Chapter 6
EMPLOYMENT TESTS
Test Bank Questions, 5e
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Which of the following statements is most correct about the legality of drug testing?
a. drug testing will usually be upheld, provided that the employer had reasonable
grounds for suspecting that the individual employee was under the influence of
drugs
b. drug testing will usually not be upheld if it is legally challenged
c. drug testing will be upheld for private sector employees, but not for public
employees
d. drug testing will usually be upheld, but random testing procedures are the most
susceptible to challenge
2. Drug testing may include samples of all of the following EXCEPT:
a. blood
b. saliva
c. hair
d. fingernails
3. The Drug Free Workplace Act requires that:
a. employees must be drug tested at the time of hire and whenever there is
reasonable suspicion of drug use in the workplace
b. employers must develop and communicate polices prohibiting drug use,
possession, or sale in the workplace
c. employers must terminate all employees who are found more than once to be
using drugs in the workplace
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
4. Which of the following is considered a medical exam under the ADA?
a. drug test for illegal substances
b. genetic test
c. physical fitness/agility test
d. vision tests for ability to read or recognize objects
e. none of the above
5. Which of the following is true regarding medical exams under the ADA?
a. all medical exams must be voluntary
b. medical exams conducted following conditional offers of employment may see
medical information that is not job-related
c. only if an employee’s condition makes him a direct threat to himself or others can
he be denied an employment opportunity based on a medical exam
d. people who are disabled or look disabled may be singled out to receive medical
exams based on their condition
e. none of the above
6. An initial drug tests which reads positive will likely lead to:
a. a confirmatory test
b. a chance for the employee to explain the results
c. an offer to participate in a substance abuse program, if appropriate
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
7. About half of the states have drug testing laws, some of which:
a. prohibit blood testing
b. require testing of certain employees, or under certain conditions
c. regulate more fully random drug testing
d. all of these
e. all of these except a
8. Employers must show that a scored test is job related and consistent with business
necessity:
a. only if the test is having discriminatory effects
b. any time that a test is used
c. only if content validity cannot be established
d. none of the above
9. To determine if a scored test is having discriminatory effects:
a. see if the number of women and persons of color hired is at least four-fifth’s of
the number of white males hired
b. see if the proportion of women and persons of color hired is roughly equal to the
proportion of women and persons of color in the relevant labor market
c. compare the pass rates for different protected class groups and see if the pass rate
for any group is less than four-fifths of the pass rate for the most successful group
d. compare the number of persons from different protected class groups that pass the
test and see if the number of persons passing for any group is less than four-fifth’s
of the number for the most successful group
e. examine the individual test questions looking for evidence of bias
10. Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Employee Polygraph Protection Act?
a. it applies to voice stress analyzers, mechanical and electronic truth determining
devices as well as polygraphs
b. it only applies to private sector employers but not to governmental agencies
c. it prohibits the use of polygraphs by private sector employers for any reason
d. it does not apply to, or prohibit, pencil and paper honesty tests
11. Content validation studies:
a. examine whether behaviors and skills tested closely represent behaviors and skills
used on the job
b. examine test items to ensure that they measure what they purport to measure and
do not include irrelevant or biased questions
c. demonstrate a statistical association between test performance and job
performance
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
12. In Lanning v. SEPTA, female applicants for transit police jobs failed the physical fitness
test at a much higher rate than male applicants and were rarely hired. The major
conclusion to be drawn from this case is that______:
a. employers should reasonably accommodate women when conducting physical
fitness tests
b. if physical fitness tests are professionally developed, they will usually not produce
discriminatory effects
c. cut-off scores on physical fitness tests should reflect the minimum level of
physical ability needed to successfully perform the job
d. employers must not establish different cut-off scores for men and women on
physical fitness tests
e. none of the above
13. A criterion validation study must:
a. be based on a thorough job analysis
b. include a representative sample
c. demonstrate a statistical association between test performance and job
performance
d. all of the above
e. none of the above
14. Regarding drug tests:
a. the employer must perform a second confirmatory test if requested by the
employee
b. the employer must allow the employee access to samples so that the employee can
have her own test done
c. a and b
d. none of the above; if the test is done by an independent certified laboratory and
there is no evidence that the test was compromised or invalid, the original test is
all that needs to be done
15. For union employers, drug testing is:
a. prohibited
b. permitted only under certain conditions
c. a subject of mandatory bargaining
d. none of these
16. Drug testing laws, both state and federal, require that:
a. employers use due care in conducting tests and handling samples
b. employers refrain from drug testing unless required by law
c. employers routinely drug test all employees
d. none of these
17. You have just concluded an employment interview with an applicant you like, who is
qualified for the inside sales job you have been interviewing for, and have made a
conditional offer of employment. You tell the applicant that you want her to take a
medical exam, and if she passes, she has the job. She is at first obviously happy and
seemingly relieved, but then breaks down in tears. She tells you that a medical will show
that she is HIV positive. What should you do?
a. Tell her not to worry, and that if she otherwise passes the medical exam, she has
the job
b. Tell her that you’re sorry to hear about her affliction, and obviously, you cannot
hire her
c. Report her to the County Health authorities
d. none of these
18. You are the HR Manager of your firm, and you pride yourself on being up to date with
legal requirements, and on the cutting edge of your field. You’ve just gotten a mailer
about a new test kit which would perform genetic testing by pricking a finger, dripping
the blood sample onto a tab, and mailing it in to a lab. You think how this could be
applied to your employees and applicants, and what you might be able to save on health
insurance costs. What should you do?
a. Order a gross of the genetic testing kits as soon as possible.
b. Call the company attorney to ask how you could test the entire staff without their
knowledge
c. Throw the mailer in the trash; it’s use in this context would be illegal
d. none of these
19. Your firm’s lunchroom has been a congenial gathering place for employees while they
are taking their lunch breaks, but lately, lunches that employees have brought from home
and put into the refrigerator in the morning have disappeared by lunch time. This has
happened several times, and the employees have now started to accuse one another of
stealing lunches. Morale has fallen, and you must do something. Of the following,
which is your best option?
a. conduct polygraph tests of all of the employees
b. conduct polygraph tests of all employees who use the lunchroom
c. install a video camera, and train it on the refrigerator in the lunchroom
d. prohibit use of the refrigerator by anyone
20. You are in the process of revising your pre-employment tests, as your current test is out
of date, and may have discriminatory effects. A new company offering a pre-employment
test has given you a sample of their test, which they tell you has had great success in
screening to acquire only honest employees. Applicants are to agree or disagree with
several statements, including this one: “I believe God wants us to conduct ourselves with
honesty in all things, including at work.” Which of the following statements is most
correct?
a. The test will have no discriminatory effect, and will successfully screen for honest
employees
b. The test may have a discriminatory effect, and should not be used
c. You should wait to see how the test performs for other companies, so that you can
decide whether or not to adopt it
d. none of these
ESSAY QUESTIONS
1. Why is each of the following good legal advice?
a. Supervisors should be well-trained at identifying signs of drug use and impairment.
b. Information about medications taken should be sought only after positive drug test results
occur.
c. Drug testing programs should require confirmatory tests to verify positive results, provide
for documentation of the chain of custody, use reputable labs and monitor their
performance, and use a Medical Review Officer.
d. Employers should have evidence of validity for all of their tests, but must do so for tests
that have discriminatory effects.
e. Content validity tests should be used to the extent feasible, but not to assess intangible
characteristics and not for tasks that could readily be learned on the job.
2. Non-medical tests used for making employment selection decisions must be scored in
some way. Name and discuss the various legal and illegal methods that employers
utilize.
