CSM Scrum Team Roles and Accountabilities Practice Question
Which of the following is true about the Scrum Master's role during the Sprint Retrospective?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the Scrum Master must provide the solutions or own the improvements. The Scrum Master only facilitates the event; the team owns the process and the improvements.
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
✓
The Scrum Master ensures the event is held and facilitates it as requested.
The Scrum Master facilitates the Retrospective to ensure it is positive, productive, and focused on improvement. They do not own the improvements; the team does. By facilitating the meeting, the Scrum Master helps the team inspect their process and identify ways to become more effective in the next Sprint, which is the primary goal of the Retrospective event in Scrum.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The Scrum Master decides which improvements the team will implement.
Why it's wrong here
If the Scrum Master forces improvements, the team will not have ownership or commitment to them. The Scrum Team must decide their own improvements. This is key to self-management; they know their pain points best and are the ones who must execute the changes to see the benefits.
- ✓
The Scrum Master ensures the event is held and facilitates it as requested.
Why this is correct
The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring the Retrospective is held and that it is productive. By facilitating, they help the team surface issues and generate actionable improvements. This structure ensures that the team continuously improves their process, which is a cornerstone of the empirical nature of Scrum.
- ✗
The Scrum Master reports the team's failures to management.
Why it's wrong here
The Retrospective is a private space for the Scrum Team to improve. Reporting failures to management destroys the psychological safety required for open discussion. It turns a safe space into a place for blame, which will prevent the team from being honest about their challenges and growth opportunities.
- ✗
The Scrum Master writes the improvement plan for the next Sprint.
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Team must own their improvement plan. The Scrum Master can record the plan, but the team must agree on the action items. Creating the plan for them removes their accountability for their own growth and makes the Retrospective a compliance exercise rather than an engine for improvement.
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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.