Managing Human Resources 17Th Edition Snell Test Bank Full Chapter PDF

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 61

Managing Human Resources 17th

Edition Snell Test Bank


Visit to download the full and correct content document: https://testbankdeal.com/dow
nload/managing-human-resources-17th-edition-snell-test-bank/
1. Managers need to constantly engage in a dialogue with their subordinates.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

2. Most performance appraisals focus on long-term improvement, rather than short-term achievements.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

3. The two most common purposes of performance management programs are administrative and developmental.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

4. The federal government began evaluating employees in 1842.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

5. Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include identifying strengths and weaknesses and improving
communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

6. Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include evaluating goal achievement and validating selection
criteria.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

7. Developmental purposes for performance appraisal include evaluating training programs and determining promotion
candidates.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

8. Studies have shown that employees who earn performance-based pay are more satisfied.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

9. Performance management programs can be used for many purposes, including promotions, transfers, layoffs, and pay
decisions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

10. Performance evaluations are simply a logical extension of the day-to-day performance management process.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

11. Managers may deflate performance ratings to make themselves look good as managers.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

12. Criterion deficiency occurs when performance standards focus on a single criterion and exclude other important but
less quantifiable performance dimensions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

13. Criterion deficiency occurs when performance standards have not been properly established and communicated to the
employee.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

14.
Criterion contamination occurs when different supervisors have different and inconsistent ratings of an employee’s
performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

15. Criterion contamination occurs when factors outside an employee's control influence his or her performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Knowledge

16. According to a Supreme Court ruling, performance appraisals are subject to the same validity criteria as selection
procedures.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge
17. The HR department rarely has the primary responsibility for overseeing and coordinating a firm’s performance
management system.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

18. Employees should be given a written copy of their job standards in advance of their performance evaluations.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

19. An appeals process is only necessary for administrative appraisals.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

20. In most instances, one person can easily observe and evaluate an employee's performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

21. Criterion deficiency refers to the extent to which the standards of an appraisal relate to the strategic objectives of the
organization in which they are applied.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

22. Self-evaluations are often best used for developmental purposes rather than for administrative decisions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

23. Self-evaluations should be used primarily for administrative purposes.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

24. Subordinate evaluations are useful for rating on dimensions such as leadership ability, ability to delegate, and
employee supportiveness.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Knowledge

25. Subordinate evaluations should be used primarily for developmental purposes.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

26. One disadvantage of peer evaluations is the belief that they contain more biases and furnish less valid information than
appraisals by superiors.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

27. Team evaluations are conceptually just a collection of the individual appraisals of a work unit.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

28. Internal customers can provide extremely useful feedback for both developmental and administrative purposes.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

29. Reliability refers to the stability or consistency of a standard.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

30. A distributional rating error occurs when a single rating is skewed toward an entire group of employees.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

31. An error of central tendency is a performance-rating error in which all employees are more or less rated as average.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom's: Knowledge

32. Requiring raters to use a forced distribution reduces the chance of leniency or strictness errors.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

33. Having appraisals reviewed by a supervisor’s supervisor creates unnecessary redundancy and may actually result in
greater legal liability.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

34. A recency error is an error in which the appraisal is based largely upon the employee's most recent behavior as
opposed to their behavior throughout the entire appraisal period.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

35. Contrast errors are most likely when raters are required to rank employees in order from the best to the poorest.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

36. A similar-to-me error occurs when appraisers inflate the evaluations of people with whom they have something in
common.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

37. A similar-to-me error, like contrast, results in less than accurate performance ratings, but would not be considered
discriminatory.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

38. Feedback training for raters should include communicating effectively, diagnosing causes of performance problems,
and setting goals.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

39. It is unrealistic to presume that one person can fully observe and evaluate an employee’s performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

40. Results-oriented approaches have become more popular because they focus on the measurable contributions that
employees make to an organization.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

41. One of the potential drawbacks of a trait-oriented performance appraisal is that traits can be biased and subjective.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

42. Graphic rating scales include sets of statements between which the rater must choose, such as "works hard" vs. "works
quickly."
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

43. The mixed-standard scale method evaluates traits according to a single scale.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

44. One of the benefits of the forced-choice method is the relatively small cost of establishing and maintaining its validity.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

45. The forced-choice method of appraisal is less effective as a tool for developing employees.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

46. A major drawback of the essay method is that composing an essay that attempts to cover all of an employee's essential
characteristics is very time-consuming.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

47. The effectiveness of the essay method is affected by the rater's writing skills.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

48. Behavioral methods specifically describe which actions should (or should not) be exhibited on the job.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

49. One major advantage of a behaviorally anchored rating scale is that it is possible to use a scale developed for one job
to appraise individuals in another, unrelated job.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

50. Results evaluations often give employees responsibility for their outcomes and discretion over the way they
accomplish them.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

51. Behavior observation scales have rater check statements that they believe are characteristic of the employee.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

52. Measurable and quantifiable performance objectives are requirements for a successful MBO program.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

53. The Balanced Scorecard approach integrates four categories: financial, customer, process, and learning measures.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

54. The Balanced Scorecard evaluation method translates broad corporate goals into divisional, departmental, team, and
individual goals in a cascading way.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

55. The choice of performance evaluation method to use depends upon the purpose of the evaluation.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

56. Dividing the performance evaluation meeting into two sessions, one for the performance review and the other for the
employee's growth plans, is a good strategy to improve communication between the parties.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

57. The three basic types of formats for providing feedback during a performance evaluation meeting are tell-and-sell,
tell-and-listen, and problem-solving.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

58. The problem-solving format seeks to obtain an employee’s buy-in for a mutually agreed-upon way to overcome
obstacles and improve the person’s actual performance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

59. A self-evaluation ensures that an employee knows against what criteria he or she is being evaluated, eliminating any
potential surprises.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

