This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
In a Scrum team, the product owner frequently changes priorities within a sprint, causing the team to abandon work mid-task. The team is becoming demotivated. What should the scrum master do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Coach the product owner on the impact of changing priorities mid-sprint and reinforce the sprint backlog agreement
Option D is correct because the Scrum Master's primary role is to coach the Product Owner and the team on Scrum principles, including the importance of a stable Sprint Backlog. Changing priorities mid-sprint violates the Sprint Goal and undermines team focus, leading to demotivation. By reinforcing the Sprint Backlog agreement, the Scrum Master protects the team from disruption while respecting the Product Owner's authority outside the sprint.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to overrule the product owner
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should be after coaching and within the Scrum framework.
✗
Shorten the sprint length to two or three days to accommodate frequent changes
Why it's wrong here
Shorter sprints may increase overhead and still not address the root cause.
✗
Accept the changes as the product owner has authority over priorities
Why it's wrong here
The scrum master should protect the sprint goal and ensure stability.
✓
Coach the product owner on the impact of changing priorities mid-sprint and reinforce the sprint backlog agreement
Why this is correct
Coaching aligns with the scrum master's role as a servant leader and process guardian.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse the Product Owner's authority over the Product Backlog with the ability to change the Sprint Backlog mid-sprint, leading them to incorrectly accept the changes (Option C) instead of recognizing the Scrum Master's duty to enforce the sprint boundary.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Scrum, the Sprint Backlog is a plan made by the Development Team to achieve the Sprint Goal, and it is considered frozen once the sprint starts. The Product Owner can reorder the Product Backlog at any time, but cannot force changes to the Sprint Backlog without canceling the sprint entirely. The Scrum Master acts as a servant leader to ensure the team adheres to this agreement, preventing the 'churn' that destroys velocity and morale.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Coach the product owner on the impact of changing priorities mid-sprint and reinforce the sprint backlog agreement — Option D is correct because the Scrum Master's primary role is to coach the Product Owner and the team on Scrum principles, including the importance of a stable Sprint Backlog. Changing priorities mid-sprint violates the Sprint Goal and undermines team focus, leading to demotivation. By reinforcing the Sprint Backlog agreement, the Scrum Master protects the team from disruption while respecting the Product Owner's authority outside the sprint.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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