Organizational Behavior, 18e (Robbins)
Chapter 5 Personality and Values
1) Which of the following is true about how we speak of peoples’ personalities?
A) We tend to use the same small set of adjectives to describe how people act.
B) A recent survey revealed a succinct set of 112 adjectives to describe people they know.
C) We tend to use many adjectives to describe how people act and seem to think.
D) A recent survey revealed just 211 adjectives to describe people they know.
E) We tend to describe personality traits using approximately 55 adjectives.
2) Which of the following is true about personality assessments used in organizations?
A) Personality assessments are used by approximately 10 percent of all large U.S. companies.
B) Personality assessments have been decreasingly used in diverse organizational settings.
C) Personality assessments have been increasingly used in diverse organizational settings.
D) Personality assessments have become increasingly expensive and thus, have slightly lost
favor.
E) Personality assessments are used by approximately 25 percent of all large U.S. companies.
3) ________ is the sum of ways in which an individual reacts to and interacts with others.
A) Talent
B) Skill
C) Knowledge
D) Heredity
E) Personality
2
4) Esther Lugo has gone for an interview at an advertising firm in Manhattan and has been asked
to complete a self-report survey to help interviewers understand if she is the right candidate for
the job. From the interview, they have found that she is extroverted, empathic, scrupulous, and
cooperative in nature, which are key characteristics needed for the job. These characteristics
about Lugo indicate her ________.
A) talent
B) skill
C) knowledge
D) genealogy
E) personality
5) Which of the following is the most common means of measuring personality?
A) in-depth interviews
B) self-report surveys
C) career portfolio
D) reference interviews
E) stress interviews
6) Which of the following is a drawback of self-report surveys?
A) They can hold only a limited number of questions.
B) They involve a large number of people in the evaluation process.
C) They may have biased results if the surveyor’s judgment is biased.
D) They comprise a large number of complex statistical data.
E) They may result in the respondent rating themselves better to create a good impression.
7) In ________, a co-worker or another observer does an independent assessment of personality.
3
A) observer-ratings surveys
B) paid surveys
C) knowledge surveys
D) deviation surveys
E) cadastral surveys
8) Tracy Winter works at a publishing firm in London and recently received an e-mail from the
human resource department of her company asking her to study the behavior of a colleague,
Cindy Camp, including her attention toward her work. Winter now needs to scrutinize Camp’s
behavior and notice if she is free from distractions and pays sufficient attention to her tasks.
Which of the following is Winter conducting?
A) observer-ratings survey
B) informational interview
C) knowledge survey
D) participant observation
E) focus group survey
9) Which of the following terms refers to factors such as one’s biological, physiological, and
inherent psychological makeup determined at conception?
A) social identity
B) heredity
C) behavioral contagion
D) self-concordance
E) social loafing
10) Which of the following statements is true about personality?
4
A) Personality is free from the influence of the environment.
B) Personality remains constant over time.
C) Personality can be measured solely through personal interviews.
D) Personality is influenced by hereditary factors.
E) Parents highly influence the development of their offspring’s personality.
11) Which of the following does the heredity approach state?
A) An individual’s personality is determined by the social background one is brought up in.
B) An individual’s personality is determined by molecular structure of the genes.
C) An individual’s personality is influenced by the economic settings he/she is surrounded by.
D) A person’s personality traits are created by the company he/she keeps i.e., his/her friends and
family.
E) A person’s personality traits are largely influenced by global trends and characteristics.
12) A drawback of self-report surveys is the level of accuracy.
13) As compared to observer-ratings surveys, self-reporting surveys are a better predictor of
success on the job.
14) When rating themselves, people in individualistic cultures trend toward self-enhancement,
while people in collectivist cultures trend toward self-diminishment.
5
15) What are the two main means of measuring personality? Discuss.
16) Does heredity determine a person’s personality? Explain.
17) The ________ is a personality assessment consisting of 100 questions where respondents are
classified as extraverted or introverted, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling, and judging or
perceiving.
A) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
B) Birkman Method
C) Karolinska Scales of Personality
D) Keirsey Temperament Sorter
E) Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis
18) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people belonging to
the ________ type are practical and prefer routine and order and focus on details.
6
A) sensing
B) extraverted
C) feeling
D) perceiving
E) intuitive
19) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people belonging to
the ________ type are flexible and spontaneous.
A) thinking
B) judging
C) introverted
D) sensing
E) perceiving
20) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people belonging to
the judging type ________.
