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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

HRCI PHR Exam Questions

Page 9 of 73

161.

Janet is hiring a new cashier to work in her retail store and wants to verify the candidate's attitudes toward theft. Which of the following candidate testing options would be her best choice?

  • An integrity test

  • A polygraph test

  • A psychomotor assessment 

  • An aptitude test

Correct answer: An integrity test

An integrity test is also known as an honesty test and is used to determine a candidate's work ethic and also their feelings toward theft, drug use, and other potentially illegal activities.

162.

During Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE) conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), employers and employees are given different rights to processes and information. The intention of an HHE is to give unions and workers information about any hazards that may be present in the workplace and how to mediate the hazards. Which of the following is not something that employers have the right to during an (HHE), but is something that employees do have the right to?

  • Give NOISH information privately about the workplace privately

  • Participate in the initial NIOSH workplace inspection

  • Receive verbal reports from NIOSH during opening and closing conferences

  • Require NIOSH to conduct investigations with minimum disruption and to comply with all workplace safety and health rules

Correct answer: Give NOISH information privately about the workplace privately

Employers do not have the right to receive copies of all interim and final reports during an HHE; however, employees do have this right.

Employer rights during an HHE include:

  • Receive a copy of the request for an HHE (without identifying or personal information about the requestor)
  • Receive verbal reports from NIOSH during opening and closing conferences
  • Participate in the initial NIOSH workplace inspection
  • Observe NIOSH investigative procedures during the HHE (except for confidential interviews and medical tests)
  • Identify trade secrets disclosed to NIOSH during an HHE and require safeguarding of the information
  • Require NIOSH to conduct investigations with minimum disruption and to comply with all workplace safety and health rules

Employee rights during an HHE include:

  • Participate in the initial NIOSH workplace inspection
  • Provide information to NIOSH privately
  • Receive verbal reports from NIOSH during opening and closing conferences
  • Receive copies of all interim and final reports

163.

A manufacturing company breaks down its production process into small units of work and organizes its teams into units based on their task responsibilities. Which of the following organizational structures is this team most likely using?

  • Modular organizations

  • Virtual organizations

  • Hollow organizations

  • Flat line/horizontal structures

Correct answer: Modular organization

Modular organizational structures break work down into basic components and organize their teams by work units.

Flat line/horizontal structures are designed to allow for more collaboration and less strict boundaries around the work scope. Hollow organizations focus their headcount effort on essential competencies and functions and outsource much of the rest. Virtual organizations connect partners on work projects who each bring their own skills and expertise to get a job done.

164.

Which of the following would an organization use to develop strengths of the business, for its competitive advantage in the marketplace?

  • Strategy

  • Cost report

  • Goal

  • Objective

Correct answer: Strategy

A strategy is a high-level plan of action that evaluates the organization, its strengths, weaknesses, and threats with the ultimate goal to evaluate how to advance within the market and/or how to advance the goal of the organization. The strategy is the process by which the organizational will achieve the overall goal or mission. This is the framework that will define the decisions of the organization. A good strategy is well defined, identifies what the company does well, and details the process by which the organization will achieve the goal.

165.

If an employers offers break periods, how long can they be and still be compensable time?

  • 20 minutes or less

  • 15 minutes or less

  • 10 minutes or less

  • 5 minutes or less

Correct answer: 20 minutes or less

Under FLSA regulations, an employer that offers employees a rest break must pay them for breaks that are 20 minutes or less.

166.

If an organization wanted to outsource its entire human resources function, which of the following options could they use?

  • A BPO

  • A PPO

  • An HMO

  • An HRO

Correct answer: A BPO

When an organization decides to outsource, they are moving an entire function out to be handled by another company. Human resource outsourcers (HROs) may be used for one or more HR functions, such as benefits administration or recruiting. A business process outsourcing (BPO) provider is used by organizations that would like to outsource HR systems or the entire function. This solution can be beneficial by allowing the organization to focus on its basic business operations and potentially reduce costs. A PPO and an HMO are both terms related to insurance.

167.

Which of the following is not one of the recommended questions to be asked during the needs assessment phase of selecting a Human Resources Information System (HRIS)?

  • What is the company's social media policy?

  • What kinds of employee data reports need to be produced?

  • What kinds of security and permissions are needed to protect info while giving necessary access?

  • How is employee data currently being maintained?

Correct answer: What is the company's social media policy?

A company's social media policy may very well be housed within an HRIS, but the details of the policy are not needed at the time of an HRIS needs assessment.

