Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
Multiple Choice
1. Path–goal theory could be best described as a
a. Great person theory
b. Transformational theory
c. Motivational theory
d. Behavioral theory
2. Using the path-goal approach, expectancy theory suggests that
a. Leaders’ needs and followers’ needs overlap
b. Followers are motivated if they think completing a task will result in a valuable payoff.
c. A leader should try to help followers reach their fullest potential.
d. Followers are motivated regardless of ability.
3. In path-goal theory, the main components are ______, ______, and ________.
a. Leader style, follower characteristics, work setting
b. Supportive leadership, directive leadership, participative leadership
c. Follower characteristics, task characteristics, supportive leadership
d. Leadership, followers, task
4. The researcher who consistently studied path-goal theory from the 1970s to 1990s is
a. Bass
b. Hersey
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
c. Vroom
d. House
5. Path-goal theory is similar to the situational approach in that
a. Path-goal does not suggest leaders should be flexible
b. Path-goal does not take followers into consideration
c. Path-goal requires leaders to adapt to followers’ needs
d. Path-goal and situational both take the work setting into account
6. Motivation in path-goal theory is conceptualized using
a. Psychodynamic theory
b. Great man theory
c. Expectancy theory
d. Leader–member exchange theory
7. Leadership generates motivation by
a. Adjusting style to commitment of followers
b. Setting high expectations
c. Using only directive behaviors
d. Clarifying the path to goal accomplishment
8. Leaders adjust their behaviors based on
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
a. Follower characteristics and work-setting characteristics
b. Follower characteristics and follower productivity
c. Follower characteristics and leader characteristics
d. Follower characteristics and team prototype
9. Expectancy theory is about
a. Clearing the path for followers
b. Rewarding followers for meeting their goals
c. Establishing work group norms
d. Anticipating leaders’ needs
10. The path-goal leader adjusts to the characteristics of the follower and
a. The characteristics of the work setting
b. The characteristics of the team members
c. The prototype of the in-group members
d. The skills of the followers
11. Path-goal theory integrates into which of the following theories of leadership?
a. Leader emergence theory
b. Contingency approach
c. Expectancy theory
d. Transformational theory
12. The underlying assumption of expectancy theory is that followers will be motivated if
a. They believe their leaders are capable
b. They believe their leaders are motivated
c. They believe they are doing the right thing
d. They believe their efforts will result in a certain outcome
13. Expectancy theory, when applied in path-goal leadership says
a. Leaders need to find the right reward to motivate followers
b. Make the same rewards available to all followers
c. Leaders should show motivation in multiple ways
d. Followers are expected to motivate other followers.
14. Which researcher (s) focused on how leaders motivate followers to accomplish designated
goals.
a. Kotter
b. Fisher
c. Hersey and Blanchard
d. House
15. Which researcher (s) conceptualized motivation from the perspective of the expectancy
theory of motivation?
a. Kotter and Bennis
b. Vroom
c. Hersey and Blanchard
d. House
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
16. Which two path-goal leader behaviors are also leader behaviors in the situational approach?
a. Participative and directive
b. Supportive and authoritative
c. Supportive and directive
d. Achievement-oriented and directive
17. Which of the following leadership theories expects the leader to continually be concerned
about subordinate motivation?
a. Situational leadership theory
b. Contingency theory
c. Path-goal theory
d. Leader–member exchange theory
18. Path-goal theory is about how leaders _________ subordinates to accomplish designated
________.
a. Encourage; tasks
b. Develop; goals
c. Motivate; goals
d. Influence; tasks
19. The directive leadership behavior is similar to
a. Delegating in the SLII model
b. Initiating structure in the Ohio State studies
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
c. Consideration in the University of Michigan studies
d. Employee orientation in the University of Michigan studies
20. It is accurate to say that directive leadership
a. Attempts to make work challenging.
b. Provides performance standards.
c. Invites shared decision making.
d. Is feedback oriented.
21. Your supervisor gives you a new project. You are informed that you have exactly 1 week to
complete it and are handed an outline of what the final project should resemble. According to
path-goal theory, which behavior best describes your supervisor?
a. Supportive
b. Directive
c. Participative
d. Achievement oriented
22. Each week your supervisor holds a meeting in which he invites you and all the other
employees to give feedback regarding current projects. According to path-goal theory, which
behavior best describes your supervisor?
a. Supportive
b. Directive
c. Participative
d. Achievement oriented
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
23. What best resembles the consideration behavior construct?
a. Supportive
b. Directive
c. Participative
d. Achievement oriented
24. Challenging followers to perform work at the highest levels possible is an example of which
leadership behavior?
a. Supportive
b. Directive
c. Participative
d. Achievement oriented
25. Followers who have strong needs for affiliation prefer which type of leadership behavior?
a. Supportive
b. Directive
c. Participative
d. Achievement oriented
26. As the followers’ perception of their own ability and competence increases
a. Need for supportive leadership goes down.
b. Need for supportive leadership goes up.
c. Need for directive leadership goes up.
d. Need for directive leadership goes down.
