CSM Scrum Events Practice Question
A newly formed Scrum Team is struggling to finish their Sprint Backlog items by the end of the time-boxed Sprint. The Product Owner demands that the Sprint duration be doubled to four weeks to accommodate their slow velocity. How should the Scrum Master respond?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates frequently fall into the trap of agreeing to extend Sprint durations to accommodate slow velocity, failing to recognize that this destroys rapid empirical feedback loops.
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
✓
Facilitate a discussion with the team to investigate root causes of incomplete work and improve refinement.
The Scrum Master should advise against extending the Sprint length, as fixed time-boxes limit risk and provide a predictable cadence for inspection and adaptation. Instead, the team should focus on improving estimation, refining backlog items, and reducing work in progress. Extending the Sprint reduces the frequency of feedback loops, directly undermining the empirical nature of Scrum and masking underlying delivery dysfunctions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Support the Product Owner by extending the Sprint duration to four weeks to provide immediate relief.
Why it's wrong here
Extending the Sprint to four weeks changes the time-box to accommodate velocity, inverting Scrum's rule that duration stays fixed while scope flexes. It is tempting because it offers immediate relief and the Product Owner requested it, but the Scrum Master must coach the team on forecasting and backlog refinement instead.
- ✓
Facilitate a discussion with the team to investigate root causes of incomplete work and improve refinement.
Why this is correct
Addressing root causes directly targets the delivery process bottlenecks rather than altering the rhythm of the framework. Fixing estimation, backlog refinement, and WIP limits empowers the team to meet goals within the established two-week or shorter time-box.
- ✗
Advise the team to work through weekends to finish the items so the Sprint length can remain unchanged.
Why it's wrong here
Mandating weekend work violates Scrum's sustainable pace principle and treats a systemic capacity problem as an effort problem. It is tempting because it preserves the Sprint time-box, which is genuinely fixed, but the Scrum Master should instead coach the team and Product Owner on forecasting and scope negotiation.
- ✗
Transfer the unfinished items back to the Product Backlog and cancel the remaining days of the Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
Canceling a Sprint is only appropriate if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete due to drastic external changes. Normal delivery struggles within a Sprint should be addressed during the Retrospective rather than prematurely terminating the iteration.
About these practice questions
This CSM question is part of Courseiva's 312-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 Scrum Alliance exam blueprint
This CSM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scrum Alliance 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 CSM exam.