Nurse Leadership Practice Questions
Exam 1
1. What statement is true regarding decision making?
A) It is an analysis of a situation
B) It is closely related to evaluation
C) It involves choosing between courses of action
D) It is dependent upon finding the cause of a problem - --------- Ans: C
Feedback: Decision making is a complex cognitive process often defined as
choosing a particular course of action. Problem solving is part of decision making
and is a systematic process that focuses on analyzing a difficult situation. Critical
thinking, sometimes referred to as reflective thinking, is related to evaluation and has
a broader scope than decision making and problem solving.
2. Which is the first step in the time management process?
A. Completing the highest priority task
B. Allowing enough time for sufficient daily planning
C. Reprioritizing based on new information received
D. Delegating work that cannot be accomplished in a day - --------- Ans: B
Feedback: Daily planning is essential if the manager is to manage by efficiency
rather than by crisis. The remaining options are steps that occur after that planning.
3. Which represents the management functions that are incorporated into the
management process?
A) Planning, directing, organizing, staffing, and evaluating
B) Planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
C) Organizing, planning, staffing, directing, and evaluating
D) Organizing, staffing, planning, implementing, and controlling - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Management functions include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and
controlling. These are incorporated into what is known as the management process.
4. How do administrative managers make the majority of their decisions?
A) After gathering all the facts
B) In a manner good enough to solve the problem
C) In a rational, logical manner
D) After generating all the alternatives possible - --------- Ans: B
,Feedback:
Many managers make decisions that are just "good enough" because of lack of time,
energy, or creativity to generate a number of alternatives. This is also called
"satisficing." Most people make decisions too quickly and fail to systematically
examine a problem or its alternatives for solution.
5. Which statement depicts leadership?
A) A leadership position is assigned
B) A leadership position carries a legitimate source of power
C) Members of a group will follow a person in a leadership position only by choice
D) Leadership requires meeting organizational goals - --------- Ans: C
Feedback:
A leader is the person who guides direction, opinion, and course of action without
having an assigned position within the formal organization and so people choose to
follow them. The other options are not accurate descriptions of leadership
10. Which technique will help the manager prioritize?
A. Doing "trivial" items first to get them out of the way
B. Putting some items in the "don't do" category
C. "Breaking of" overwhelming tasks
D. "Delegating" the most important things to someone else - --------- Ans: B
Feedback: The "don't do" list contains items that will take care of themselves, are
already outdated, or are best accomplished by someone else. In the case of items
that are best done by someone else, the manager should pass these along in a
timely fashion. None of the remaining options address prioritization.
6. Gardner states that integrated leaders-managers distinguish themselves from
more traditional managers in six ways. Which is a distinguishing trait of a traditional
manager rather than an integrated leader-manager?
A) They are politically astute
B) They look outward, toward the larger organization
C) They extend influence only to their own group
D) They emphasize vision, values, and motivation - --------- Ans: C
Feedback:
Traditional managers influence those in their own groups while integrated leaders
influence others beyond their own group. The remaining options represent traits that
may be shared by both types.
7. What needs to be considered in evaluating the quality of one's decisions?
A) Is evaluation necessary when using a good decision-making model?
,B) Can evaluation be eliminated if the problem is resolved?
C) Will the effectiveness of the decision maker be supported?
D) Will the evaluation be helpful in increasing one's decision-making skills? - ---------
Ans: D
Feedback:
The evaluation phase is necessary to find out more about one's ability as a decision
maker and to find out where the decision making was faulty.
8. What concept does early leadership-theory development suggest?
A) Leadership is a process of influencing others within an organizational culture
B) The interactive relationship between the leader and the follower is significant
C) Some are born to lead, whereas others are born to be led
D) Vision and empowerment are two of the most critical leadership skills - ---------
Ans: C
Feedback:
Early leadership theorists focused on broad conceptualizations of leadership that
assumed that people have certain characteristics or personality traits that make them
better leaders than others. The remaining options do not describe a concept
suggested by early leadership-theory development.
9. Which statement concerning the role of the powerful in organizational decision
making is true?
