MGMT 311 PRACTICE EXAM QUESTIONS WITH
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
| American Public University
1. An employee is in a generally unpleasant mood for several hours without a specific object or target. How is this
different from an emotion?
A. A mood is always more intense and shorter than an emotion.
B. A mood is typically more diffuse and less tied to a specific trigger than an emotion.
C. A mood is identical to a value.
D. A mood cannot influence judgment.
Correct Answer: B. A mood is typically more diffuse and less tied to a specific trigger than an emotion.
Explanation: Moods tend to be broader and less specifically targeted, whereas emotions are often more intense and
linked to an identifiable person, event, or object.
2. A manager wants to enrich work but the job involves strict safety procedures. Which approach is best?
A. Assume autonomy is impossible in regulated work.
B. Remove all procedures to maximize autonomy.
C. Increase discretion where safe while preserving nonnegotiable safety controls.
D. Delegate safety-critical decisions without training.
Correct Answer: C. Increase discretion where safe while preserving nonnegotiable safety controls.
Explanation: Good job design balances autonomy with task and safety requirements. Employees can often gain
discretion in planning or problem solving without weakening essential controls.
3. A company wants managers to handle layoffs as fairly as possible. Which combination is strongest?
A. Consistent criteria, meaningful voice where feasible, accurate explanations, and respectful treatment.
B. A fair process with deliberately misleading explanations.
C. Respectful language without any defensible decision process.
D. Secrecy, inconsistent standards, and abrupt communication.
Correct Answer: A. Consistent criteria, meaningful voice where feasible, accurate explanations, and respectful
treatment.
Explanation: Fairness is multidimensional. Strong practice combines defensible procedures with adequate information
and dignified treatment.
4. An organization wants to evaluate inclusion rather than only representation. Which measure would add the most
useful information?
A. Only average employee age.
B. Headcount alone.
C. Office square footage.
D. Whether employees across groups experience voice, belonging, fair access, and respect.
Correct Answer: D. Whether employees across groups experience voice, belonging, fair access, and respect.
Explanation: Representation is important but does not fully describe inclusion. Experiences of participation, fairness,
belonging, and influence help assess whether people can contribute effectively.
, 5. A leader wants to reduce social loafing on a virtual team. Which intervention is most appropriate?
A. Make individual contributions visible, keep goals meaningful, and clarify mutual accountability.
B. Remove all feedback.
C. Hide individual progress.
D. Increase team size without clarifying roles.
Correct Answer: A. Make individual contributions visible, keep goals meaningful, and clarify mutual accountability.
Explanation: Identifiability, meaningful goals, smaller accountable units, and clear interdependence can reduce
conditions that promote social loafing.
6. An employee hears informal information about a pending reorganization before any official announcement.
What communication channel is illustrated?
A. A performance appraisal.
B. Formal downward communication.
C. A job-characteristics feedback loop.
D. The organizational grapevine.
Correct Answer: D. The organizational grapevine.
Explanation: The grapevine is an informal communication network that can transmit information quickly, though
accuracy may vary.
7. A manager wants to reduce unsafe shortcuts without discouraging reporting of near misses. Which approach is
best?
A. Reward output regardless of safety practices.
B. Punish every reported mistake, including honest reports.
C. Reinforce hazard reporting while applying fair consequences to deliberate unsafe behavior.
D. Ignore both safe and unsafe behavior.
Correct Answer: C. Reinforce hazard reporting while applying fair consequences to deliberate unsafe behavior.
Explanation: Managers should distinguish learning-oriented reporting from reckless conduct. Reinforcing speaking up
supports learning, while fair consequences maintain accountability for intentional violations.
8. A manager sets both a quality target and a speed target for work where rushing can create defects. Why can this
be better than using speed alone?
A. Quality and speed can never conflict.
B. Multiple goals can reduce the risk that one narrow metric distorts behavior.
C. More goals always eliminate trade-offs.
D. Employees ignore goals when more than one exists.
Correct Answer: B. Multiple goals can reduce the risk that one narrow metric distorts behavior.
Explanation: Balanced goals can signal important trade-offs and prevent excessive attention to a single measure,
though priorities still need to be clear.