60. Because the appraisal interview is for developmental purposes, the interviewer rather than the employee should spend
the majority of the time talking.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

61. Since praise is a powerful motivator, appraisers should alternate positive and negative statements during a
performance appraisal interview.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

62. Expressing appreciation for the work an employee has done well is likely to make the person more defensive about
aspects of the job that are not going so well.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

63. Performance discussions should focus on the employee rather than on his or her behaviors.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

64. If an employee is doing something wrong, waiting for a formal evaluation later in the year to communicate
that information is an example of a balanced approach to effective communication.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

65. A person's performance is a function of ability, environment, and motivation.


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

66. A diagnosis of poor employee performance should focus on the three interactive elements of ability, motivation, and
external conditions.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

67. Self-evaluations are often best used for administrative decisions rather than developmental purposes.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

68. The “horn error” is the opposite of the “halo effect.”


a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

69. The federal government began evaluating employees in 1842, when Congress passed a law mandating yearly
performance review for:
a. departmental clerks.
b. military personnel.
c. postal employees.
d. all federal employees.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

70. A problem with performance appraisal is that it:


a. tends to be objective and consistent.
b. identifies weaknesses of employees as well as strengths.
c. tends to focus on short-term objectives rather than long-term learning.
d. tends to be a bottom-up process.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

71. One study showed that organizations with strong performance management systems are ____ more likely to
outperform their competitors in the areas of revenue growth, productivity, profitability, and market value
a. 10-15 percent
b. 20-30 percent
c. 40-50 percent
d. 80-90 percent
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

72. The two primary purposes of performance appraisals are:


a. informative and developmental.
b. managerial and administrative.
c. managerial and informative.
d. administrative and developmental.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

73. Administrative purposes of performance appraisal include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. determining promotion candidates.
b. evaluating training programs.
c. documenting personnel decisions.
d. providing performance feedback.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

74. Developmental purposes of performance appraisal include all of the following EXCEPT:
a. recognizing individual performance.
b. validating selection procedures.
c. improving communication.
d. identifying strengths and weaknesses.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

75. Which of the following is NOT a reason for the failure of appraisal programs?
a. They discourage teamwork by focusing on workers’ individual achievements.
b. They lay more focus on employee input into the development of the appraisal program.
c. They are not useful for the majority of employees in the middle in terms of performance.
d. They often focus on short-term achievements rather than long-term improvement and learning.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

76. In _____, the U.S. Supreme Court found that employees had been ranked against a vague standard, open to each
supervisor’s own interpretation.
a. California Board of Regents v. Bakke
b. Griggs v. Duke Power Co.
c. Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody
d. Brito v. Zia
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

77. If a manager rates an employee higher than he or she deserves in order to look good as a manager in the eyes of his or
her own superiors, this is an example of:
a. criterion deficiency.
b. organizational politics.
c. criterion contamination.
d. administrative appraisal purpose.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

78. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the trait method of appraisals?
a. Inexpensive to develop
b. Uses meaningful dimensions
c. Low potential for rating errors
d. Easy to use
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

79. The strategic relevance of performance appraisals refers to the extent to which:
a. standards relate to the overall objectives of the organization.
b. standards capture the entire range of an employee's responsibilities.
c. individuals tend to maintain a certain level of performance over time.
d. factors outside the employee's control can influence performance.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

80. Freedom from criterion deficiency of performance appraisals refers to the extent to which:
a. standards relate to the overall objectives of the organization.
b. standards capture the entire range of an employee's responsibilities.
c. individuals tend to maintain a certain level of performance over time.
d. factors outside the employee's control can influence performance.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

81. If the performance evaluations that salespeople receive are based solely on sales revenue to the exclusion of other
important factors, the performance management system suffers from:
a. criterion contamination.
b. lack of reliability.
c. criterion deficiency.
d. organizational politics.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

82. If a performance standard is found to be stable or consistent over time, it is said to be:
a. free from contamination.
b. relevant.
c. reliable.
d. valid.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension
83. Reliability in performance appraisal is measured by:
a. correlating two sets of ratings made by a single rater or by two different raters.
b. correlating the ratings of an employee at two different points in time.
c. linking performance standards to organizational goals.
d. quantifiable performance standards.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

84. The Supreme Court ruling states that:


a. vague performance standards can be acceptable when clearly written.
b. organizations should have carefully defined and measurable performance standards.
c. while performance standards should be somewhat specific, there should be room for individual interpretation.
d. descriptions of traits such as attitude and cooperation are acceptable performance standards.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

85. In light of recent court rulings, HR managers suggest that performance evaluations should meet all of the following
legal guidelines EXCEPT:
a. performance ratings must be job-related.
b. employees must be provided with clear, written job standards in advance of their evaluations.
c. performance evaluation should rarely be tied to compensation decisions.
d. supervisors should be trained to use the evaluation form correctly.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

86. In most instances, who is in the best position to perform the function of evaluating an employee's performance?
a. The HR personnel
b. The employee's supervisor
c. The employee
d. Co-workers
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

87. Performance-related behaviors such as leadership ability, ability to delegate, and employee supportiveness may best
be appraised by:
a. the manager/supervisor.
b. peers.
c. subordinates.
d. the management team.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

88. Self-appraisals are best for:


a. administrative purposes.
b. developmental purposes.
c. promotional purposes.
d. regulatory purposes.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

89. One advantage of peer evaluations is that:


a. peers are less politically motivated than supervisors.
b. peers may furnish more accurate and valid information than supervisors.
c. peers may work harder to help other employees improve performance.
d. peers are often partially responsible for the performance of other co-workers.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension
90. A performance rating error in which the rater is reluctant to give employees either extremely high or extremely low
ratings is referred to as a(n):
a. recency error.
b. error of central tendency.
c. leniency or strictness error.
d. halo error.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

