Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
Chapter 8: Performance Management and Appraisal
Test Bank
Multiple Choice
1. ______ is the process of identifying, measuring, managing, and developing the
performance of the human resources in an organization.
A. Critical incidents method
B. Performance management
C. Performance appraisal
D. Management by objectives (MBO) method
2. ______ is the ongoing process of evaluating employee performance.
A. Performance appraisal
B. Performance management
C. Critical incidents method
D. Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) form
3. The first step in the performance appraisal process is ______.
A. develop standards and measurement methods
B. job analysis
C. design the appraisal form
D. prepare and conduct formal performance appraisals
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4. Lian found several job duties that were listed on her subordinate’s job description
which are no longer part of the job. Also, the company recently updated its strategic
plan. Based on the new plan, Lian will add some related job duties to her subordinate’s
job and communicate with her subordinate about the changes. Lian is engaged in
______.
A. performance appraisal
B. performance management
C. performance monitoring
D. performance planning
5. Alyssa’s manager has asked her to complete a review of her past 6 months on the
job. Next week, Alyssa will sit down with her manager to go over the review and receive
her manager’s feedback on her work for the past 6 months. Alyssa and her manager
are engaged in ______.
A. performance appraisal
B. performance management
C. performance monitoring
D. performance planning
6. To effectively assess performance, an organization needs to have ______ standards
for and methods of measuring performance.
A. general
B. unclear
C. clear
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D. universal
7. In performance appraisal, ______ means that the use of the measure is satisfactory
or appropriate to the people who must use it.
A. feasibility
B. acceptability
C. validity
D. reliability
8. Jungmin’s job as a biomedical engineer involves conducting research on the
engineering aspects of the biological systems. Most important are his written reports on
his findings. Jungmin’s supervisor based Jungmin’s performance appraisal on the
reports. It is likely that Jungmin’s performance appraisal is ______.
A. valid
B. reliable
C. based on mission and objectives
D. feasible
9. Sean has two supervisors who both provide appraisals on his performance. On a
scale of 1–5, both supervisors gave Sean a 4.2. It is likely that Sean’s performance
appraisal is ______.
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A. valid
B. reliable
C. specific
D. feasible
10. Ryan’s manager provided him with a performance appraisal that covered the past 6
months. Ryan asked his manager on what the appraisal was based. Ryan contends that
his manager only came to Ryan’s work area once or twice in the past 6 months and
could not possibly know enough about Ryan’s work to write an appraisal. What aspect
of good performance appraisals does Ryan’s appraisal appear to be missing?
A. a basis in mission and objectives
B. reliability
C. acceptability
D. feasibility
11. Brittney recently read that once-a-year performance appraisals are ineffective. In
response, she is asking all her managers to begin providing monthly performance
appraisals to all their employees. Each manager has 30 employees and balk at the idea
of providing that many performance appraisals each month. What aspect of good
performance appraisals does Brittney’s plan appear to be missing?
A. validity
B. specificity
C. acceptability
D. feasibility
Lussier, Human Resources Management 3e
SAGE Publishing, 2019
12. Casey’s performance appraisal indicated that she was good at managing client
relationships. Casey asked her supervisor for more details and was simply told, “you
just do a good job in that area.” What aspect of good performance appraisals does
Casey’s appraisal appear to be missing?
A. reliability
B. specificity
C. acceptability
D. feasibility
13. Jazmine creates a very generic evaluation form that she can use for most
employees, regardless of the types of jobs the employees perform. This evaluation form
is so generic it will not be useful for modifying employee behavior. Jazmine’s form is
missing the ______ aspect of good performance appraisals.
A. acceptability
B. feasibility
C. validity
D. specificity
14. At Acme Global, customer service is a top priority. However, Michael’s latest
performance appraisal focused exclusively on his poor critical thinking skills and his lack
of knowledge of the company’s technology. What aspect of good performance
appraisals does Michael’s appraisal appear to be missing?
A. validity
B. a basis in mission and objectives
C. acceptability
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D. feasibility
15. The first major reason for performance appraisals is to provide an opportunity for
______ communication between management and the employees concerning how the
organization believes each employee is performing.
A. informal
B. formal
C. punishing
D. reinforcing
16. Tomo received a low score on his performance appraisal because he did not create
project-specific data management plans as part of his job as a clinical data manager.
