HRCI SPHR PRACTICE
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
2025-2026
One of your production managers uses incentives to reward employees for meeting
operational objectives. This is the best example of which of the following leadership
styles?
A. Charismatic leadership
B. Transactional leadership
C. Laissez-faire leadership
D. Authoritarian leadership - ANS-B. Transactional leaders are characterized by a "this
for that" style. These leaders use both rewards and discipline when necessary to
accomplish organizational and departmental objectives.
Consensual romantic relationships at work represent what type of risk?
A. Intimate partner violence
B. Unlawful treatment
C. Sexual harassment
D. None, because it's consensual - ANS-C. Relationships at work, even those that are
consensual, have the potential for issues in which HR will have to intervene. This
includes the risk of sexual harassment should the relationship become unwanted by
either party.
The international gas utility company for which you direct HR does not have an
organized health and safety program for its workers. What should be your first step?
A. Focus on becoming compliant with international, federal, state, and local safety
standards.
,B. Identify the employees who are most at risk and begin safety efforts with them.
C. Obtain approval for a company-wide incentive program based on zero accidents or
injuries.
D. Meet with the workers' compensation brokers to assess the costs of lack of a safety
program.
See the answer - ANS-B. In this high-risk industry, it would be prudent for human
resources to begin building a safety program for those workers who are most at risk.
This effort may include data collection, incentives, and compliance efforts as part of
the overall intervention strategy.
The food distribution center for which you work has seen an increase in the number of
loading-dock workers reporting ankle injuries. What strategy would be most effective
to reduce or eliminate the risk?
A. Require employees to wear high-top steel-toed work boots.
B. Review the injury records for patterns of unsafe behaviors.
C. Conduct a root-cause analysis with a committee made up of dock workers.
D. Ask the occupational clinic to come in and provide safety training. - ANS-C. Any
time there is an increase in injuries and accidents, HR should take the time to analyze
for root causes. From this, hazard abatement strategies may be developed and could
include new personal protective equipment requirements or worker training.
The major Internet provider for which you are the VP of human resources has just
experienced the largest customer and employee data breach in the history of the
United States. In an effort to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), you should first do what?
A. Evaluate the areas where the company's data is still at risk for hackers
B. Research credit monitoring services to offer affected individuals.
C. Wait to notify investors until the executive team can sell their shares of company
stock.
D. Assess the depth of the data breach and notify investors as soon as is practicable. -
ANS-D. When a data breach of this magnitude occurs, it is important for HR to help the
company respond in accordance with governing agencies but also in a manner that
protects the interests of both the company and the affected individuals.
Which of the following are examples of the physical assets that must be secured to
prevent a cybersecurity attack?
,A. The employees
B. The buildings
C. The workstations
D. The power lines - ANS-C. Physical assets such as workstations and servers can be
tracked and monitored as part of a company's efforts to prevent cyberattacks on
sensitive company and customer data.
Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps companies do what when it comes to data
protection?
A. Identify priorities when it comes to building a robust data security program
B. Determine what skills in data security personnel to hire for
C. Write policies that protect critical assets
D. Purchase external layers of protections, making the data harder to breach - ANS-A.
Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps a company craft an effective data security
program. Building controls for these assets may include policies, practices, and the
deployment of internal and external resources, but it will be difficult to know where to
deploy the resources without understanding what is most at risk/important.
The hospital for which you work has hired an outside agency to staff the parking lot
security posts. The guard works only at night and is unsupervised. Recently there has
been a rash of attacks in the area against security guards in general. What steps should
you take to protect this contingent worker from becoming a victim of workplace
violence?
A. Allow him to carry his personal gun while on duty.
B. Install security cameras that are monitored from the inside.
C. Make a business case to the board of directors that this post should have two
workers at all times.
D. Ask the employment agency to cover the costs of additional security
recommendations. - ANS-B. In this case, a team approach may work to help minimize
an act of workplace violence. Security cameras can act as a deterrent to crime. Having
the cameras internally monitored increases the ability for a quick response should an
event occur.