A) are quiet, shy and introverted
B) rely on unconscious processes
C) prefer their world to be ordered
D) are flexible and spontaneous
E) rely on personal values and emotions
21) Which of the following are characteristics of the intuitive type of people according to the
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification?
A) prefer routine and order and focus on details
B) outgoing, sociable, and assertive in nature
C) rely on unconscious processes and look at the overall picture
D) use reason, rationality, and logic to handle problems and situations
E) rely on their personal values and emotions to make decisions
22) Ellen Athers works as a communication executive at a travel house. She is known to be
friendly with her colleagues and interacts with them regularly to build strong work relationships.
She knows that her rapport with her co-workers is a crucial part of her work and invests time in
these relationships. In addition, she is assertive in making decisions, and colleagues take her
decisions seriously. Which of the following types is Athers most likely to be characterized as
according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification?
A) perceiving
B) brooder
C) extraverted
D) introverted
E) solitary
23) Elaine Chamberlain works as a research executive at an environmental organization. Though
her colleagues are helpful and friendly, because of her shy nature, she often eats her lunch at her
desk and has limited interactions with them. She is glad that her nature of work does not require
her to interact with her co-workers to a high extent. Which of the following types is Chamberlain
most likely to be characterized as according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
classification?
A) social
B) introverted
C) exhibitionist
D) gregarious
E) extraverted
24) Valerie Sinclair, a climate campaigner at an environmental organization, invariably uses
rationale to make decisions for project implementation. She believes that the right decisions can
be made only through scrutiny and analysis. Each time she needs to make a decision, she weighs
all options before taking action. Which of the following is a characteristic of Sinclair’s
personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification?
A) intuitive
B) introverted
C) thinking
D) feeling
E) perceiving
25) Amber Downing, a human resource executive, is in charge of the recruitment process in her
organization. During the hiring process, she often needs to coordinate with prospective
employees. The organizational process does not require her to inform employees who do not get
through the selection process. However, she believes that it is rude not to give them an update.
She thus makes sure that she sends them e-mails informing them about the selection process.
Which of the following types is Downing characterized as according to the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) classification?
A) sensing
B) judging
C) thinking
D) feeling
E) introverted
26) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, introverted-intuitive-
thinking-judging type of people are ________.
A) visionaries
B) organizers
C) conceptualizers
D) executors
E) methodists
27) People with an ESTJ personality type are characterized as ________ according to the Myers-
Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification.
A) irrational
B) perplexed
C) decisive
D) disoriented
E) emotional
28) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people with an ENTP
personality type are most likely to be ________.
A) illogical
B) innovative
C) intuitive
D) skeptical
E) stubborn
29) What does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator classification of “E or I” stand for?
A) enthusiastic/ingenious
B) emotional/impulsive
C) extraverted/introverted
D) emotive/illustrative
E) empathetic/innovative
30) What does the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator classification of S versus N stand for?
A) sensing/intuitive
B) social/perceiving
C) stable/negligent
D) sympathetic/thinking
E) shrewd/feeling
31) What is the major problem with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a measure of
personality?
A) It has an excess of classifications, which tends to confuse a person.
B) It forces a person to be categorized as either one type or another.
C) It does not have a clear demarcation between different personality types.
D) It tends to overemphasize intuitive traits over analytical traits.
E) It indicates results related exclusively to job performance.
32) The ________ is a personality assessment model that describes five basic dimensions
encompassing most of the significant variation in human personality, namely extraversion,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience.
A) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
B) Big Five model
C) Birkman method
D) Keirsey Temperament Sorter
E) Forté Profile
33) Which dimension of the Big Five model refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to
others?
A) conscientiousness
B) agreeableness
C) extraversion
D) openness to experience
E) emotional stability
34) Which dimension of the Big Five model is a measure of reliability?
A) extraversion
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) openness to experience
E) emotional stability
13
35) According to the Big Five model, a highly conscientious person is most likely to be
________.
A) distracted, disorganized, and unreliable
B) calm, self-confident, and secure
C) cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic
D) responsible, organized, and dependable
E) reserved, timid, and quiet
36) According to the Big Five model, a person who scores ________ is easily distracted,
disorganized, and unreliable.
A) low on emotional stability
B) low on openness to experience
C) high on agreeableness
D) high on extraversion
E) low on conscientiousness
37) Which of the following dimensions of the Big Five model indicates a person’s ability to
withstand stress?
