AI0-001 Machine Learning and Deep Learning Practice Question
An autonomous vehicle system uses a deep reinforcement learning agent to navigate. The agent's reward function gives +1 for reaching the destination and -0.1 for each time step. After training, the agent learns to circle the block repeatedly without reaching the destination. Which modification is most likely to fix this behavior?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that increasing the terminal reward alone will fix reward hacking, when in fact the per-step penalty must be large enough to make delay costly relative to the goal reward.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the time penalty to -1 per step
The agent learns to circle the block because the cumulative penalty for each time step (-0.1) is too small relative to the reward for reaching the destination (+1). By increasing the time penalty to -1 per step, the agent will incur a much larger cost for delaying, making it optimal to reach the destination quickly rather than looping indefinitely. This directly addresses the reward structure imbalance that causes the undesirable behavior.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Increase the time penalty to -1 per step
Why this is correct
A higher penalty per step makes circling less rewarding and encourages reaching the destination quickly.
- ✗
Increase the reward for reaching the destination to +10
Why it's wrong here
Increasing destination reward may still not overcome the reward for circling if the agent can accumulate many steps.
- ✗
Use a discount factor closer to 0
Why it's wrong here
A low discount factor makes the agent short-sighted, which could worsen the problem.
- ✗
Add a penalty for each turn the vehicle makes
Why it's wrong here
Penalizing turns may prevent necessary navigation and does not address the core issue.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every AI0-001 question from scratch — 754 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This AI0-001 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AI0-001 exam.