91. A performance rating error in which the rater tends to give employees either extremely high or extremely low ratings
is referred to as a(n):
a. recency error.
b. error of central tendency.
c. leniency or strictness error.
d. halo error.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

92. Which method of performance appraisal requires managers to place a certain percentage of employees into various
performance categories?
a. Forced distribution method
b. Checklist method
c. Percent method
d. Forced-choice method
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

93. If one rates an employee's performance largely on the basis of the employee’s recent behavior, one commits a:
a. leniency error.
b. contrast error.
c. recency error.
d. central tendency error.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

94. If one rates an average employee's performance high because they compared the employee to poor performers, one
commits a:
a. leniency error.
b. contrast error.
c. recency error.
d. central tendency error.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

95. If one inflates the evaluation of people with whom they have something in common, one commits a:
a. leniency error.
b. similar-to-me error.
c. recency error.
d. central tendency error.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

96. A feedback training program for performance appraisal raters should cover at least all of the following areas
EXCEPT:
a. effective communication techniques.
b. diagnosing the root causes of performance problems.
c. setting goals and objectives.
d. developing independent learning objectives.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

97. Performance appraisal methods can be broadly classified as either ____, ____, or ____ approaches.
a. trait, behavioral, judgmental
b. trait, behavioral, results
c. behavioral, judgmental, results
d. behavioral, judgmental, attitudinal
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

98. In the ____ method, each trait or characteristic to be rated is represented by a scale on which a rater indicates the
degree to which an employee possesses that trait or characteristic.
a. mixed-standard scale
b. graphic rating scale
c. behaviorally anchored rating scale
d. behavior observation scale
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

99. Which rating format uses three specific behavioral descriptions relevant to each trait and then asks supervisors to
evaluate whether an employee's behavior is better than, equal to, or worse than the standard for each behavior?
a. Mixed-standard scale
b. Forced-choice method
c. Behaviorally anchored rating scale
d. Behavior observation scale
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge
100. A method of rating performance in which the rater chooses from statements that appear equally favorable or equally
unfavorable is known as the:
a. forced-distribution method.
b. graphic rating scales.
c. behaviorally anchored rating scale
d. forced-choice method.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

101. Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of the essay method?


a. It is very time-consuming.
b. It must follow a job-specific format.
c. It's appraisal quality could be influenced by the supervisor's writing skills.
d. It is highly subjective and could be biased.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

102. If the primary objective of a performance appraisal is to give employees developmental feedback, which of the
following appraisal methods is most ideal?
a. Trait
b. Results
c. Behavioral
d. Attitudinal
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

103. What is the first step in the management by objectives (MBO) process?
a. Develop organization goals and metrics
b. Develop department goals and metrics
c. Review performance
d. Add new inputs
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

104. The type of scale that uses critical incidents as examples of different points along the scale is known as:
a. the mixed-standard scale.
b. the global rating.
c. the behaviorally anchored rating scale.
d. the dimensional rating.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

105. One major advantage of a behaviorally anchored rating scale is that:


a. it requires a great deal of employee participation which leads to greater acceptance.
b. the same rating scale can be used across all the departments of an organization.
c. it takes a relatively short time to develop.
d. the rating scale can be developed with little expertise.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

106. The procedures followed to develop a behaviorally anchored rating scale typically result in scales that:
a. have a high degree of construct validity.
b. have a high degree of content validity.
c. can be used to rate employees across different jobs.
d. cost the least to develop.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension
107. Which of the following is a performance appraisal approach designed to measure how frequently employees exhibit
certain behaviors?
a. Management by objectives
b. Behaviorally anchored rating scale
c. Behavior observation scale
d. Trait scale
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

108. Which of the following is NOT a component of the Balanced Scorecard approach?
a. Competitor
b. Learning
c. Customer
d. Financial
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

109. If an appraisal focuses on a narrow set of results criteria to the exclusion of other important but less quantifiable
performance dimensions, the performance management system may suffer from:
a. criterion deficiency.
b. rater bias.
c. lack of reliability.
d. criterion contamination.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

110. Requirements for a successful management by objectives (MBO) program include all of the following EXCEPT that:
a. the results must be under the control of the employee.
b. timeframes for when the goals are to be reviewed and evaluated need to be established.
c. goal statements must be accompanied by descriptions of how they will be accomplished.
d. both trait and critical incident objectives must be set.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

111. An appraisal system that allows each individual to see clearly how his or her performance ties into the overall
performance of the firm is:
a. the balanced scorecard approach.
b. the 360-degree evaluation.
c. the customer-oriented approach.
d. management by objectives.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

112. An appraisal system that takes into account financial, customer, processes, and learning categories is called:
a. the balanced scorecard approach.
b. the 360-degree evaluation.
c. the customer-oriented approach.
d. management by objectives.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

113. The choice of an appraisal method should be largely based on:


a. the preferred technique of the personnel department.
b. the purpose of the appraisal.
c. the reaction of employees.
d. what skills the developer of the system possesses.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

114. The appraisal interview should be divided into two sessions, one each for:
a. positive comments and negative comments.
b. performance review and employee's growth plans.
c. performance review and compensation discussion.
d. establishing performance standards and reviewing performance.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

115. The appraisal interview:


a. should take place in one session in order to give the employee a complete view of his or her performance.
b. can be divided into two sessions, though this is not advisable.
c. is most suitable for the supervisor to give feedback on past performance and should not be used for
developmental purposes.
d. should be held in two segments because the rater must perform the role of both evaluator and counselor.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

116. The three basic types of formats for providing feedback during a performance evaluation meeting or feedback
session are:
a. tell-and-sell, tell-and-train, and developmental.
b. tell-and-sell, tell-and listen, and problem-solving.
c. tell-and-train, problem-solving, and developmental.
d. tell-and-listen, tell-and-train, and problem-solving.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