A) They exert little influence on decisions that are made
B) They make decisions made that are in congruence with their own values
C) They allow others to make the decisions however they wish
D) They make all the important decisions with consideration to others - --------- Ans:
B
Feedback:
Not only does the preference of the powerful influence decisions of others in the
organization, but the powerful are also able to inhibit the preferences of the less
powerful. Powerful people in organizations are more likely to have decisions made
that
are congruent with their own preferences and values.
10. One of the nurses on the unit said, "Male patients have a low threshold for pain."
This is an example of what type of illogical thinking?
A) Affirming the consequences
B) Arguing from analogy
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Overgeneralizing - --------- Ans: D
Feedback:
, This type of "crooked" thinking occurs when one believes that because A has a
particular
characteristic, every other A also has the same characteristic. This kind of thinking is
exemplified when stereotypical statements are used to justify arguments and
decisions.
11. Which is a characteristic of Theory Z?
A) Non-consensus decision making
B) Fitting employees to their jobs
C) Rapid career promotions
D) Authoritative problem solving - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Characteristics of Theory Z include fitting employees to their jobs, consensus
decision making, job security, slower promotions, examining the long-term
consequences of management decision making, quality circles, guarantee of lifetime
employment, establishment of strong bonds of responsibility between superiors and
subordinates, and a holistic concern for the workers.
12. What effect of organizational power on decision making is often reflected in the
tendency of staff?
A) Making decisions independent of organizational values
B) Not trusting others to decide
C) Desiring personal power
D) Having private beliefs that are separate from corporate ones - --------- Ans: D
Feedback:
The ability of the powerful to influence individual decision making in an organization
often requires adopting a private personality and an organizational personality.
13. What type of leader is the person who is committed, has a vision, and is able to
empower others with this vision?
A) Transactional
B) Transformational
C) Interactional
D) Bureaucratic - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Transformational leadership positively impacts the leader and the follower, who have
a collective purpose. The traditional manager, concerned with the day-to-day
operations, was termed a transactional leader. The remaining options are not
associated with these characteristics.
14. How many primary leadership styles have been identified?
Exam 1
1. What statement is true regarding decision making?
A) It is an analysis of a situation
B) It is closely related to evaluation
C) It involves choosing between courses of action
D) It is dependent upon finding the cause of a problem - --------- Ans: C
Feedback: Decision making is a complex cognitive process often defined as
choosing a particular course of action. Problem solving is part of decision making
and is a systematic process that focuses on analyzing a difficult situation. Critical
thinking, sometimes referred to as reflective thinking, is related to evaluation and has
a broader scope than decision making and problem solving.
2. Which is the first step in the time management process?
A. Completing the highest priority task
B. Allowing enough time for sufficient daily planning
C. Reprioritizing based on new information received
D. Delegating work that cannot be accomplished in a day - --------- Ans: B
Feedback: Daily planning is essential if the manager is to manage by efficiency
rather than by crisis. The remaining options are steps that occur after that planning.
3. Which represents the management functions that are incorporated into the
management process?
A) Planning, directing, organizing, staffing, and evaluating
B) Planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling
C) Organizing, planning, staffing, directing, and evaluating
D) Organizing, staffing, planning, implementing, and controlling - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Management functions include planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and
controlling. These are incorporated into what is known as the management process.
4. How do administrative managers make the majority of their decisions?
A) After gathering all the facts
B) In a manner good enough to solve the problem
C) In a rational, logical manner
D) After generating all the alternatives possible - --------- Ans: B
,Feedback:
Many managers make decisions that are just "good enough" because of lack of time,
energy, or creativity to generate a number of alternatives. This is also called
"satisficing." Most people make decisions too quickly and fail to systematically
examine a problem or its alternatives for solution.
