CSM Scrum Events Practice Question
Which TWO conditions must be met for a Sprint to be officially canceled before its time-box expires? (Choose TWO)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly believe the Scrum Master or the entire team can vote to cancel a Sprint. They fail to realize that only the Product Owner possesses the authority to make this decision.
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 Sprint Goal becomes obsolete due to significant shifts in company strategy or market conditions.
A Sprint can be canceled only by the Product Owner, and only when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete due to drastic changes in business conditions, market forces, or technology. This extreme mechanism protects the organization from investing effort in work that no longer holds value. The decision must be based on a clear strategic pivot rather than minor delivery delays or internal team disagreements.
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 Development Team realizes they will finish all backlog items two days ahead of schedule.
Why it's wrong here
Finishing early does not justify canceling a Sprint. If items are completed early, the team pulls additional refined items from the Product Backlog in collaboration with the Product Owner, honoring the remainder of the time-box.
- ✓
The Sprint Goal becomes obsolete due to significant shifts in company strategy or market conditions.
Why this is correct
An obsolete Sprint Goal renders the entire iteration pointless, making cancellation the correct economic choice. It prevents wasted effort and allows the team to refocus immediately on newly aligned business priorities.
- ✓
The Product Owner determines that the business need driving the Sprint Goal no longer exists.
Why this is correct
The Product Owner holds the ultimate accountability for product value and can cancel the Sprint if the business rationale vanishes. This protects the organization from building features that no longer serve strategic goals.
- ✗
Key developers fall ill, causing a temporary reduction in team velocity for the current iteration.
Why it's wrong here
Temporary capacity drops due to illness are normal operational challenges handled by renegotiating scope, not by canceling the Sprint. Canceling Sprints frequently destroys cadence and erodes team trust in the framework.
- ✗
The Scrum Master and senior executives mutually agree that the team is moving too slowly.
Why it's wrong here
Slow velocity or missed forecasts alone never justify Sprint cancellation. Sprints are safe learning boundaries where delivery misses are inspected and addressed during the Sprint Retrospective rather than through cancellation.
About these practice questions
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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.