117. The appraisal interview that requires interviewers to possess the ability to persuade an employee to change his or her
behavior in a certain way is:
a. tell-and-develop.
b. tell-and-listen.
c. tell-and-sell.
d. problem-solving.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

118. Which of the following type of formats gives both managers and employees an opportunity to release and iron out
any frustrating feelings they might have?
a. Tell-and-develop
b. Tell-and-listen
c. Tell-and-sell
d. Problem-solving
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

119. In which type of appraisal interview does the interviewer communicate the strong and weak points of an employee's
performance during the first part of the interview and then explore the employee's feelings about the appraisal in the
second part?
a. Problem-solving
b. Tell-and-develop
c. Tell-and-sell
d. Tell-and-listen
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

120. Listening, accepting, and responding to feelings are essential elements of the _____ performance evaluation format.
a. tell-and-develop
b. tell-and-listen
c. tell-and-sell
d. problem-solving
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

121. As an appraiser, one should try to do all of the following EXCEPT:


a. minimizing criticism.
b. changing the person, not the behavior.
c. identifying the source of ineffective performance.
d. being supportive and demonstrating that one cares.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

122. As a rule of thumb, a supervisor should spend approximately ____ percent of the time talking during an appraisal
interview.
a. 10 to 15
b. 20 to 25
c. 30 to 35
d. 40 to 45
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

123. An inappropriate interview technique in which praise serves to cushion criticism by alternating positive statements
with negative statements is known as:
a. the sandwich technique.
b. the cushioning technique.
c. the rollercoaster technique.
d. sympathetic interviewing.
ANSWER: a
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

124. Tips for using criticism constructively includes all of the following EXCEPT:
a. considering whether it is really necessary.
b. not exaggerating.
c. watching one's timing.
d. using the “sandwich technique.”
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

125. It is recommended that a diagnosis of poor employee performance focus on all of the following EXCEPT:
a. skill.
b. personality.
c. effort.
d. external conditions.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

126. Research suggests that when it comes to our own performance, most of us first attribute our bad performance to:
a. inadequate training.
b. poor motivation.
c. external constraints.
d. lack of ability.
ANSWER: c
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

127. Managers often first assume poor performance of subordinates to:


a. inadequate training.
b. poor motivation.
c. external constraints.
d. lack of ability.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

128. Some organizations believe that appraisals are useful :


a. as a warning to inexperienced employees.
b. only for highly effective or ineffective employees.
c. only for veteran employees.
d. for employees nearing retirement.
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

129. Employees who earn performance-based pay are more _____.


a. mobile
b. satisfied
c. educated
d. cynical
ANSWER: b
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

130. A process whereby managers meet to discuss the performance of individual employees to ensure that their
employee evaluations are in line with one another is referred to as _____.
a. cross-referencing
b. authentication
c. mentoring
d. calibration
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Easy
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Knowledge

131. The main disadvantage of a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) is that it:
a. requires considerable legal “vetting” by a skilled attorney.
b. has a negative reputation among HR professionals.
c. is useful only for manual jobs.
d. requires considerable time and effort to develop.
ANSWER: d
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

132. Explain the two main purposes of performance management programs and why performance management
systems sometimes fail.
ANSWER: Performance management programs serve many purposes, but in general those purposes can
be clustered into two categories: administrative and developmental. The administrative
purposes include decisions about who will be promoted, transferred, or laid off. They can
also include compensation decisions and the like. Developmental decisions include those
related to improving and enhancing an individual's capabilities. These include identifying a
person's strengths and weaknesses, eliminating external performance obstacles, establishing
training needs, and so on. The combination of administrative and developmental purposes of
performance appraisal reflect, in a specific way, human resources management's larger role
of integrating the individual with the organization.

Formal evaluations fail due to the following reasons:


• Inadequate preparation on the part of the manager.
• The employee is not given clear objectives at the beginning of performance period.
• The manager may not be able to observe performance or have all the information.
• The performance standards may not be clear.
• Inconsistent ratings among supervisors or other raters.
• Manager rates employee’s personality rather than performance.
• The halo effect, contrast effect, or some other perceptual bias.
• Inappropriate time span for evaluation (either too short or too long).
• Overemphasis on uncharacteristic performance.
• Inflated ratings because managers do not want to deal with “bad news.”
• Subjective or vague language in written evaluations.
• Organizational politics or personal relationships cloud judgments.
• No thorough discussion of causes of performance problems.
• Manager may not be trained at evaluation or giving feedback.
• No follow up and coaching after the evaluation.

POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-1
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension
133. What are the four basic considerations for establishing performance standards?
ANSWER: Before any appraisal is conducted, the standards by which performance is to be evaluated
should be clearly defined and communicated to the employee. These standards should be
based on job-related requirements derived from job analysis and reflected in the job
descriptions and job specifications. In establishing performance standards, there are four
basic considerations: strategic relevance, criterion deficiency, criterion contamination, and
reliability.

First, performance standards should have strategic relevance. Strategic relevance refers to the
extent to which performance standards are related to the strategic objectives of the
organization. A second consideration in establishing performance standards is the extent to
which the standards capture the entire range of an employee's responsibilities. When
performance standards focus on a single criterion to the exclusion of other important
performance dimensions, then the appraisal system is said to suffer from criterion deficiency.
In addition to criterion deficiency, performance standards can also be contaminated. When
performance standards include factors outside an employee's control that can influence his or
her performance, then the appraisal system is said to suffer from criterion contamination.
Fourth, performance standards should be reliable. Reliability refers to the stability or
consistency of a performance standard, or the extent to which individuals tend to maintain a
certain level of performance over time.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