During a needs assessment, companies take a look at their current state and their future state while figuring out what they need from a system to support their needs. Understanding what kinds of reporting functionality the team will need, the permissions and security levels of platforms, and how data is currently being managed to see how it could migrate onto new systems are all important questions to ask during a needs assessment.

168.

An individual who was hoping to have an influence on a new law/regulation attended an open forum. Which of the following best describes what the individual was doing?

  • Lobbying

  • Marketing

  • Strategic planning

  • Environmental scanning

Correct answer: Lobbying

This individual was taking part in a process known as lobbying. Anyone looking to influence new laws and regulations may participate in lobbying. Options available to aid in this process include joining legislative affairs committees (LACs) or contacting elected officials for guidance.  

Marketing is creating a demand for the purchase of a company's products or services and the distribution of those products and services to customers in the marketplace. It provides product research, sales staff support, and product design and pricing. 

Strategic planning is a systematic way of ensuring that qualified employees are available to the organization when needed. It includes forecasting business needs and aligning them with employees' knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) and finding ways to engage and retain the workforce.

Environmental scanning is a step in the strategic planning process which provides the framework for collecting internal and external information about the business environment to inform business decisions and help management take advantage of existing opportunities and avoid pitfalls. 

169.

Which of the following cases determined that employment tests that adversely impact protected classes are acceptable if they predict future workplace success?

  • Washington v. Davis (1976)

  • Griggs v. Duke Power (1971)

  • Albemarle Paper v. Moody (1975)

  • Taxman v. School Board of Piscataway (1996)

Correct answer: Washington v. Davis (1976)

Washington v. Davis is a Title VII case that determined employment procedures or tools are not unconstitutional just because they adversely impact a protected class as long as they predict future workplace success.

170.

The concept of respondeat superior is closely related to which of the following?

  • Vicarious liability

  • Tangible employment action

  • Defamation

  • Fraudulent misrepresentation

Correct answer: Vicarious liability

Respondeat superior is a common-law doctrine stating that an employer can be held liable for actions and behaviors of its employees. Vicarious liability is an element of the legal concept of respondeat superior which means an employer may be held accountable for the harmful actions of its employees, even if the employer is unaware of those actions.

171.

Guides, manuals, and handouts are all types of:

  • Training materials

  • Instructional methods

  • Active training methods

  • Program delivery mechanisms

Correct answer: Training materials

Training materials are created within the development phase should be appropriate to the subject matter and the needs of the participants. Some types of materials to consider include the following: guides, manuals, and handouts. These types of training materials are very beneficial to visual learns.

172.

Which of the following is not an element of intrinsic motivation?

  • Financial compensation

  • Autonomy

  • Relatedness

  • Competence

Correct answer: Financial compensation

Intrinsic motivation is the inner drive to engage in an activity because of the satisfaction, enjoyment, or psychological empowerment the activity provides. Financial compensation is an example of an extrinsic motivation.

Autonomy, relatedness, and competence are all elements of intrinsic motivation.

173.

Kristof is a manager at a sprocket production plant. One of his employees designs a revolutionary new process that will increase output while cutting costs and improving worker safety. The company wants to patent the process before it leaks out to the rest of the industry. What type of patent do they need to apply for?

  • Utility

  • Plant

  • Design

  • General Purpose

Correct answer: Utility

A patent allows inventors exclusive rights to the benefits of an invention for a defined period of time. Patent laws in the United States define three types of patents:

  1. Design patent: A design patent is limited to 14 years and protects the design of a functional item - the visual qualities.
  2. Utility patent: A utility patent is limited to 20 years and protects a new or improved product, process, or machine. This is also known as the "patent for invention" as it protects the way an item is used and works.
  3. Plant patent: A plant patent is limited to 20 years and protects people who have created or discovered new and distinct, asexually propagated plants.

174.

Which of the following best represents a characteristic of intrinsic motivation according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT)?

  • Fulfillment of basic psychological needs such as autonomy and relatedness.

  • External rewards and punishments driving behavior.

  • Performance influenced by monetary incentives.

  • Dependency on external factors for sustained engagement and effort.

Correct answer: Fulfillment of basic psychological needs such as autonomy and relatedness.

Self-Determination Theory (SDT) states that intrinsic motivation is driven by the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

The incorrect answers describe characteristics more aligned with extrinsic motivation, which relies on external rewards or pressures for motivation rather than internal psychological needs.

175.

There are several federal laws regulating voluntary benefits, particularly the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Under this law, what does the Summary Plan Description (SPD) do?