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
27. The need for directive leadership increases when employees
a. Believe that outside circumstances control their lives.
b. Believe they are in charge of their lives.
c. Feel competent to complete their work.
d. Want to help make decisions.
28. Path-goal theory suggests that leaders should respond to dogmatic/authoritarian followers
from a
a. Directive style
b. Supportive style
c. Participative style
d. Achievement style
29. Followers with an internal locus of control believe
a. That leaders are in charge of events that occur in their lives.
b. That fate and change are in charge of events that occur in their lives.
c. That they are in charge of the events that occur in their lives.
d. That the organization is in charge of the events that occur in their lives.
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
30. House introduced new behaviors in his reformulated path-goal theory in 1996. These include
all of the following except
a. Inherent trait approach.
b. Group-oriented decision process.
c. Work facilitation.
d. Work-group representation and networking.
31. In contexts where the group norms are weak or non-supportive, leadership assists in building
__________ and ____________.
a. Rules; clarification
b. Cohesiveness; role responsibility
c. Roles; responsibility
d. Psychological structure; task clarity
32. Path-goal theory suggests that leaders should respond to autonomous group members with
unstructured tasks from a
a. Directive style.
b. Supportive style.
c. Participative style.
d. Achievement style.
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
33. Tasks that are unclear and ambiguous call for leadership input that
a. Provides structure.
b. Provides support.
c. Removes obstacles.
d. Is achievement oriented.
34. Path-goal theory suggests all of the following except
a. That task and subordinate characteristics affect leadership effectiveness.
b. That leaders should help subordinates around their difficulties by removing obstacles.
c. That subordinates with an external locus of control should be directed.
d. That leaders need confidence and articulateness.
35. With path-goal theory incorporating so many different aspects of leadership within its model,
which of the following could be argued?
a. The practical use of the theory is not valid.
b. It fails to determine the role of motivation.
c. It allows the leader to have a wider range of options as leader.
d. It is difficult to use the theory fully when trying to improve the leadership process.
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
36. Path-goal theory does not clearly show how
a. Leader behaviors affect follower motivation levels.
b. Motivation is achieved by followers.
c. Whether or not leaders can adapt behaviors to different situations.
d. The best context for supportive behaviors.
37. Path-goal theory suggests that leaders should respond to followers who need affiliation from
a(n)
a. Achievement style
b. Supportive style
c. Directive style
d. Participative style
38. Path-goal theory suggests that leaders should respond to followers who need clarity and
control from a(n)
a. Achievement style
b. Supportive style
c. Directive style
d. Participative style
39. Path-goal theory suggests that leaders should respond to followers who need to excel from
a(n)
a. Achievement style
b. Supportive style
c. Directive style
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
d. Participative style
40. Followers with external locus of control believe
a. That fate is in charge of life’s events
b. That they are in charge of life’s events
c. That interactions with others control life’s events
d. That personal relationships control life’s events
41. Manuel has a good sense of who he is and is confident that what he does and how he
responds to situations will help him achieve his goals. Manuel has
a. External locus of control
b. Need for affiliation
c. Internal locus of control
d. Authoritarian disposition
42. Susan feels that others in her organization and in her personal life have more influence over
her and her career and life path. Susan has
a. Autonomous locus of control
b. Need for affiliation
c. Internal locus of control
d. External locus of control
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
43. The new behaviors House identified in his reformulated path-goal review in 1996 have the
same essential premise as the original work which is
a. To match leader behavior to follower competence and commitment
b. To describe task and relationship behaviors
c. To identify competencies of leaders
d. To give followers what is missing in their workplace
44. Leaders who invite their followers to share in the decision-making process are using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
45. Leaders who challenge their followers to perform their very best are using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
46. Leaders who are friendly and approachable are using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
47. Leaders who give followers instructions about task accomplishment are using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
48. Your supervisor expresses concern for your well-being when he learns of the passing of your
father. He is using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
49. Your supervisor is happy with your work and expresses confidence that you will bring the
project in ahead of time and under budget. She is using
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors
50. Path-goal theory is
a. Descriptive
b. Prescriptive
c. Leader centered
d. Follower centered
51. I am doing a task I do not really understand and wish my leader would clear up my confusion
by telling me the first few steps. Which leadership style would help me the most?
a. Directive behaviors
b. Achievement behaviors
c. Supportive behaviors
d. Participative behaviors