CONFIDENTIAL
UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR
BUSINESS SCHOOL
FINAL EXAMINATION
JANUARY 2021 SEMESTER
COURSE CODE
:
EIB 10703
COURSE NAME
:
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING
PROGRAMME NAME
:
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HONS)
MANAGEMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (HONS)
MARKETING
TIME / DURATION
:
3 HOURS
DATE
:
26th JUNE 2021
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
. Please read the instructions given in the question paper CAREFULLY.
2. This question paper is printed on both sides of the paper.
3. This question paper consists of TWO (2) sections; Section A and section B.
4. Answer ALL questions.
5. Please write your answers on the format given.
6. All assessment questions must be answered in English (any other language is not allowed).
7. This assessment answer paper must be submitted via email to email address
syarifah.nur@t.unikl.edu.my latest at or before 12.00 pm on 26th June 2021.
THERE ARE FIFTEEN (14) PAGES OF QUESTIONS, INCLUDING THIS PAGE.
CONFIDENTIAL
SECTION A: (50 MARKS)
INSTRUCTION: Please answer ALL questions by selecting only one answer.
1. The Checklist technique is utilised when you simply need to ask a series of question
to spur ideation. The following are various lists you can use EXCEPT:
(a) Why, When, Who, What, Where, How
(b) Adapt, Minimize, Modify, Rearrange, Substitute
(c) Imagine, Create, Adapt, Innovate
(d) Add/subtract, Vary shape, Change colour, Change size
2. ___________ is a good technique for ensuring that all possible aspects of a problem
have been examined. It involves breaking the problem down into smaller and smaller
bits, and seeing what can be discovered as a result.
(a) Checklist
(b) Attribute Listing
(c) Morphological Analysis
(d) Force-Fit Triggers
3. Which of the techniques uses the process below?
• List the dimensions of the product or problem
• Generate a list of attributes under the each one of the dimensions
• Take combinations of attributes as stimuli for new ideas
(a) Checklist
(b) Attribute Listing
(c) Morphological Analysis
(d) Force-Fit Triggers
4. Virtual Paradigm Sdn. Bhd. is facing some problems with interdepartmental
communications. The management decided to undertake some creative problem
solving exercises to overcome this problem. A group was put together and was shown
three images. They were asked to call out in turn the first thing that comes to mind
when they think of the images.
What technique did the company employ?
(a) Checklist
(b) Attribute Listing
(c) Morphological Analysis
(d) Force-Fit Triggers
CONFIDENTIAL
5. Peacock Hotel is looking to improve its customer services. A few staff members were
recruited in a creative problem solving exercise. The leader asked the group to list all
the attributes of a hotel. Then the leader asked them to list all the attributes of a
hospital. The leader then combined the attributes of each list as stimuli for new ideas.
Next, they generated ideas based upon the stimuli provided.
What technique did the group use?
(a) Sequence Attribute Modification Matrix
(b) Attribute Listing
(c) Heuristic Ideation Technique
(d) Morphological Analysis
6. What are the rules of brainstorming?
i. Evaluate later
ii. Go for quantity
iii. Encourage wild ideas
iv. Build on other ideas
(a) i, ii & iii
(b) i, iii & iv
(c) ii, iii & iv
(d) All of the above
7. One of the rules of brainstorming is ‘go for quantity’. It encourages the generation of
large quantity of ideas. What are the two dimensions involved?
(a) Flexibility & Fluency
(b) Minimise & Maximise
(c) Adapt & Create
(d) Fantasy & Practical
8. The following is the process of brainstorming. Fill in the blank.
i. State the problem
ii. Redefine the problem in terms of ‘____________’
iii. Identify one or two relevant redefinitions
iv. Generate ideas for each redefinition
v. Select the most appropriate ideas
(a) How to
(b) When can
(c) Why must
(d) Who will
CONFIDENTIAL
9. The following are variants of brainstorming EXCEPT:
(a) Wildest Idea
(b) Stop and Go
(c) Circle Colin
(d) Gordon-Little
10. Which of the brainstorming variants use this process?
• Problem introduced in abstract form
• In the course of ideation leader brings in key pieces of information regarding the
problem. Problem made progressively less abstract.
• Leader reveals original problem to the group
• Using previously generated ideas for the abstract form as stimuli , group generates
specific ideas for the original problem
(a) Wildest Idea
(b) Stop and Go
(c) Trigger Method
(d) Gordon-Little
11. What are the disadvantages of brainstorming?
i. Assumption that any discussion of ideas is automatically brainstorming.
ii. Every idea needs to be criticized immediately
iii. Suited to conceptually simple problems
iv. Relies on random association
(a) i, ii & iii
(b) ii, iii & iv
(c) i, iii & iv
(d) All of the above
12. ___________ is brainstorming over the Internet. It refers to live, real-time, online
sessions, incorporating special techniques, and focused on generating ideas for
solving specific problems.