134. Discuss the various types of rating errors that may exist in performance evaluation.
ANSWER: 1. Errors of central tendency - A performance rating error in which all employees are rated
about average;
2. Leniency or strictness errors - A performance rating error in which the appraiser tends
to give employees either unusually high or unusually low ratings;
3. Recency errors - A performance rating error in which the appraisal is based largely on the
employee’s most recent behavior rather than on behavior throughout the appraisal period;
4. Contrast errors - A performance rating error in which an employee’s evaluation is biased
either upward or downward because of comparison with another employee just previously
evaluated;
5. Similar-to-me errors - A performance rating error in which an appraiser inflates the
evaluation of an employee because of a mutual personal connection.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-2
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

135. Discuss the requirements for a successful management by objectives (MBO) program.
ANSWER: The following guidelines can help an MBO program succeed:
1. The objectives should be quantifiable and measurable and accompanied by a description of
how they will be accomplished.
2. The results that are expected must be under the employee’s control. Managers must be
willing to empower employees to accomplish their goals on their own, giving them discretion
over the methods they use (but holding them accountable for the outcomes).
3. The firm’s goals and objectives must be consistent, or aligned, with the goals of employees
at all levels, including a firm’s top managers.
4. Timeframes for when the goals are to be reviewed and evaluated need to be established.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-3
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

136. Explain the different types of performance evaluation meetings and feedback sessions.
ANSWER: There are three basic types of formats for providing feedback during a performance
evaluation meeting or feedback session: tell-and-sell, tell-and-listen, and problem-solving.
1. Tell-and-Sell. The skills required in the tell-and-sell format include the ability to persuade
an employee to change his or her behavior in a certain way. This may require the
development of new behaviors on the part of the employee and skillful use of motivational
incentives on the part of the appraiser/supervisor. But because there is less communication on
the part of the employee, this format is less than ideal. However, it may be used if other
formats haven’t worked, the employee is resistant to change, or the employee is reluctant to
participate in the discussion.
2. Tell-and-Listen. In the tell-and-listen format, the appraiser or supervisor communicates the
strong and weak points of an employee’s job performance during the first part of the session.
During the second part of the session, the employee’s feelings about the evaluation are
thoroughly explored. The tell-and-listen method gives both managers and employees the
opportunity to release and iron out any
frustrating feelings they might have.
3. Problem-Solving. This format is the most proactive. Listening, accepting, and
responding to feelings are essential elements of it. However, the format goes beyond an
interest in the employee’s feelings. It seeks to obtain the employees’ buy-in for a mutually
agreed-upon way to overcome obstacles and actually improve the person’s actual
performance.
Managers shouldn't assume that one format is best for every review session. Rather, they can
use one or more of the formats depending on the purpose of the session, the topic being
discussed, and the receptiveness of the employee.
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension

137. What are some important guidelines for conducting a successful performance evaluation meeting?
ANSWER: There are probably no hard-and-fast rules for how to conduct an evaluation, but
the guidelines that follow can increase an employee’s willingness to discuss his or her
performance and improve it, accept feedback from his or her supervisors, and increase the
person’s overall satisfaction with the feedback process.
1. Ask for a self-evaluation
2. Invite participation
3. Express appreciation
4. Be supportive and demonstrate that you care
5. Minimize criticism
6. Establish goals
7. Follow-up day-to-day
8. Change the behavior, not the person
POINTS: 1
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: MGHR.SNEL.17.8-4
NATIONAL STANDARDS: United States - BUSPROG - Analytic - Business knowledge and analytic skills
STATE STANDARDS: United States - OH - DISC: HRM
KEYWORDS: Bloom’s: Comprehension
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Mr. Replogle's
dream
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Mr. Replogle's dream

Author: Evelyn E. Smith

Release date: November 14, 2023 [eBook #72120]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc, 1956

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed


Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR.


REPLOGLE'S DREAM ***
mr. replogle's dream

By EVELYN E. SMITH

This was a proud day in the life of modern


art. This exhibition would prove that the
machine could not conquer man.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from


