CAPM Agile Frameworks and Methodologies Practice Question
A Scrum team has five members. During a Sprint, two members are pulled to work on a critical production issue. The remaining three are unable to complete all committed stories. What should the Scrum Master do?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMI often tests the misconception that the Scrum Master or Product Owner should directly manage the Sprint Backlog, when in fact the Development Team has exclusive authority over it during the Sprint.
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
✓
Let the Development Team decide how to adjust the Sprint Backlog.
In Scrum, the Development Team is self-organizing and responsible for managing its own work within the Sprint. When two members are pulled to a critical production issue, the remaining three team members have the authority to decide how to adjust the Sprint Backlog to reflect their reduced capacity. The Scrum Master should facilitate this self-management rather than imposing a solution, as option C respects the team's autonomy and the Scrum principle of self-organization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Extend the Sprint by one week to complete the remaining work.
Why it's wrong here
Sprints are timeboxed; extending them is not recommended.
- ✗
Ask the Product Owner to remove work from the Sprint Backlog.
Why it's wrong here
The Product Owner can cancel the Sprint but cannot unilaterally remove items without team agreement.
- ✓
Let the Development Team decide how to adjust the Sprint Backlog.
Why this is correct
The Development Team self-organizes to handle changes and can renegotiate scope.
- ✗
Remove the least valuable stories from the Sprint Backlog.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master does not decide scope; the Development Team does.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 CAPM exam.