A major sandwich restaurant hires 15-year-old workers to operate a meat slicer. This
may violate which of the following?
A. The Food and Drug Administration
, B. Food Safety Management
C. The Fair Labor Standards Act
D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act - ANS-C. The Fair Labor Standards Act
addresses more than just legal compensation; it also limits the type of work that may
be done by minors. In this example, a meat slicer is considered a hazardous job and is
therefore prohibited for workers between the ages of 14 and 15.
An employee has shared with her manager that she has been prescribed medicine for
her bipolar disorder. Which labor laws may need to be considered on her behalf?
A. The Americans with Disabilities Act
B. The Occupational Safety and Health Act
C. The Drug-Free Workplace Act
D. Both A and B - ANS-A. Mental illnesses are generally covered under the Americans
with Disabilities Act and apply to employers with 15 or more employees. This
employee may need to be reasonably accommodated as a result of her disability.
A winery employs hundreds of seasonal, temporary workers that are processed
through a staffing agency. Many of them will be working with hazardous chemicals.
Which of the following should you do first to comply with OSHA's hazard
communication standard?
A. Ask the temporary agency to provide general hazardous material-handling training.
B. Ensure that the same protections offered to regular workers are offered to
temporary workers.
C. Ask the agency to come inspect the facility to ensure it is a safe work environment.
D. Communicate with the agency regarding what types of protection will be needed. -
ANS-D. Both the host company and the staffing agency have responsibilities to ensure
the safety of individuals who will be working with hazardous materials.
Communicating with the agency allows for a coordination of effort, including the need
for protection, training, and verifying that the workers are going to a safe workplace.
A software developer in the Midwest has decided to offer voluntary microchipping of
their employees. The chips will be medically inserted into the individual's right hand
and will allow employees to open doors, clock in, and even make purchases in the
company cafeteria. What type of data is being collected?
A. Biometric
B. Personal
EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
2025-2026
One of your production managers uses incentives to reward employees for meeting
operational objectives. This is the best example of which of the following leadership
styles?
A. Charismatic leadership
B. Transactional leadership
C. Laissez-faire leadership
D. Authoritarian leadership - ANS-B. Transactional leaders are characterized by a "this
for that" style. These leaders use both rewards and discipline when necessary to
accomplish organizational and departmental objectives.
Consensual romantic relationships at work represent what type of risk?
A. Intimate partner violence
B. Unlawful treatment
C. Sexual harassment
D. None, because it's consensual - ANS-C. Relationships at work, even those that are
consensual, have the potential for issues in which HR will have to intervene. This
includes the risk of sexual harassment should the relationship become unwanted by
either party.
The international gas utility company for which you direct HR does not have an
organized health and safety program for its workers. What should be your first step?
A. Focus on becoming compliant with international, federal, state, and local safety
standards.
,B. Identify the employees who are most at risk and begin safety efforts with them.
C. Obtain approval for a company-wide incentive program based on zero accidents or
injuries.
D. Meet with the workers' compensation brokers to assess the costs of lack of a safety
program.
See the answer - ANS-B. In this high-risk industry, it would be prudent for human
resources to begin building a safety program for those workers who are most at risk.
This effort may include data collection, incentives, and compliance efforts as part of
the overall intervention strategy.
The food distribution center for which you work has seen an increase in the number of
loading-dock workers reporting ankle injuries. What strategy would be most effective
to reduce or eliminate the risk?
A. Require employees to wear high-top steel-toed work boots.
B. Review the injury records for patterns of unsafe behaviors.
C. Conduct a root-cause analysis with a committee made up of dock workers.
D. Ask the occupational clinic to come in and provide safety training. - ANS-C. Any
time there is an increase in injuries and accidents, HR should take the time to analyze
for root causes. From this, hazard abatement strategies may be developed and could
include new personal protective equipment requirements or worker training.