Fantastic Universe December 1956.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The Cimabue Gallery was the last stronghold of
nostalgia—expensive nostalgia. Apart for the
robot attendants—unfortunately necessary, the
times being what they were—there was
practically nothing machine-made about the
Gallery, dedicated as it was to being more than
a mere commercial venture. Evelyn E. Smith
returns to these pages with a gently ironic story
of men and dreams—the day after tomorrow....
"This," said Mr. Ditmars, "is a proud day in the life of the Cimabue
Gallery."
"It is a proud day in the life of modern art," added Mr. Replogle,
feeling that Mr. Ditmars was giving too parochial a picture of the
situation, "for it proves with more force than ever that the machine
will not conquer man."
Both partners gazed with varying degrees of complacency at the
large, brightly-colored oil paintings that covered the refined pastel
walls of the Cimabue. There was almost nothing machine-made
about the gallery—the thick, soft rugs had been hand-woven at
fabulous expense by workmen in the less industrialized areas of the
Middle East, the furnishings hand-carved by tribesmen deep in the
heart of the Australian bush. The only exception was the robot
attendants, which were, unfortunately, necessary, for no one paid
attention to human beings any more unless they were top
management or very high in the hierarchy of handcrafters.
Cimabue could afford all this luxury, and more too, for, now that big
business had become an art, art had become a big business. People
saved the excess from their government subsidies—or, if they were
lucky enough to have professional status, their salaries—to buy a
painting, a holograph manuscript ... anything to distinguish their
homes from the uniform grey mass of material comforts which the
government bestowed on everyone alike. As a result, the partners
were as wealthy as anyone outside the ruling class could hope to be.
However, Mr. Replogle, at least, was not happy. He suffered from
nightmares.
"But where is Orville?" demanded the man from the Times-Herald-
Mirror. "We haven't come to interview you two—you always say the
same thing about every new artist you discover. In fact, we already
have your words set up in type."
Mr. Ditmars gave him a benign smile. "Orville's case is different.
Never before in history has an absolutely unknown artist received
such an immediate ovation from the public. Why, almost every
picture on exhibit is already sold—the buyers have kindly allowed us
to retain them on our walls for the duration of the show as a service
to the public."
"Cimabue is more than a mere commercial venture," Mr. Replogle
added, wishing he could slip off for a paraspirin; his head hurt most
mechanically. "It is a cultural institution."
"Yeah, Orville did get pretty good write-ups," the World-Post and
Journal man conceded, "though any half-way decent artist sells like
hotcakes these days. People naturally go for anything that's hand-
made." And he fingered his hand-painted tie self-consciously. "But it
can't last."
This disturbed Mr. Replogle more than it should have. But he had
been bothered for many years by his recurring dream—a dream so
frightful that he did not dare to confide it to anyone because of its
terrifying plausibility. And anything said or done by day that seemed
to approach that midnight horror roused him to immediate
defensiveness. "Oh, yes it can last!" he protested. "It will! It must! For
art is the people's last bulwark against the machine—the one area
which cannot be mechanized, which reassures the human race that
it still is pre-eminent."
"Kindly do not touch the pictures," the roboguard droned.
"I was only feeling Orville's impasto," the lady from the Woman's
Own News defended herself. "Very thick."
I couldn't have told her to stop, Mr. Replogle reflected bitterly.
Coming from me it would have been rude, but from a robot it's all
right. Everyone knows a robot's only aim is to serve man. Our
altruism depends on our individual consciences; theirs is built-in and,
hence, more reliable.
"But where is Orville?" the man from the Times-Herald-Mirror
persisted. "He was supposed to be here at three-thirty, and it's
almost four now."
"Softly, softly," said Mr. Ditmars. "The robobar doesn't open itself until
four anyway, so you know you're in no hurry.... And, remember, a
great artist mustn't be rushed—he is not a machine, you know."
"Hervey McGeachin is bringing him," Mr. Replogle explained. "One
could hardly hurry McGeachin," he added ... unnecessarily, for
everyone knew that one didn't hurry the richest man in the United
States—one awaited his pleasure. Beside being fabulously wealthy,
McGeachin had the reputation of being something of a recluse, but
this did not make him more newsworthy, for all members of top
management tended to be a bit eccentric. The rank was hereditary—
it took more than one generation for a family to begin to understand
its machines—and there was a lot of inbreeding, with the usual
results.
"Orville is a protege of Mr. McGeachin's, isn't he?" asked the lady
from Woman's Own.
"Yes," Mr. Ditmars said. "All that was in the press release. He's one
of Mr. McGeachin's employees. Mr. McGeachin discovered him
personally, and he got in touch with us." Mr. Ditmars almost swelled
with visible pride; Mr. Replogle wished he would exercise a bit more
self-restraint. Such an open display of emotion was vulgar—almost
mechanical, one might say. Especially since they themselves were
management, in a way, although one didn't, of course, apply such a
word to those who dealt in the arts and crafts. The general public
feared and respected the management which governed them, but
they loved entrepreneurs.
"A factory hand!" Woman's Own gushed. "What a story that will
make!"
The male reporters laughed as one male. "Where have you been all
these years, cookie?" asked the World-Post and Journal. "I doubt if
there's a factory left in the United States that isn't mechanized to the
very hilt by now—with robot labor for the more specialized
operations."
"I know," she sighed. "Deep down inside of me I really know. I was
just hoping. I suppose I am—" and she batted her eyelashes "—like
all females, an incurable romantic. What do you suppose Orville is,
then?"
"Might be a clerk," Time-week suggested. "A lot of the big places still
use live clerical help for tone, and, of course, you always need a few
human beings around in case the machines break down."
"I somehow got the impression that he was an executive," Mr.
Ditmars said frostily.
"Let's hope not. It would ruin the human element in the story. You
can't expect our readers to identify with management."
"A minor executive, that is," Mr. Replogle hastened to inform them,
before Ditmars could open his big mouth again. "More like a shipping
clerk."
"Is Orville his first or his last name?" Woman's Own wanted to know.
"Just Orville," Mr. Ditmars said. "Like Rembrandt."
"Of course Rembrandt did have a last name," Mr. Replogle pointed
out. "He just isn't known by it."
"And Orville's more like Grandma Moses, anyhow, I would say,"
commented the Times-Herald-Mirror.
"He is a primitive, true," Mr. Replogle said judiciously. "If you insist
upon pinning a label on him, you might call him a post pre-
Raphaelite, with just a soupcon of Rousseau."
"I didn't know Rousseau painted," the World-Post and Journal man
said, busily clicking on his typopad.
"Not that one," Mr. Replogle told him kindly. "The other two."
"How old is Orville?" Woman's Own held her typopad at the ready.
