APHR Practice Test With Answers
Reviewed
360-degree Feedback System: - ANSWER-A special case of upward feedback. In 360-
degree feedback systems, employees' behaviors or skills are evaluated not only by
subordinates but by peers, customers, their bosses, and themselves. The raters
complete a questionnaire asking them to rate the person on a number of different
dimensions
A function of employee relations is: - ANSWER-Relocation and outplacement services
Acceptability: - ANSWER-Refers to whether the people who use a performance
measure accept it. Many elaborate performance measures are extremely valid and
reliable, but they consume so much of managers' time that they refuse to use it.
Alternatively, those being evaluated by a measure may not accept it
Agency Shops: - ANSWER-Similar to a union shop but does not require union
membership, only that dues be paid
Alternative Dispute Resolution: - ANSWER-Techniques that show promise in resolving
disputes in a timely, constructive, cost-effective manner. Alternative dispute resolution
can take on many different forms, but in general, ADR proceeds through the four stages
An organization has one HR staff person for every ____ employees - ANSWER-100
Behavior Modeling: - ANSWER-In the workplace, a component of social learning theory,
is the act of showing employees how to do something and guiding them through the
process of imitating the modeled behavior.
Benchmarking: - ANSWER-Procedure in which an organization compares its own
practices against those of the competition
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ): - ANSWER-Quality or an attribute that
employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of
employees - a quality that when considered in other contexts would constitute
discrimination and thus be in violation of civil rights employment law. Such qualifications
must be listed in the employment offering.
Necessary, rather than preferred, characteristic of the job
,Broad Banding: - ANSWER-When an organization reduces the number of levels (pay
grades) in its job structure by combining some of its pay grades
Cafeteria-Style Plans: - ANSWER-Benefit plans that permit employees to choose the
types and amounts of benefits they want
Central tendency rating error: - ANSWER-Rater gives middle or average ratings to all
employees despite their performance
Civil Rights Act of 1866: - ANSWER-Granted citizenship and the same rights enjoyed by
white citizens to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race or
color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude."
Closed Shops: - ANSWER-Must be a due paying member of a union before you can be
hired into the position. This is ILLEGAL
Coaching: - ANSWER-Peer or manager who works with an employee to motivate him,
help him develop skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback. There are three roles
that a coach can play.
Part of coaching may be one-on-one with an employee (such as giving feedback).
Another role is to help employees learn for themselves. This involves helping them find
experts who can assist them with their concerns and teaching them how to obtain
feedback from others.
Third, coaching may involve providing resources such as mentors, courses, or job
experiences that the employee may not be able to gain access to without the coach's
help
Cognitive Ability Tests: - ANSWER-Differentiate individuals based on their mental rather
than physical capacities. Cognitive ability has many different facets, although we will
focus only on three dominant ones.
Verbal comprehension refers to a person's capacity to understand and use written and
spoken language.
Quantitative ability concerns the speed and accuracy with which one can solve
arithmetic problems of all kinds.
Reasoning ability, a broader concept, refers to a person's capacity to invent solutions to
many diverse problems.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA): - ANSWER-The 1985 act
that requires employers to permit employees to extend their health insurance coverage
at group rates for up to 36 months following a qualifying event, such as a layoff.
, Contrast rating error: - ANSWER-Ratings influenced by comparison between individuals
instead of an objective standard
Example: Employee receives lower than deserved rating because he/she is compared
to outstanding peers
Defined Benefit Plan: - ANSWER-Guarantees a specified level of retirement income.
Definition of Development - ANSWER-Is more long term in nature.
Often includes education in philosophical and theoretical concepts
Aimed at developing relationships, often for the purposes of improving leadership skills
More general and non-tangible than specific
Definition of Training - ANSWER-Training is usually a short term process.
Training usually requires guidance (or instruction) in a series of steps to gain a skill, or
set of predictable knowledge.
Often for non-leadership related activities.
Aimed at a specific task or job role.
Disparate Impact - ANSWER-Practices in employment, housing, and other areas that
adversely affect one group of people of a protected characteristic more than another,
even though rules applied by employers or landlords are formally neutral.
Unintentional discrimination
Example: Black applicants are being disproportionately rejected relative to whites by a
paper-and-pencil test
Disparate Treatment - ANSWER-An employee who makes a disparate treatment claim
alleges that he or she was treated differently than other employees who were similarly
situated, and that the difference was based on a protected characteristic.