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS
| American Public University
1. An employee is in a generally unpleasant mood for several hours without a specific object or target. How is this
different from an emotion?
A. A mood is always more intense and shorter than an emotion.
B. A mood is typically more diffuse and less tied to a specific trigger than an emotion.
C. A mood is identical to a value.
D. A mood cannot influence judgment.
Correct Answer: B. A mood is typically more diffuse and less tied to a specific trigger than an emotion.
Explanation: Moods tend to be broader and less specifically targeted, whereas emotions are often more intense and
linked to an identifiable person, event, or object.
2. A manager wants to enrich work but the job involves strict safety procedures. Which approach is best?
A. Assume autonomy is impossible in regulated work.
B. Remove all procedures to maximize autonomy.
C. Increase discretion where safe while preserving nonnegotiable safety controls.
D. Delegate safety-critical decisions without training.
Correct Answer: C. Increase discretion where safe while preserving nonnegotiable safety controls.
Explanation: Good job design balances autonomy with task and safety requirements. Employees can often gain
discretion in planning or problem solving without weakening essential controls.
3. A company wants managers to handle layoffs as fairly as possible. Which combination is strongest?
A. Consistent criteria, meaningful voice where feasible, accurate explanations, and respectful treatment.
B. A fair process with deliberately misleading explanations.
C. Respectful language without any defensible decision process.
D. Secrecy, inconsistent standards, and abrupt communication.
Correct Answer: A. Consistent criteria, meaningful voice where feasible, accurate explanations, and respectful
treatment.
Explanation: Fairness is multidimensional. Strong practice combines defensible procedures with adequate information
and dignified treatment.
4. An organization wants to evaluate inclusion rather than only representation. Which measure would add the most
useful information?
A. Only average employee age.
B. Headcount alone.
C. Office square footage.
D. Whether employees across groups experience voice, belonging, fair access, and respect.
Correct Answer: D. Whether employees across groups experience voice, belonging, fair access, and respect.
Explanation: Representation is important but does not fully describe inclusion. Experiences of participation, fairness,
belonging, and influence help assess whether people can contribute effectively.
, 5. A leader wants to reduce social loafing on a virtual team. Which intervention is most appropriate?
A. Make individual contributions visible, keep goals meaningful, and clarify mutual accountability.
B. Remove all feedback.
C. Hide individual progress.
D. Increase team size without clarifying roles.
Correct Answer: A. Make individual contributions visible, keep goals meaningful, and clarify mutual accountability.
Explanation: Identifiability, meaningful goals, smaller accountable units, and clear interdependence can reduce
conditions that promote social loafing.
6. An employee hears informal information about a pending reorganization before any official announcement.
What communication channel is illustrated?
A. A performance appraisal.
B. Formal downward communication.
C. A job-characteristics feedback loop.
D. The organizational grapevine.
Correct Answer: D. The organizational grapevine.
Explanation: The grapevine is an informal communication network that can transmit information quickly, though
accuracy may vary.
7. A manager wants to reduce unsafe shortcuts without discouraging reporting of near misses. Which approach is
best?
A. Reward output regardless of safety practices.
B. Punish every reported mistake, including honest reports.
C. Reinforce hazard reporting while applying fair consequences to deliberate unsafe behavior.
D. Ignore both safe and unsafe behavior.
Correct Answer: C. Reinforce hazard reporting while applying fair consequences to deliberate unsafe behavior.
Explanation: Managers should distinguish learning-oriented reporting from reckless conduct. Reinforcing speaking up
supports learning, while fair consequences maintain accountability for intentional violations.
8. A manager sets both a quality target and a speed target for work where rushing can create defects. Why can this
be better than using speed alone?
A. Quality and speed can never conflict.
B. Multiple goals can reduce the risk that one narrow metric distorts behavior.
C. More goals always eliminate trade-offs.
D. Employees ignore goals when more than one exists.
Correct Answer: B. Multiple goals can reduce the risk that one narrow metric distorts behavior.
Explanation: Balanced goals can signal important trade-offs and prevent excessive attention to a single measure,
though priorities still need to be clear.