5. Which statement depicts leadership?
A) A leadership position is assigned
B) A leadership position carries a legitimate source of power
C) Members of a group will follow a person in a leadership position only by choice
D) Leadership requires meeting organizational goals - --------- Ans: C
Feedback:
A leader is the person who guides direction, opinion, and course of action without
having an assigned position within the formal organization and so people choose to
follow them. The other options are not accurate descriptions of leadership
10. Which technique will help the manager prioritize?
A. Doing "trivial" items first to get them out of the way
B. Putting some items in the "don't do" category
C. "Breaking of" overwhelming tasks
D. "Delegating" the most important things to someone else - --------- Ans: B
Feedback: The "don't do" list contains items that will take care of themselves, are
already outdated, or are best accomplished by someone else. In the case of items
that are best done by someone else, the manager should pass these along in a
timely fashion. None of the remaining options address prioritization.
6. Gardner states that integrated leaders-managers distinguish themselves from
more traditional managers in six ways. Which is a distinguishing trait of a traditional
manager rather than an integrated leader-manager?
A) They are politically astute
B) They look outward, toward the larger organization
C) They extend influence only to their own group
D) They emphasize vision, values, and motivation - --------- Ans: C
Feedback:
Traditional managers influence those in their own groups while integrated leaders
influence others beyond their own group. The remaining options represent traits that
may be shared by both types.
7. What needs to be considered in evaluating the quality of one's decisions?
A) Is evaluation necessary when using a good decision-making model?
,B) Can evaluation be eliminated if the problem is resolved?
C) Will the effectiveness of the decision maker be supported?
D) Will the evaluation be helpful in increasing one's decision-making skills? - ---------
Ans: D
Feedback:
The evaluation phase is necessary to find out more about one's ability as a decision
maker and to find out where the decision making was faulty.
8. What concept does early leadership-theory development suggest?
A) Leadership is a process of influencing others within an organizational culture
B) The interactive relationship between the leader and the follower is significant
C) Some are born to lead, whereas others are born to be led
D) Vision and empowerment are two of the most critical leadership skills - ---------
Ans: C
Feedback:
Early leadership theorists focused on broad conceptualizations of leadership that
assumed that people have certain characteristics or personality traits that make them
better leaders than others. The remaining options do not describe a concept
suggested by early leadership-theory development.
9. Which statement concerning the role of the powerful in organizational decision
making is true?
A) They exert little influence on decisions that are made
B) They make decisions made that are in congruence with their own values
C) They allow others to make the decisions however they wish
D) They make all the important decisions with consideration to others - --------- Ans:
B
Feedback:
Not only does the preference of the powerful influence decisions of others in the
organization, but the powerful are also able to inhibit the preferences of the less
powerful. Powerful people in organizations are more likely to have decisions made
that
are congruent with their own preferences and values.
10. One of the nurses on the unit said, "Male patients have a low threshold for pain."
This is an example of what type of illogical thinking?
A) Affirming the consequences
B) Arguing from analogy
C) Deductive reasoning
D) Overgeneralizing - --------- Ans: D
Feedback:
, This type of "crooked" thinking occurs when one believes that because A has a
particular
characteristic, every other A also has the same characteristic. This kind of thinking is
exemplified when stereotypical statements are used to justify arguments and
decisions.
11. Which is a characteristic of Theory Z?
A) Non-consensus decision making
B) Fitting employees to their jobs
C) Rapid career promotions
D) Authoritative problem solving - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Characteristics of Theory Z include fitting employees to their jobs, consensus
decision making, job security, slower promotions, examining the long-term
consequences of management decision making, quality circles, guarantee of lifetime
employment, establishment of strong bonds of responsibility between superiors and
subordinates, and a holistic concern for the workers.
12. What effect of organizational power on decision making is often reflected in the
tendency of staff?
A) Making decisions independent of organizational values
B) Not trusting others to decide
C) Desiring personal power
D) Having private beliefs that are separate from corporate ones - --------- Ans: D
Feedback:
The ability of the powerful to influence individual decision making in an organization
often requires adopting a private personality and an organizational personality.
13. What type of leader is the person who is committed, has a vision, and is able to
empower others with this vision?
A) Transactional
B) Transformational
C) Interactional
D) Bureaucratic - --------- Ans: B
Feedback:
Transformational leadership positively impacts the leader and the follower, who have
a collective purpose. The traditional manager, concerned with the day-to-day
operations, was termed a transactional leader. The remaining options are not
associated with these characteristics.
14. How many primary leadership styles have been identified?