The major Internet provider for which you are the VP of human resources has just
experienced the largest customer and employee data breach in the history of the
United States. In an effort to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC), you should first do what?
A. Evaluate the areas where the company's data is still at risk for hackers
B. Research credit monitoring services to offer affected individuals.
C. Wait to notify investors until the executive team can sell their shares of company
stock.
D. Assess the depth of the data breach and notify investors as soon as is practicable. -
ANS-D. When a data breach of this magnitude occurs, it is important for HR to help the
company respond in accordance with governing agencies but also in a manner that
protects the interests of both the company and the affected individuals.
Which of the following are examples of the physical assets that must be secured to
prevent a cybersecurity attack?
,A. The employees
B. The buildings
C. The workstations
D. The power lines - ANS-C. Physical assets such as workstations and servers can be
tracked and monitored as part of a company's efforts to prevent cyberattacks on
sensitive company and customer data.
Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps companies do what when it comes to data
protection?
A. Identify priorities when it comes to building a robust data security program
B. Determine what skills in data security personnel to hire for
C. Write policies that protect critical assets
D. Purchase external layers of protections, making the data harder to breach - ANS-A.
Establishing a hierarchy of assets helps a company craft an effective data security
program. Building controls for these assets may include policies, practices, and the
deployment of internal and external resources, but it will be difficult to know where to
deploy the resources without understanding what is most at risk/important.
The hospital for which you work has hired an outside agency to staff the parking lot
security posts. The guard works only at night and is unsupervised. Recently there has
been a rash of attacks in the area against security guards in general. What steps should
you take to protect this contingent worker from becoming a victim of workplace
violence?
A. Allow him to carry his personal gun while on duty.
B. Install security cameras that are monitored from the inside.
C. Make a business case to the board of directors that this post should have two
workers at all times.
D. Ask the employment agency to cover the costs of additional security
recommendations. - ANS-B. In this case, a team approach may work to help minimize
an act of workplace violence. Security cameras can act as a deterrent to crime. Having
the cameras internally monitored increases the ability for a quick response should an
event occur.
A major sandwich restaurant hires 15-year-old workers to operate a meat slicer. This
may violate which of the following?
A. The Food and Drug Administration
, B. Food Safety Management
C. The Fair Labor Standards Act
D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act - ANS-C. The Fair Labor Standards Act
addresses more than just legal compensation; it also limits the type of work that may
be done by minors. In this example, a meat slicer is considered a hazardous job and is
therefore prohibited for workers between the ages of 14 and 15.
An employee has shared with her manager that she has been prescribed medicine for
her bipolar disorder. Which labor laws may need to be considered on her behalf?
A. The Americans with Disabilities Act
B. The Occupational Safety and Health Act
C. The Drug-Free Workplace Act
D. Both A and B - ANS-A. Mental illnesses are generally covered under the Americans
with Disabilities Act and apply to employers with 15 or more employees. This
employee may need to be reasonably accommodated as a result of her disability.
A winery employs hundreds of seasonal, temporary workers that are processed
through a staffing agency. Many of them will be working with hazardous chemicals.
Which of the following should you do first to comply with OSHA's hazard
communication standard?
A. Ask the temporary agency to provide general hazardous material-handling training.
B. Ensure that the same protections offered to regular workers are offered to
temporary workers.
C. Ask the agency to come inspect the facility to ensure it is a safe work environment.
D. Communicate with the agency regarding what types of protection will be needed. -
ANS-D. Both the host company and the staffing agency have responsibilities to ensure
the safety of individuals who will be working with hazardous materials.
Communicating with the agency allows for a coordination of effort, including the need
for protection, training, and verifying that the workers are going to a safe workplace.
A software developer in the Midwest has decided to offer voluntary microchipping of
their employees. The chips will be medically inserted into the individual's right hand
and will allow employees to open doors, clock in, and even make purchases in the
company cafeteria. What type of data is being collected?
A. Biometric
B. Personal
