WGU D351 FINAL EXAM 2025/2026 UPDATE COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS MOST TESTED QUESTIONS /CERTIFIED TEST
SOLUTIONS GRADE A+
Question 1
What is the primary role of human resource (HR) planning within a modern organization?
A) To handle immediate disciplinary actions against employees.
B) To assist the organization in understanding and predicting future employee needs.
C) To manage the daily payroll processing for all departments.
D) To eliminate the need for external recruitment entirely.
E) To serve as the primary legal counsel for the firm.
Correct Answer: B) To assist the organization in understanding and predicting future
employee needs.
Rationale: HR planning is a forward-looking process. Its primary function is to analyze the
current workforce and predict future requirements based on organizational goals, turnover
rates, and market trends. This ensures that the company has the right number of people
with the right skills at the right time. While HR may handle discipline or payroll (Options
A and C), those are tactical/administrative functions, not the primary goal of the planning
process.
Question 2
Employee compensation is divided into direct and indirect categories. Which of the following is
an example of indirect compensation?
A) An annual performance bonus.
B) Hourly wages for a part-time employee.
C) Professional development training and health benefits.
D) A commission check for a sales representative.
E) A base salary for a middle manager.
Correct Answer: C) Professional development training and health benefits.
Rationale: Direct compensation includes financial payments made directly to the employee,
such as base salary, hourly rates, bonuses, and commissions. Indirect compensation consists
of "non-monetary" or "fringe" benefits that provide value to the employee, such as
insurance, retirement contributions, services, and training opportunities that enhance the
employee's long-term career value.
Question 3
HR professionals work toward four implicit objectives to ensure organizational success. Which
of the following is NOT one of these four objectives?
A) Improving productivity.
B) Ensuring legal compliance.
C) Maximizing shareholder dividends.
D) Improving the quality of work life.
E) Ensuring ethical behavior.
, 2
Correct Answer: C) Maximizing shareholder dividends.
Rationale: The four implicit HR objectives are: 1) Improve productivity, 2) Improve the
quality of work life, 3) Ensure legal compliance, and 4) Ensure ethical behavior. While HR
indirectly supports profitability, the direct maximization of shareholder dividends is a
finance/accounting objective, not a core implicit objective of the HR function.
Question 4
How do human resource managers most directly contribute to organizational productivity?
A) By personally performing the manual labor of the production line.
B) Through effective work organization, job design, and workforce utilization.
C) By reducing all employee salaries to the legal minimum.
D) By allowing employees to work without any supervision.
E) By focusing exclusively on marketing and sales techniques.
Correct Answer: B) Through effective work organization, job design, and workforce
utilization.
Rationale: HR contributes to productivity by ensuring that jobs are designed efficiently and
that the right people are placed in those roles. By organizing work in a way that minimizes
wasted effort and maximizes employee strengths, HR ensures the organization operates at
peak performance. Options C and D would likely decrease productivity through low
morale or lack of direction.
Question 5
In the study of business ethics, "Moral Philosophy" is best defined as:
A) The legal code of a specific country.
B) The financial goals established by the board of directors.
C) The principles, rules, and values people use to decide what is right or wrong.
D) The social media policy of an organization.
E) The psychological study of how people learn new skills.
Correct Answer: C) The principles, rules, and values people use to decide what is right or
wrong.
Rationale: Moral philosophy provides the framework for ethical decision-making. It is the
study of what constitutes "the good" and how individuals apply values to their actions. In
HR, moral philosophy guides the creation of codes of conduct and influences how managers
treat their subordinates and handle sensitive information.
Question 6
Which of the following actions is essential for an HR department attempting to create a culture
of ethical behavior within an organization?
A) Maintaining a secretive environment where employees do not talk to each other.
B) Hiring individuals without checking their background to save time.
C) Establishing a positive work environment and implementing an open-door policy.
, 3
D) Discouraging ethical training to focus on technical skills.
E) Only modeling ethical behavior when high-level executives are watching.
Correct Answer: C) Establishing a positive work environment and implementing an open-
door policy.
Rationale: Creating an ethical culture requires six key elements: 1) A positive work
environment, 2) Hiring ethical individuals, 3) Providing ethics training, 4) Labeling and
modeling ethical behavior consistently, 5) Establishing written ethics standards, and 6)
Maintaining an open-door policy where employees feel safe reporting concerns without fear
of retaliation.
Question 7
Which trend influencing the modern work environment involves the evaluation of the costs and
benefits associated with how human resources are utilized?
A) Increased global competition.
B) Productivity changes.
C) Costs and benefits of HR utilization.
D) Society trends.
E) Workplace dysfunction systems.
Correct Answer: C) Costs and benefits of HR utilization.
Rationale: Organizations are increasingly viewing HR through a financial lens. This trend
involves analyzing whether the investment in employees (recruitment, training, retention)
provides a sufficient return on investment (ROI). Managers must balance the high cost of
human capital with the value that capital generates for the firm.
Question 8
Organizational culture is frequently defined as "a system of shared beliefs and values guiding
behavior." Who are the primary "shapers" of this culture?
A) Entry-level interns.
B) External government regulators.