"How many children does he have? Is he married? Fond of animals?
What does he eat for breakfast?"
"For heaven's sake," Mr. Ditmars exploded, "it isn't the man himself
that matters—it's the man as interpreted through his art! And you
can see that art for yourself." He waved his arms toward the pale
gallery walls. "Drink it in and absorb the essence of the artist."
"But we'd like a little more factual data, as a point of departure. After
all, our readers—"
"All right, all right," Mr. Ditmars said before Mr. Replogle could stop
him, "I'll give you all the facts we have—to wit, none. All we know
about Orville we put into the release. McGeachin's been keeping him
under wraps. We don't know a thing about him. He's eccentric—
McGeachin, I mean."
"Could be Orville also," the World-Post and Journal suggested.
Mr. Ditmars sighed. "Could be Orville also," he conceded.
"It's more of a story if Orville is eccentric. You more or less expect it
from management."
"Well," Mr. Replogle said, unable to contain himself further—his head
was really blasting off—"artists can be pretty peculiar people too."
It was Mr. Ditmars' turn to glare at him.
"Make way for Hervey McGeachin III and Orville," the robot at the
door declaimed. "Make way...."
Every head swivelled to catch sight of the well-known but seldom-
seen financier, as he came jerkily through the crowd. All the
journalists were dressed in the maroon or beige or navy synthetics of
almost similar cut that mass production had enforced upon the entire
population, save for the very wealthy. Gay knitted mittens, colorful
plumed hats, rainbow-hued scarves—all of which were
ostentatiously hand-made—showed that the pressmen were
professionals and not mere government pensioners who could do
nothing that a machine could not do as well or better. However,
although there were no sumptuary laws as such, few of the
journalists could afford more than one or two of these costly, status-
making accessories.
McGeachin was completely costumed in rugged individualist style.
His scarlet silk hose, emerald satin knee breeches, swallow-tailed
plum velvet coat, and starched white ruff made Mr. Replogle, who
had been rather proud of his own pale blue brocade waistcoat and
seal-skin mukluks almost sick with envy. He's so hand-made he's
practically mechanical, he said bitterly to himself.
McGeachin was followed by a Class Three, All-Purpose Manual
Labor Robot, well-burnished but of rather an early pattern. Surely,
Mr. Replogle thought, if the financier had to use a mechanical man,
and personal attendants were far more hand-made, he could at least
have got a more recent model.
"Welcome to Cimabue, Mr. McGeachin," Mr. Ditmars and Mr.
Replogle said almost simultaneously.
"But where is Orville?" the senior partner added.
McGeachin pointed with his long green cigar. "This is Orville," he
said in a crisp metallic voice.
Mr. Replogle could feel himself growing pale all the way down to his
mukluks. This was precisely the way his nightmare had always
begun. Only now it was reality ... or was it? Perhaps he was back in
the dream again. He could close his eyes and, when he opened
them, he would be lying in his own standard air-conditioned toti-
comfort sleeplounge under his own satin-covered, goose-down filled
luxury quilt.
"A robot!" he could hear Mr. Ditmars wail, as the typopads began to
click thinly, his voice somehow sounding far away. "How could you—
why didn't you let us know he was a robot beforehand?"
Mr. Replogle opened his eyes and nothing had changed; it was all
real—it was the end.
"Because you would have discriminated against him," Hervey
McGeachin was saying, his grey face shiny with excessive emotion.
"Everybody discriminates against my poor robots. Trustworthy, hard-
working, clean, loyal to a fault—yet everybody discriminates against
them merely because they're machines. I knew that, if I had told you
he was a robot, you would never have hung his pictures in Cimabue,
in spite of the fact that it was I who recommended him."
Top management or no, Mr. Replogle felt he must speak; there were
principles at stake. The dismal future of humanity rested somehow in
his own shaking hands. "Sir," he said, in a hoarse voice, "you have
not dealt fairly with us. You said that this Orville was a protege of
yours."
"And so he is." McGeachin put a thick, unmuscular arm around the
robot's hard shoulders. "He is my protege and friend and I don't care
if people do call me a robot-lover."
There was a gasp from the reporters, even those representing the
liberal press.
McGeachin pointed his cigar at them. "Listen," he said.
"Autobiographical note." Typopads began to click. "Up until the age
of seventeen I hardly knew there was anybody on the planet but
robots. My father didn't have time to mess around with kids, since he
believed in running all of his multifarious industries personally. I,
myself, though I tour the factories only once a year, have succeeded,
by means of a computer and a ouija board, in increasing what little
remained of his vast fortune after taxes to an amount that is ten
times as great as his was at its peak."
"How do you spell ouija?" the man from the World-Post and Journal
interrupted.
"So," McGeachin continued, after affably spelling the word and
making a few adverse remarks on the sad state of current education,
"during my childhood, I was left entirely in the care of robots, and I
was a happy, carefree lad until I was sent to Harvard. There I
discovered the dark truth which has over-shadowed my life ever
since and rendered me a virtual recluse—that there are also large
numbers of people in the world. Give me a robot, any time.
Trustworthy, hard-working, clean, loyal to a fault, and, in Orville's
case, artistic also. Tell 'em how you started in to paint, Orville."
"Well, it was like this, gents," Orville said in a voice like a rusty hinge.
"I work for the Perfect Paint Section of the Superior Chemicals
Division of the Universal Materials Corporation, which is a subsidiary
of the McGeachin interests, and, as I'm getting along in gears, I was
put onto artists' oil colors, which are individually ground, like all the
artists nowadays want 'em to be—"
"In all McGeachin products, from paints to parliaments," the financier
interjected, "the customer comes first, insofar as his desires are
compatible with the mass-production methods necessarily imposed
upon us by automation."
"—And there was a little left over of some colors what wouldn't fit into
the tubes, and the forebot says to me, he says, 'Throw 'em into the
disposal, Orville—'"
"—All the McGeachin robots have names. It gives that personal
touch I like to have around my plants." There was something
extraordinarily odd about McGeachin, Mr. Replogle felt, though he
couldn't quite put his finger on just what it was ... something more
than mere eccentricity, something curiously sinister.
"—And I says to the forebot, 'Begging your pardon, sir, but if there
was no other use for 'em, I would like to try my hand at painting a
picture like on the pretty calendars Perfect Paint sends out every
Christmas.' And he says to me, laughing-like, 'Well, if that's what you
want to do with your restoration period, Orville, more power to you' ...
which is—" the robot snickered "—a kind of little joke we have
amongst ourselves at the factory."
One of the Cimabue robots gave a laugh which Mr. Replogle cut
short with a glance.
"But I didn't know they could do that," the Times-Herald-Mirror said
plaintively. "Laugh, I mean."