However, Tomo has not received training on creating such plans. He did not mention
this fact during his appraisal, nor did his manager ask. Consequently, he will likely get a
low score on this part of his appraisal again next year. This suggests Tomo’s appraisal
falls short of which reason for conducting performance appraisals?
A. communication
B. decision-making
C. motivation
D. ranking
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17. During his performance appraisal, Julian mentioned that he was having difficulty
keeping client records up-to-date because the computer system was antiquated. As a
result, the department decided to replace both the software and hardware in Julian’s
department. As a result, Julian’s department’s performance increased. This is an
example of the ______ reason for conducting performance appraisals.
A. communication
B. decision-making
C. motivation
D. ranking
18. As a result of his last performance appraisal, Deron finally got the promotion he has
been seeking for 3 years. His supervisor agreed with Deron that his performance had
improved and that Deron was ready to take on more responsibility. This is an example
of the ______ reason for conducting performance appraisals.
A. communication
B. decision-making
C. motivation
D. ranking
19. Bree went into her performance appraisal interview expecting to hear what a great
performer she was and that she was getting a promotion. Instead, her manager pointed
out some important areas in which Bree needed to improve if she wanted to continue to
advance in the organization. As a result, Bree plans to focus on those areas of
improvement in hopes of getting the promotion next year. This is an example of the
______ reason for conducting performance appraisals.
A. communication
B. decision-making
C. motivation
D. development
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20. In performance management, ______ is the willingness to achieve organizational
objectives.
A. behavior
B. results
C. traits
D. motivation
21. ______ identify the physical or psychological characteristics of a person.
A. Results
B. Motivation
C. Traits
D. Behavior
22. In performance appraisal, evaluation of a salesperson’s “tenacity” and “enthusiasm”
would be classified as a ______ appraisal.
A. behavior
B. trait
C. results
D. process
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23. Some ______ are fairly easy to identify and managers often assume that they are
related to how the individual will perform on the job.
A. traits
B. behaviors
C. motivations
D. actions
24. Nicole is rating her employees on ______ when she assigns them scores on items
such as “conscientiousness” and “inquisitiveness.”
A. traits
B. behaviors
C. results
D. incidents
25. In considering two employees for a promotion, Hadar decides to nominate the more
attractive and extroverted candidate. It appears Hadar based his promotion appraisal on
______.
A. traits
B. behaviors
C. results
D. incidents
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26. In performance management, ______ are considered the actions taken by an
individual.
A. results
B. behaviors
C. motivations
D. traits
27. As a general rule, it is much better to use ______ in a performance appraisal than it
is to use traits.
A. motivations
B. behaviors
C. narratives
D. biases
28. When appraising a paramedic, Derrick based his appraisal on the individual’s
performance on emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures. It appears that
Derrick is basing his appraisal on ______.
A. traits
B. behaviors
C. results
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D. incidents
29. When appraising an automobile mechanic, Felicidad based her appraisal on the
individual’s performance doing routine maintenance and repairs on cars. It appears that
Felicidad is basing her appraisal on ______.
A. traits
B. behaviors
C. results
D. incidents
30. In performance management, ______ are a measure of the goals achieved through
a work process.
A. results
B. motivations
C. behaviors
D. traits
31. Alexander supervises three workers who repair watches in the jewelry department.
He bases his performance appraisal of the workers on the number of watches each
employee repairs each week. It appears that Alexander is basing his appraisal on
______.
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A. traits
B. behaviors
C. results
D. incidents
32. ______ is a performance appraisal method in which a manager keeps a written
record of the positive and negative performance of employees throughout the
performance period.
A. Behaviorally anchored rating scale form
B. Narrative method or form
C. Management by objectives method
D. Critical incidents method
33. To provide accurate performance appraisals, Samantha keeps a box of index cards
on each of her employees. When an employee does something particularly well or
particularly poorly, Samantha writes the event down on a card and puts it in that
employee’s box. It appears Samantha is using the ______ method of performance
appraisal.
A. critical incidents
B. management by objectives
C. narrative method
D. behavioral anchored rating
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34. Whenever an employee has a major achievement, Anna asks that employee to
send her an e-mail describing the achievement. Likewise, if an employee makes a
mistake, Anna asks the employee to send her an e-mail describing the mistake and
what happened. When it’s time to do performance appraisals, Anna brings together all
the e-mails she received from each employee to create an appraisal. It appears Anna is
using the ______ method of performance appraisal.