C) Top management and their personal values.
D) The local community surrounding the office.
E) The competitors in the same industry.
Correct Answer: C) Top management and their personal values.
Rationale: While culture is shared by everyone, it is initially established and consistently
reinforced by the values, behaviors, and priorities of top leadership. Executives set the tone
for what is rewarded and what is punished, which eventually permeates the entire
organization and shapes the overall strategy.
Question 9
To be effective in a strategic role, HR professionals must possess specific business and industry
knowledge. Which of the following is a key area of knowledge required?
, 4
A) The personal medical history of every employee.
B) Advanced skills in janitorial maintenance.
C) Understanding financial statements and strategic planning.
D) Knowledge of the CEO’s favorite hobbies.
E) Memorizing the entire history of the city where the company is located.
Correct Answer: C) Understanding financial statements and strategic planning.
Rationale: Modern HR is a strategic business partner. To contribute at the executive level,
HR professionals must understand how the business makes money (financial statements),
how it plans to grow (strategic planning), and the technical aspects of production and
marketing that drive the industry.
Question 10
How does an HR "Generalist" differ from an HR "Specialist"?
A) Generalists are only for small companies; Specialists are only for large ones.
B) Generalists focus on one specific task (like payroll), while Specialists do everything.
C) Generalists provide broad guidance and handle many different HR functions, while
Specialists focus on one specific area (like benefits or recruiting).
D) Generalists are always higher-ranking than Specialists.
E) Specialists are not required to follow legal regulations.
Correct Answer: C) Generalists provide broad guidance and handle many different HR
functions, while Specialists focus on one specific area.
Rationale: An HR Generalist is a "jack-of-all-trades" who supports management across all
HR matters (hiring, firing, benefits, employee relations). An HR Specialist has deep,
narrow expertise in one functional area, such as a Compensation Specialist who only
manages the firm's pay structures.
Question 11
What is the primary purpose of conducting a SWOT analysis during the HR strategic planning
process?
A) To determine which employees should receive a raise this month.
B) To assess the firm's internal abilities/vulnerabilities and its external opportunities/threats.
C) To write the job descriptions for new entry-level roles.
D) To track the daily attendance of the administrative staff.
E) To choose the color scheme for the company’s new logo.
Correct Answer: B) To assess the firm's internal abilities/vulnerabilities and its external
opportunities/threats.
Rationale: SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses (Internal factors), and Opportunities,
Threats (External factors). HR uses SWOT to see if the current workforce has the strength
to meet goals or if a lack of skilled talent is a weakness that poses a threat to the firm’s
survival in a competitive market.
VERIFIED CORRECT ANSWERS MOST TESTED QUESTIONS /CERTIFIED TEST
SOLUTIONS GRADE A+
Question 1
What is the primary role of human resource (HR) planning within a modern organization?
A) To handle immediate disciplinary actions against employees.
B) To assist the organization in understanding and predicting future employee needs.
C) To manage the daily payroll processing for all departments.
D) To eliminate the need for external recruitment entirely.
E) To serve as the primary legal counsel for the firm.
Correct Answer: B) To assist the organization in understanding and predicting future
employee needs.
Rationale: HR planning is a forward-looking process. Its primary function is to analyze the
current workforce and predict future requirements based on organizational goals, turnover
rates, and market trends. This ensures that the company has the right number of people
with the right skills at the right time. While HR may handle discipline or payroll (Options
A and C), those are tactical/administrative functions, not the primary goal of the planning
process.
Question 2
Employee compensation is divided into direct and indirect categories. Which of the following is
an example of indirect compensation?
A) An annual performance bonus.
B) Hourly wages for a part-time employee.
C) Professional development training and health benefits.
D) A commission check for a sales representative.
E) A base salary for a middle manager.
Correct Answer: C) Professional development training and health benefits.
Rationale: Direct compensation includes financial payments made directly to the employee,
such as base salary, hourly rates, bonuses, and commissions. Indirect compensation consists
of "non-monetary" or "fringe" benefits that provide value to the employee, such as
insurance, retirement contributions, services, and training opportunities that enhance the
employee's long-term career value.
Question 3
HR professionals work toward four implicit objectives to ensure organizational success. Which
of the following is NOT one of these four objectives?
A) Improving productivity.
B) Ensuring legal compliance.
C) Maximizing shareholder dividends.
D) Improving the quality of work life.
E) Ensuring ethical behavior.
, 2
Correct Answer: C) Maximizing shareholder dividends.
Rationale: The four implicit HR objectives are: 1) Improve productivity, 2) Improve the
quality of work life, 3) Ensure legal compliance, and 4) Ensure ethical behavior. While HR
indirectly supports profitability, the direct maximization of shareholder dividends is a
finance/accounting objective, not a core implicit objective of the HR function.
Question 4
How do human resource managers most directly contribute to organizational productivity?
A) By personally performing the manual labor of the production line.
B) Through effective work organization, job design, and workforce utilization.
C) By reducing all employee salaries to the legal minimum.
D) By allowing employees to work without any supervision.
E) By focusing exclusively on marketing and sales techniques.
