.
6. Which of the following describes a ‘Black Box’ testing approach?
A. Testing the internal logic and code structure.