A) emotional stability
B) extraversion
C) openness to experience
D) agreeableness
E) conscientiousness
38) According to the Big Five model, the ________ dimension addresses a range of interests and
fascination with novelty.
A) emotional stability
B) extraversion
C) openness to experience
D) agreeableness
E) conscientiousness
39) Marina Lyon works as a reservation executive at a travel and tourism company. Though her
job requires her only to efficiently book flight tickets for customers, she has also opted to
undergo training to learn the process of hotel reservations. In addition, every evening she reads
travelogues to be aware of upcoming travel destinations and trends. She loves the industry she
works in and is eager to learn as much as she can. Considering the information given in this case,
which dimension of the Big Five model best describes Lyon’s personality?
A) extraversion
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) openness to experience
E) emotional stability
40) ________ has been found to be more important than other traits in the success of CEOs of
private equity companies.
A) Extraversion
B) Agreeableness
C) Conscientiousness
D) Emotional stability
E) Openness to experience
41) Which of the following is most likely to be a drawback of highly conscientious people
according to the Big Five model?
A) They engage in numerous risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking.
B) They tend to indulge in irresponsible behavior and be disorganized.
C) They can be too deliberate and perfectionistic.
D) They focus on learning instead of performing a job efficiently.
E) They excessively emphasize being creative.
42) Among the Big Five model traits, ________ is most strongly related to life satisfaction, job
satisfaction, and reduced intentions to quit and burn out.
A) extraversion
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) emotional stability
E) openness to experience
43) With reference to the Big Five Model, which of the following is a difference between highly
agreeable and less agreeable people?
A) Highly agreeable people tend to do better in interpersonally oriented jobs than less agreeable
people.
B) Highly agreeable people are less compliant and less rule abiding than less agreeable people.
C) Highly agreeable people tend to be less satisfied in their jobs than less agreeable people.
D) Highly agreeable people engage in less organization citizenship behavior than less agreeable
people.
E) Highly agreeable people have more tendency to engage in organizational deviance than less
agreeable people.
44) ________ refers to the tendency to be arrogant, have a grandiose sense of self-importance,
require excessive admiration, and have a sense of entitlement.
A) Asceticism
B) Stoicism
C) Cynicism
D) Narcissism
E) Machiavellianism
45) During an annual review, Michel Godfrey made the following assertion: “When I look at
myself and my performance, I see that what I have achieved is outstanding and something no one
in the organization has the capacity to undertake. Surprisingly, it has not won me the admiration
of my colleagues like it should have. I also believe that I do not just deserve a raise, but need
one, since without me, let’s face it, the place would simply fall apart.” Which of the following
personality traits best describes Michel’s personality?
A) minimalism
B) monasticism
C) stoicism
D) narcissism
E) Machiavellianism
46) Which of the following is true about narcissists?
A) They go out of their way to be helpful to colleagues.
B) They have an inferiority complex about themselves.
C) They are more likely to emerge as leaders.
D) They do not require admiration or importance of people.
E) They are meek, timid, and shy in nature.
47) Which of the following differentiates introverts from extraverts?
A) Introverts tend to be happier in their jobs in comparison to extraverts.
B) Introverts express feelings more freely compared to extraverts.
C) Introverts experience more positive emotions than extraverts.
D) Introverts are generally more assertive than extraverts.
E) Introverts experience less burnout than extraverts.
48) People scoring high on the ________ dimension of the Big Five model are more likely to be
socially dominant, “take charge” people than those who score low.
A) agreeableness
B) conscientiousness
C) openness
D) extraversion
E) emotional stability
49) Which of the following personality traits indicates the degree to which a person is
unemotional and pragmatic and believes that ends can justify means?
A) extraversion
B) Machiavellianism
C) agreeableness
D) self-concordance
E) narcissism
50) The most widely used and best known personality frameworks are the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) and the Big Five Personality model. Both describe a person’s total personality
through exploration of the facets of personality.
51) According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people belonging to
the judging type prefer control and like their world to be ordered and structured.
52) According to the Big Five model, a person who scores high on the openness to experience
dimension is conventional and finds comfort in the familiar.
53) According to the Big Five model, the agreeableness dimension refers to an individual’s
propensity to defer to others.
54) One problem with the MBTI is that the model forces a person into one type or another; that
is, you’re either introverted or extraverted. There is no in-between.