A. critical incidents
B. management by objectives
C. graphic rating
D. behavioral anchored rating
35. ______ is a process in which managers and employees jointly set objectives for the
employees, periodically evaluate performance, and reward employees according to the
results.
A. Narrative method or form
B. Critical incidents method
C. Management by objectives method
D. Behaviorally anchored rating scale form
36. As part of her job as a stock clerk, Breanna is required to take inventory to identify
items to be restocked. At the beginning of each quarter, Breanna and her manager set a
goal for reducing the amount of time it takes to take inventory. This quarter, her goal is
to reduce the time by 10%. At the end of the period, Breanna will review her numbers
with her manager. If she has reduced the time she spends on inventory by 10%, she will
receive a raise. Breanna’s performance appraisal is done using the ______ method.
A. critical incidents
B. management by objectives
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C. ranking
D. behavioral anchored rating
37. In performance appraisal, the ______ is a three-step process: Step 1: Set individual
objectives and plans, Step 2: Give feedback and evaluate performance, Step 3: Reward
according to performance.
A. narrative method or form
B. behaviorally anchored rating scale form
C. critical incidents method
D. management by objectives method
38. In performance appraisal, the ______ requires a manager to write a statement
about the employee’s performance.
A. behaviorally anchored rating scale form
B. narrative method or form
C. critical incidents method
D. management by objectives method
39. Hafsah is considering who to promote into a new position. She asks each of her
supervisors to write an appraisal of their employees describing each employee’s
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strengths and weaknesses. Hafsah is requesting supervisors use the ______ method of
performance appraisal.
A. ranking
B. management by objectives
C. narrative
D. behavioral anchored rating
40. In performance appraisal, a ______ gives the manager the opportunity to give the
evaluative assessment in a written form that can go beyond simply checking a box to
describe a predetermined assessment item.
A. trait
B. behavior
C. narrative
D. reward
41. In performance appraisal, the ______ may allow managers to write whatever they
want or they may be required to answer questions with a written narrative about the
employee’s performance.
A. behaviorally anchored rating scale form
B. management by objectives method
C. narrative method or form
D. critical incidents method
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SAGE Publishing, 2019
42. The ______ is a performance appraisal checklist form on which a manager simply
rates performance on a continuum such as excellent, good, average, fair, and poor.
A. graphic rating scale form
B. management by objectives method
C. critical incidents method
D. narrative method or form
43. Jungmin is rating his employees on a scale of above average, average, and below
average. In other words, Jungmin is using a ______ scale.
A. behaviorally anchored
B. management by objectives
C. narrative
D. graphic rating
44. Craig is starting a new business and looking for an easy–to-use performance
appraisal method that he can apply to every job in the organization from the top
manager to the cleaning staff. Craig should probably adopt the ______ method of
performance appraisal.
A. ranking
B. management by objectives
C. graphic rating
D. behavioral anchored rating
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45. In performance appraisal, ______ can be used for many different types of jobs,
making this appraisal method a one-size-fits-all form that requires minimal time, effort,
cost, and training.
A. management by objectives method
B. critical incidents method
C. narrative method or form
D. graphic rating scales
46. ______ is a performance appraisal that provides a description of each assessment
along a continuum.
A. Narrative method or form
B. Critical incidents method
C. Management by objectives (MBO) method
D. Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) form
47. Cole’s performance appraisal describes his actions along a continuum. For
example, when it comes to customer service, he receives a 1 if he regularly ignores
customers, a 3 if he regularly greets customers, and a 5 if he regularly greets customers
and asks how he can help. It appears Cole is using the ______ method of performance
appraisal.
A. ranking
B. management by objectives
C. graphic rating
D. behavioral anchored rating
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SAGE Publishing, 2019
48. ______ is a performance appraisal method that is used to evaluate employee
performance from best to worst.
A. Narrative method or form
B. Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) form
C. Ranking
D. 360-Degree evaluation
49. Anil was just named top employee of the month. To decide who would receive this
honor, management must have used the ______ method of performance appraisal.
A. ranking
B. management by objectives
C. graphic rating
D. behavioral anchored rating
50. Most research evidence shows that self-assessments tend to ______ the
individual’s ability to do a job.
A. underrepresent
B. accurately represent
C. underestimate
D. overestimate