SSM Supporting ART Events Practice Question
A Scrum Master is facilitating the team's breakout during PI Planning. Two team members are dominating the conversation about a Feature, while the quieter members have not spoken. What should the Scrum Master do?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming the Scrum Master should stay neutral and let the discussion flow naturally rather than actively facilitating balanced participation.
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
✓
Actively invite the quieter members to share their perspective so the whole team contributes to the plan.
During PI Planning, the Scrum Master facilitates so that all team members contribute to the plan. Actively inviting quieter members ensures the team benefits from diverse perspectives and builds shared commitment. The other actions either ignore the imbalance, escalate inappropriately, or impose speaking roles that can harm psychological safety.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Let the dominant members finish and then move on so the team stays on schedule.
Why it's wrong here
Moving on without input from quieter members sacrifices the team's collective knowledge and risks a plan that reflects only the loudest voices. PI Planning depends on full-team participation, so prioritizing schedule over inclusion here undermines the plan's quality and buy-in.
- ✗
Escalate the behavior to the Release Train Engineer as an impediment to the planning process.
Why it's wrong here
Dominating a discussion is a facilitation concern the Scrum Master can address directly, not an impediment requiring the Release Train Engineer. Escalating prematurely bypasses the Scrum Master's responsibility to coach team dynamics and may embarrass team members unnecessarily.
- ✓
Actively invite the quieter members to share their perspective so the whole team contributes to the plan.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master serves the team by fostering an environment where all voices are heard during planning. Inviting quieter members ensures diverse input, better estimates, and shared ownership of the plan, which is exactly the collaborative behavior PI Planning depends on.
- ✗
Assign the quiet members specific Features to present so they must speak.
Why it's wrong here
Forcing quiet members to present specific Features can increase anxiety and does not address the underlying dynamic of unequal airtime. Facilitation should create space for voluntary contribution, not mandate speaking roles, which can feel punitive rather than supportive.
About these practice questions
This SSM question is part of Courseiva's 385-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
This SSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scaled Agile 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 SSM exam.