PSM I · Scrum.org · Scrum Theory & Values · Bank updated 2026-07-03
PSM I practice questions: Scrum Theory & Values
5 free questions from 71 on this area · answer and explanation for each · no sign-up
These 5 questions come from the Scrum Theory & Values section of our PSM I bank (71 questions on this area). Every question is original, with the correct answer explained and linked to the source it is drawn from.
1/5 · Scrum Theory & Values
A newly formed Scrum Team decides to stop holding the Sprint Retrospective, reasoning, 'We get along great and don't need a meeting to discuss improvement.' They continue holding the other four events. According to the Scrum Guide (2020), what is true of this team's practice?
AIt is fine because the Guide allows teams to replace Retrospectives with informal social chats once trust is established.
BIt is acceptable as long as the Scrum Master records the decision and the team's velocity does not decline.
CIt is no longer Scrum, because Scrum's events are part of an immutable whole and dropping one means implementing only part of the framework.
DIt remains valid Scrum, since Retrospectives are an optional wellness check rather than a formal event.
Show answer & explanation
C is correct. The Sprint Retrospective is one of the five events the Scrum Guide (2020) prescribes for every Sprint. Because the Guide treats Scrum as immutable and states that implementing only parts of it is not Scrum, dropping any prescribed event — regardless of team rapport — means the team is no longer practicing Scrum as defined.
↗ The Scrum Guide (2020) — Scrum Theory & Values
2/5 · Scrum Theory & Values
A Product Owner schedules a dedicated 'release Sprint' at the end of the quarter purely to package and deploy several prior Sprints' work at once. Is this consistent with the Scrum Guide (2020)?
ANo — the Guide describes no such event; each Sprint's Increment should already be usable, though the decision of when to actually release remains a business decision.
BYes — the Guide requires a release Sprint after every third regular Sprint to consolidate Increments.
CNo — but only because the Guide instead mandates immediate release of every Increment at the end of each Sprint.
DYes — a release Sprint is required whenever multiple Increments accumulate before deployment.
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. The 2020 Guide has no concept of a release Sprint. It requires the Increment to be usable and to meet the Definition of Done, but when and whether to actually release it to users is a separate decision, often made by the Product Owner or stakeholders.
↗ The Scrum Guide (2020) — Scrum Theory & Values
3/5 · Scrum Theory & Values · hard
A stakeholder who previously worked in traditional project management tells a Scrum Master: 'Velocity must be tracked and reported to leadership every Sprint — it's one of the three required Scrum artifacts.' How should the Scrum Master respond, based strictly on the Scrum Guide (2020)?
AAgree with the stakeholder, but clarify that velocity is reported only during the Sprint Review rather than internally every Sprint.
BCorrect the stakeholder: the three Scrum artifacts are the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog, and the Increment; the Guide does not define, mention, or require velocity or any other specific progress-tracking metric.
CCorrect the framing, but explain that the Scrum Master, rather than the Developers, is accountable for calculating and reporting velocity each Sprint.
DAgree with the stakeholder, since velocity replaced the burndown chart as a required artifact when the Scrum Guide was updated in 2020.
Show answer & explanation
B is correct. The Scrum Guide (2020) defines exactly three artifacts — Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment — each with an associated commitment (Product Goal, Sprint Goal, Definition of Done), and velocity appears nowhere in the text. This is a common carryover from traditional project management, where progress metrics are mandated top-down; Scrum instead leaves such measures, if used at all, to the self-managing Scrum Team, consistent with lean thinking's focus on essentials.
↗ The Scrum Guide (2020) — Scrum Theory & Values
4/5 · Scrum Theory & Values · easy
A former project manager, new to Scrum, joins a Scrum Team as an observer during Sprint Planning. To 'keep things efficient,' the Scrum Master builds a task list on a whiteboard and personally assigns specific tasks to each Developer for the Sprint. What does the Scrum Guide say about this action?
AIt is inconsistent with Scrum because only the Product Owner, not the Scrum Master, has the authority to assign tasks to individual Developers.
BIt is consistent with Scrum because the Scrum Master is accountable for the Sprint Backlog and therefore owns how tasks within it are distributed.
CIt is inconsistent with Scrum: the Scrum Team is self-managing and internally decides who does what, when, and how, so individual Developers — not the Scrum Master — determine how work is distributed among themselves.
DIt is inconsistent with Scrum only because the Scrum Master is not permitted to speak during Sprint Planning.
Show answer & explanation
C is correct. The 2020 Scrum Guide states that the Scrum Team is self-managing, internally deciding who does what, when, and how. Assigning specific tasks to specific Developers — whether by a Scrum Master or anyone else — removes that decision from the people doing the work and is therefore an anti-pattern, regardless of intent. The fix is for the Scrum Master to coach self-management rather than direct it.
↗ The Scrum Guide (2020) — Scrum Theory & Values
5/5 · Scrum Theory & Values
An external auditor asks a Scrum Master which specific tool or template the Scrum Guide mandates for maintaining the Sprint Backlog — for example, a particular software application, a physical Kanban board, or a spreadsheet format. What is the most accurate response, based on the Scrum Guide (2020)?
AThe Guide does not mandate any particular tool or template; it only requires that the Sprint Backlog be a highly visible, real-time picture of the work the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint.
BThe Guide leaves the tool unspecified but requires the Product Owner to approve the chosen format before each Sprint begins.
CThe Guide mandates a physical, co-located board because the Daily Scrum must be held in front of the Sprint Backlog.
DThe Guide mandates a digital tool so that the Sprint Backlog can be shared with stakeholders outside the Scrum Team in real time.
Show answer & explanation
A is correct. The Scrum Guide (2020) describes required properties of the Sprint Backlog — it must be a highly visible, real-time picture of the work Developers plan to accomplish, updated throughout the Sprint — but never prescribes a specific tool, template, or physical format for holding that information. This is a deliberate omission consistent with Scrum being a minimal framework: teams choose the mechanics that work for their context.
↗ The Scrum Guide (2020) — Scrum Theory & Values
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