Correct Answer: B) Through effective work organization, job design, and workforce
utilization.
Rationale: HR contributes to productivity by ensuring that jobs are designed efficiently and
that the right people are placed in those roles. By organizing work in a way that minimizes
wasted effort and maximizes employee strengths, HR ensures the organization operates at
peak performance. Options C and D would likely decrease productivity through low
morale or lack of direction.
Question 5
In the study of business ethics, "Moral Philosophy" is best defined as:
A) The legal code of a specific country.
B) The financial goals established by the board of directors.
C) The principles, rules, and values people use to decide what is right or wrong.
D) The social media policy of an organization.
E) The psychological study of how people learn new skills.
Correct Answer: C) The principles, rules, and values people use to decide what is right or
wrong.
Rationale: Moral philosophy provides the framework for ethical decision-making. It is the
study of what constitutes "the good" and how individuals apply values to their actions. In
HR, moral philosophy guides the creation of codes of conduct and influences how managers
treat their subordinates and handle sensitive information.
Question 6
Which of the following actions is essential for an HR department attempting to create a culture
of ethical behavior within an organization?
A) Maintaining a secretive environment where employees do not talk to each other.
B) Hiring individuals without checking their background to save time.
C) Establishing a positive work environment and implementing an open-door policy.
, 3
D) Discouraging ethical training to focus on technical skills.
E) Only modeling ethical behavior when high-level executives are watching.
Correct Answer: C) Establishing a positive work environment and implementing an open-
door policy.
Rationale: Creating an ethical culture requires six key elements: 1) A positive work
environment, 2) Hiring ethical individuals, 3) Providing ethics training, 4) Labeling and
modeling ethical behavior consistently, 5) Establishing written ethics standards, and 6)
Maintaining an open-door policy where employees feel safe reporting concerns without fear
of retaliation.
Question 7
Which trend influencing the modern work environment involves the evaluation of the costs and
benefits associated with how human resources are utilized?
A) Increased global competition.
B) Productivity changes.
C) Costs and benefits of HR utilization.
D) Society trends.
E) Workplace dysfunction systems.
Correct Answer: C) Costs and benefits of HR utilization.
Rationale: Organizations are increasingly viewing HR through a financial lens. This trend
involves analyzing whether the investment in employees (recruitment, training, retention)
provides a sufficient return on investment (ROI). Managers must balance the high cost of
human capital with the value that capital generates for the firm.
Question 8
Organizational culture is frequently defined as "a system of shared beliefs and values guiding
behavior." Who are the primary "shapers" of this culture?
A) Entry-level interns.
B) External government regulators.
C) Top management and their personal values.
D) The local community surrounding the office.
E) The competitors in the same industry.
Correct Answer: C) Top management and their personal values.
Rationale: While culture is shared by everyone, it is initially established and consistently
reinforced by the values, behaviors, and priorities of top leadership. Executives set the tone
for what is rewarded and what is punished, which eventually permeates the entire
organization and shapes the overall strategy.
Question 9
To be effective in a strategic role, HR professionals must possess specific business and industry
knowledge. Which of the following is a key area of knowledge required?
, 4
A) The personal medical history of every employee.
B) Advanced skills in janitorial maintenance.
C) Understanding financial statements and strategic planning.
D) Knowledge of the CEO’s favorite hobbies.
E) Memorizing the entire history of the city where the company is located.
Correct Answer: C) Understanding financial statements and strategic planning.
Rationale: Modern HR is a strategic business partner. To contribute at the executive level,
HR professionals must understand how the business makes money (financial statements),
how it plans to grow (strategic planning), and the technical aspects of production and
marketing that drive the industry.
Question 10
How does an HR "Generalist" differ from an HR "Specialist"?
A) Generalists are only for small companies; Specialists are only for large ones.
B) Generalists focus on one specific task (like payroll), while Specialists do everything.
C) Generalists provide broad guidance and handle many different HR functions, while
Specialists focus on one specific area (like benefits or recruiting).
D) Generalists are always higher-ranking than Specialists.
E) Specialists are not required to follow legal regulations.
Correct Answer: C) Generalists provide broad guidance and handle many different HR
functions, while Specialists focus on one specific area.
Rationale: An HR Generalist is a "jack-of-all-trades" who supports management across all
HR matters (hiring, firing, benefits, employee relations). An HR Specialist has deep,
narrow expertise in one functional area, such as a Compensation Specialist who only
manages the firm's pay structures.
Question 11
What is the primary purpose of conducting a SWOT analysis during the HR strategic planning
process?
A) To determine which employees should receive a raise this month.
B) To assess the firm's internal abilities/vulnerabilities and its external opportunities/threats.
C) To write the job descriptions for new entry-level roles.
D) To track the daily attendance of the administrative staff.
E) To choose the color scheme for the company’s new logo.
Correct Answer: B) To assess the firm's internal abilities/vulnerabilities and its external
opportunities/threats.
Rationale: SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses (Internal factors), and Opportunities,
Threats (External factors). HR uses SWOT to see if the current workforce has the strength
to meet goals or if a lack of skilled talent is a weakness that poses a threat to the firm’s
survival in a competitive market.