  • Provides plan members with information about the policies and other details of the plan

  • Provides plan participants with the names of companies who provide retirement services

  • Provides plan participants with identifying information of plan administrators

  • Provides beneficiaries with HIPAA claims

Correct answer: Provides plan members with information about the policies and other details of the plan

A summary plan description (SPD) provides plan members with information about the policies and other details of the plan.

176.

Which of the following best describes a reference check?

  • Reaching out to a candidate's past employers, and educational facilities in order to verify their past job performance and education history

  • Reaching out to a candidate's personal friends in order to verify the candidate participates in community service projects on the weekends

  • Reaching out to a candidate's past employers in order to verify that the candidate never called in sick

  • Reaching out to a candidate's past educational facilities in order to verify that the candidate played on the football team

Correct answer: Reaching out to a candidate's past employers, and educational facilities in order to verify their past job performance and education history

Employers must confirm candidates' prior employment, and even education, to ensure that they have the background and experience their resume or employment application indicates.

177.

Which of the following is depicted by a slow start in learning that rises as the learner grasps different facets of the task?

  • Positively accelerating learning curve

  • Negatively accelerating learning curve

  • S-shaped learning curve

  • Plateau learning curve

Correct answer: Positively accelerating learning curve

A learning curve is a visual illustration of the learning rate over time. Examples of learning curves are:

  • The positively accelerating learning curve gradually increases over time as the individual becomes competent in the process or tasks and/or spends more time in the position. This is usually the curve seen with tasks that are more complex in nature.
  • The negatively accelerating learning curve is commonly seen with routine tasks. It represents learning at the onset of a task, but then slows as time passes.
  • The S-shaped learning curve is commonly seen during transitions of systems and combination positive and negative learning curves. It begins with a slow learning process that accelerates over time, but then slows again.
  • The plateau learning curve is commonly seen with periodic or irregular tasks. This shows a quick increase in knowledge that plateaus until the next time the process or task is utilized.

Positively accelerating learning curve is correct as it is the learning curve depicted by a slow start in learning that rises as the learner grasps different facets of the task.

178.

Which performance appraisal method uses the behaviorally anchored rating scale?

  • Behavioral method

  • Comparison method

  • Narrative method

  • Rating method

Correct answer: Behavioral method

The behavioral method (BARS) uses a behaviorally anchored rating scale. This method evaluates the most important functions of the job, based on the job description, and then associates a rating with an anchored statement. 

The additional performance appraisal methods includes comparison method, rating method, and narrative method.

179.

Based on the PEST analysis and Porter's 5 Forces, which of the following is the strategic benefit of social force?

  • Increased efficiencies, risk management, and cultural perception of the brand

  • The ability to define the skill sets of future labor to establish or maintain a skilled workforce

  • Risk management, consumer and employee confidence

  • International positive brand recognition

Correct answer: Increased efficiencies, risk management, and cultural perception of the brand

The strategic benefits of each of the five forces are:

  • Political/Legal: Global positive brand recognition
  • Economic: The ability to define the skill sets of future labor to create or sustain a qualified workforce
  • Social: Increased efficiencies, risk management, cultural perception of the brand
  • Technology: Risk management, consumer and employee confidence
  • Competition: Profit, market share, customer loyalty, trust

180.

Scott is the manager on duty when a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) comes in for an OSHA inspection. When asked to present his credentials, the CSHO states that he forgot them at home today and offers Scott his driver's license as proof of identity. What is Scott's best course of action?

  • Refuse to allow the inspection to proceed until the CSHO can properly identify himself

  • Allow the inspection and make a copy of the CSHO's license and keep it on file

  • Allow the inspection and ask the CSHO to stop by tomorrow with his credentials

  • Allow the inspection; CHSOs are not required to show credentials

Correct answer: Refuse to allow the inspection to proceed until the CSHO can properly identify himself

An OSHA inspection is conducted by an individual trained in OSHA regulations and compliance standards, an individual referred to as a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO). The CSHO conducts inspections, usually unannounced, and follows a distinct procedure of an opening conference, a workplace tour, and a closing conference. During the workplace tour, the CSHO may speak to as many employees as they deem necessary to fully understand any workplace health and safety issues that may exist.

Whomever the CSHO first approaches when arriving at the work site should know, through training, who to contact upon their arrival. This person is usually a supervisor or manager charged with workplace safety. When the CSHO arrives, they should present their credentials and identification. If they do not, the employer has the right to insist on seeing them before the inspection can begin. Additionally, the employer has the right to require the inspector to hold security clearance to enter any secure areas that are to be inspected.

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