"Ah," McGeachin told him, "that's because you never bothered to
understand the real robot. You don't look beyond the metal to the
wires that vibrate underneath."
"So I painted a picture on a piece of cardboard," Orville continued
patiently, "—the side of a carton it was—and the picture was much
admired in the plant, though I says it as shouldn't, and Mr.
Pembroke, the superintendent, went so far as to ask if he might have
it to hang in his office, which, of course, I was glad to have him do.
And there it come to the attention of Mr. McGeachin when he was
making his annual tour of the plant.... Mr. McGeachin is—" Orville
approximated a modest cough "—by way of being a connoissoor."
"When I saw that picture, I knew I was standing in the presence of
solid genius," McGeachin took over. "Mind you, when I heard it had
been painted by a robot, I was surprised myself, I admit it freely. But
I was not prejudiced. I had spent all my life with machines and I
knew of what fine handcraft they were capable. 'Why shouldn't a
robot paint a picture?' I asked myself. 'No reason whatsoever,' I
answered. And I was right, as is amply evidenced by this splendid
and tastefully arranged display." He beamed at Mr. Ditmars, who
groaned.
"But it's impossible," the lady from Woman's Own protested, looking
as if only the dignity of her profession kept her from bursting into
tears. "How could a robot paint a picture. How could it want to paint
a picture?"
"I dunno," Orville, as the only one who could conceivably be
expected to answer this question, said. "It just come to me like that.
You could say I was inspired, I guess."
"But inspiration is a human prerogative! If a robot can be inspired,
what is left for people now?"
"'Tisn't for me to say, miss," Orville said modestly, "only I don't see
why we both couldn't be inspired. Peaceful coexistence, like. If
robots are designed to serve man, they could do a better job of it if
both—man and machine—work side by side harmoniously."
"Work!" exclaimed the male reporters unharmoniously.
Mr. Replogle closed his eyes. He had never expected to hear such a
mechanical word in the chaste purlieux of his gallery—his and Mr.
Ditmars' gallery, that was, but it didn't matter, soon it wouldn't be
anybody's gallery. Reality was following the inexorable course of the
dream and they were doomed.
"No offense intended," Orville said hastily. "I meant work like maybe
painting or knitting. I didn't mean machine work."
"And why not machine work?" McGeachin demanded. "Why
shouldn't man work with his hands instead of just crafting?"
A little man, Replogle thought, would be lynched for saying a more
than mechanical thing like that—mechanical, why it was down-right
subversive!—but McGeachin was secure because of the position
that he maintained only as a result of the sweat and toil of others.
Only, of course, robots don't sweat. The light film that had begun to
cover Orville was doubtless only excess oil. Disgusting,
nevertheless.
"Listen," McGeachin said, pointing his long, green cigar at the
reporters. "Important announcement. I have decided to replace all
my feedback equipment, except where the most delicate operations
are involved, by people."
The typopads clicked furiously.
"You ask me why?" although no one had; they were much too
stunned. "Because robots, though trustworthy, hard-working, clean,
and loyal to a fault, have one drawback—they're expensive. A
worker dies or gets sick, it's no extra money out of my pocket—I got
to pay taxes for his welfare anyway. A robot breaks down, his loss is
all mine. A human worker I got to take care of maybe six, seven
hours a day, a robot twenty-four hours—and it isn't as if they worked
all that time; they got to have rest periods too, or they wear out too
fast. A human worker isn't my responsibility—a robot I got to look out
for all the time."
"But I thought you liked machines better than people," Mr. Replogle
said.
"So, is management expected to like labor? Is labor supposed to like
management? Traditional enemies. I just figured out why I've been
so unhappy most of my life—I like my employees. It's unnatural. It's
—"
"Wrong, Mr. McGeachin?" quavered Woman's Own. "What do you
mean?"
"I'm going to put people in my factories and have robots at my dinner
table.... They don't eat—" McGeachin chuckled fruitily "—so you can
see what an economy move that would be."
Nobody laughed. If McGeachin hadn't been top management—really
top management—Mr. Replogle knew, he would have been torn to
pieces. But top management was boss; it was government; it was
divine right. Nobody did anything.
"If the machine can replace man," Orville suggested, "why can't man
replace the machine? Plenty of room for both.... Did I say something
wrong?" he added, seeing the expressions on the human faces that
surrounded him.
"You're just ahead of your time, boy." McGeachin clapped him on the
shoulder. "But you're right. Why can't man co-exist with the
machine? Why can't robots paint pictures and write books and
compose operas, while people work in the factories? Don't know just
yet how it'll work out in the factories, but it'll be a great day for art!"
"We're going to have to give the money back," Mr. Replogle said
dully.
"What money?" McGeachin asked, obviously annoyed by this
anticlimactic remark.
"The money paid for Orville's pictures. We cheated the buyers—
unwittingly, it is true, but we cheated them nonetheless. We sold the
pictures as hand-mades. They're machined."
"But I have hands," Orville protested.
Mr. Ditmars shook his head. "You're a machine. Replogle is right.
Cimabue is ruined."
"I'll make good your losses," McGeachin said in his crisp, metallic
voice, and just then Mr. Replogle knew what had been bothering him
all along about the financier. Despite his completely hand-made
costume McGeachin looked exactly like a robot. The triumph of
environment over heredity—or was it as simple as that, Mr. Replogle
wondered. Everyone knew who Hervey McGeachin's father was, but
who had his mother been?
"No one can make good our losses," Mr. Ditmars told him. "Modern
art has suffered a crushing blow from which it will never recover. The
handwriting is on the wall."
"You mean the typewriting," Mr. Replogle said.
*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MR.
REPLOGLE'S DREAM ***

Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will
be renamed.

Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S.


copyright law means that no one owns a United States copyright in
these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it
in the United States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of
this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™
electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG™ concept
and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and
may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following the
terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use of
the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for
copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very
easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as
creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research.
Project Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given
away—you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with
eBooks not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject
to the trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.

START: FULL LICENSE


THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

You might also like