Intentional discrimination
Example: A woman with school-aged children is rejected on the assumption that she will
frequently be absent from work
Reviewed
360-degree Feedback System: - ANSWER-A special case of upward feedback. In 360-
degree feedback systems, employees' behaviors or skills are evaluated not only by
subordinates but by peers, customers, their bosses, and themselves. The raters
complete a questionnaire asking them to rate the person on a number of different
dimensions
A function of employee relations is: - ANSWER-Relocation and outplacement services
Acceptability: - ANSWER-Refers to whether the people who use a performance
measure accept it. Many elaborate performance measures are extremely valid and
reliable, but they consume so much of managers' time that they refuse to use it.
Alternatively, those being evaluated by a measure may not accept it
Agency Shops: - ANSWER-Similar to a union shop but does not require union
membership, only that dues be paid
Alternative Dispute Resolution: - ANSWER-Techniques that show promise in resolving
disputes in a timely, constructive, cost-effective manner. Alternative dispute resolution
can take on many different forms, but in general, ADR proceeds through the four stages
An organization has one HR staff person for every ____ employees - ANSWER-100
Behavior Modeling: - ANSWER-In the workplace, a component of social learning theory,
is the act of showing employees how to do something and guiding them through the
process of imitating the modeled behavior.
Benchmarking: - ANSWER-Procedure in which an organization compares its own
practices against those of the competition
Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ): - ANSWER-Quality or an attribute that
employers are allowed to consider when making decisions on the hiring and retention of
employees - a quality that when considered in other contexts would constitute
discrimination and thus be in violation of civil rights employment law. Such qualifications
must be listed in the employment offering.
Necessary, rather than preferred, characteristic of the job
,Broad Banding: - ANSWER-When an organization reduces the number of levels (pay
grades) in its job structure by combining some of its pay grades
Cafeteria-Style Plans: - ANSWER-Benefit plans that permit employees to choose the
types and amounts of benefits they want
Central tendency rating error: - ANSWER-Rater gives middle or average ratings to all
employees despite their performance
Civil Rights Act of 1866: - ANSWER-Granted citizenship and the same rights enjoyed by
white citizens to all male persons in the United States "without distinction of race or
color, or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude."
Closed Shops: - ANSWER-Must be a due paying member of a union before you can be
hired into the position. This is ILLEGAL
Coaching: - ANSWER-Peer or manager who works with an employee to motivate him,
help him develop skills, and provide reinforcement and feedback. There are three roles
that a coach can play.
Part of coaching may be one-on-one with an employee (such as giving feedback).
Another role is to help employees learn for themselves. This involves helping them find
experts who can assist them with their concerns and teaching them how to obtain
feedback from others.
Third, coaching may involve providing resources such as mentors, courses, or job
experiences that the employee may not be able to gain access to without the coach's
help
Cognitive Ability Tests: - ANSWER-Differentiate individuals based on their mental rather
than physical capacities. Cognitive ability has many different facets, although we will
focus only on three dominant ones.
Verbal comprehension refers to a person's capacity to understand and use written and
spoken language.
Quantitative ability concerns the speed and accuracy with which one can solve
arithmetic problems of all kinds.
Reasoning ability, a broader concept, refers to a person's capacity to invent solutions to
many diverse problems.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA): - ANSWER-The 1985 act
that requires employers to permit employees to extend their health insurance coverage
at group rates for up to 36 months following a qualifying event, such as a layoff.
, Contrast rating error: - ANSWER-Ratings influenced by comparison between individuals
instead of an objective standard
Example: Employee receives lower than deserved rating because he/she is compared
to outstanding peers
Defined Benefit Plan: - ANSWER-Guarantees a specified level of retirement income.
Definition of Development - ANSWER-Is more long term in nature.
Often includes education in philosophical and theoretical concepts
Aimed at developing relationships, often for the purposes of improving leadership skills
More general and non-tangible than specific
Definition of Training - ANSWER-Training is usually a short term process.
Training usually requires guidance (or instruction) in a series of steps to gain a skill, or
set of predictable knowledge.
Often for non-leadership related activities.
Aimed at a specific task or job role.
Disparate Impact - ANSWER-Practices in employment, housing, and other areas that
adversely affect one group of people of a protected characteristic more than another,
even though rules applied by employers or landlords are formally neutral.
Unintentional discrimination
Example: Black applicants are being disproportionately rejected relative to whites by a
paper-and-pencil test
Disparate Treatment - ANSWER-An employee who makes a disparate treatment claim
alleges that he or she was treated differently than other employees who were similarly
situated, and that the difference was based on a protected characteristic.
Intentional discrimination
Example: A woman with school-aged children is rejected on the assumption that she will
frequently be absent from work