(a) Brainlining
(b) Brainwriting
(c) Brainstreaming
(d) Brainnetting
13. Which of these is FALSE about lateral thinking?
(a) It is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via
reasoning that is not immediately obvious.
(b) It is not just one technique but a number of different ways of opening oneself to
creative thinking and problem solving.
(c) The point of lateral thinking is that many problems require a different perspective
to be taken in order to solve them successfully.
(d) It involves ideas that are obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic.
CONFIDENTIAL
14. Lateral thinking can be categorized under the headings of:
(a) awareness, alternatives and provocative methods
(b) convergent, divergent and alternatives methods
(c) awareness, alternatives and perspective methods
(d) laddering, boundary and progressive methods
15. Awareness is one of the major activities of lateral thinking. It concerns the redefinition
and clarification of current ideas. Polarizing tendencies is one of the five perspectives
to examine current ideas. It is classified as:
(a) how is the problem being viewed
(b) unjustified assumptions
(c) two viewpoints that can polarise the situation in to an either/or situation, reducing
possible solutions.
(d) boundaries that limit the amount of room available to solve a problem
16. We need to be aware of the assumptions we are making when we are looking
for solutions to problems since the assumptions will limit the number of possible
solutions that we can consider The two techniques of assumption are:
(a) Assumption identification and assumption reversal
(b) Assumption smashing and assumption reversal
(c) Assumption smashing and assumption pursuance
(d) Assumption hits and assumption rewind
17. The following are techniques under the provocative method EXCEPT
(a) Cross-fertilization
(b) Analogy
(c) Po
(d) Random Stimulus
18. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the discontinuity principles?
(a) Repetitive actions can stimulate creative thinking
(b) Thought patterns can be disrupted to create the greatest stimulus to your thinking.
(c) Two viewpoints that can polarise the situation in to an either/or situation, reducing
possible solutions
(d) Listening to the same radio station is one of the activities of discontinuity principles
CONFIDENTIAL
19. _________method was created by de Bono as a way to ‘try on’ different viewpoints.
This involves people working on a problem in a group and each member of the group
adopting a different viewpoint or modes of thinking about the problem. Each item is a
different colour and represents a different type of thinking.
(a) Six honest serving men
(b) Six thinking hats
(c) Seven analysing caps
(d) Seven thinking hats
20. Which of the following statements is TRUE about Synectics?
(a) Make the normal seem familiar and to make the familiar normal
(b) It is the process of combining unrelated factors to allow problem solvers to view a
problem from a different perspective
(c) It looks for ways of solving problems using provocation methods
(d) It uses logical thinking in describing a problem
21. Which of the following analogies are used in Synectics?
i. Personal analogy
ii. Direct analogy
iii. Systematic analogy
iv. Fantasy analogy
(a) i, ii & iii
(b) ii, iii & iv
(c) i, ii & iv
(d) All of the above
22. The following steps are used in which analogy?
• Describe the object by listing its basic characteristics
• Describe the emotions the object might have in a given situation
• Describe how someone feels when using the object
• Describe what it feels like to be the given object
(a) Personal analogy
(b) Direct analogy
(c) Systematic analogy
(d) Fantasy analogy
23. One of the analogies used in Synectics is Fantasy Analogy. It is usually prefaced by
the question ‘how do we IOWF’. What does IOWF stand for?
(a) In Our Wildest Fantasy
(b) In Our Wicked Fantasy
(c) If One Will Fantasize
(d) In One Weird Fantasy
CONFIDENTIAL
24. Computer Inc was looking for capital to invest in some risky ventures. The
management decided to set up a team of staff to undertake a creative problem solving
exercise to generate some ideas on how to encourage investors. During the process,
the team was asked to generate a weird story unrelated to the problem.
What Synectics method did the team employ?
(a) Brainstorming Method
(b) Fantasy Excursion Method
(c) Provocative Excursion Method
(d) Example Excursion Method
25. Paradigm-breaking techniques are used in the idea finding stage. The following are
the various approaches EXCEPT:
(a) Visualizing
(b) Symbolic representation
(c) Rich pictures
(d) Storyboarding
26. _________ requires one to visualize a perfect future. Its aim is to make it possible for
users of the technique to alter their perspectives on a problem and to establish goals
for themselves that should be achievable
