Peter G.

Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Multiple Choice

1. Kirkpatrick and Locke’s research postulated that

a. Individuals are only born with traits
b. Traits can be learned
c. Traits cannot be learned
d. Traits are unimportant to leadership
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

2. Conducted two major surveys of research on the trait approach:

a. Stogdill
b. Judge et al.
c. Jung and Sosik
d. Zaccaro
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

3. Found several consistent traits among charismatic leaders:

a. Stogdill
b. Judge et al.
c. Jung and Sosik
d. Shankman and Allen
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

4. Conducted studies of social intelligence and its relationship to leadership:

a. Stogdill
b. Judge et al.
c. Jung and Sosik
d. Zaccaro
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

5. ______________ is described as those abilities to understand one’s own and others feelings,
behaviors and thoughts and to act appropriately.
a. Great Man theory
b. Social intelligence
c. Emotional intelligence
d. Big Five personalities
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

6. Persistence, dominance, and drive are characteristics of which trait?

a. Extraversion
b. Sociability
c. Determination
d. Intelligence
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description-Determination
Question Type: MC

7. _____________ is one of the five major leadership traits that focuses on a leader’s inclination
to seek out pleasant social relationships.
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

a. Surgency
b. Agreeableness
c. Extraversion
d. Intelligence
e. Sociability
Ans: E
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

8. Research related to the trait approach has

a. Been a newer area of research.
b. Been around for over 100 years.
c. Not been a focus of researchers until recently.
d. Consisted of very few known models and studies.
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

9. In a major review in 1948, Stogdill suggested

a. No consistent set of traits differentiates leaders from non-leaders.
b. Leadership traits are independent of situation factors.
c. Extraversion is a definitive leadership trait.
d. A consistent set of traits differentiates leaders from nonleaders.
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

10. Which best describes the overall results of Stogdill's second survey when compared with his
initial survey?
a. There was little to no difference in the findings.
b. Situational factors became less of a focus.
c. It was more balanced in its descriptions of the role of traits and leadership.
d. Personality played a larger role in leadership.
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

11. Mary has managed the mailroom for 2 years. Management views Mary as a person with
special leadership talent, such as intelligence, sociability, and determination. What approach is
management using in assessing Mary?
a. Trait approach
b. Attributions approach
c. Behavioral approach
d. Managerial grid approach
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

12. Stogdill’s second study found

a. No significant differences in traits from 1948 to 1974
b. Situational factors could not be identified
c. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in leadership
d. Both traits and situational factors are determinants of leadership
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

13. The following traits are associated with charismatic leadership:

a. Intelligence, self-confidence
b. Physical attractiveness, height
c. Desire for power, desire to help others
d. Self-monitoring, impression management
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

14. The trait approach focuses on

a. Follower-leader interaction
b. Role of the leader
c. Role of the follower
d. Role of the organization
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

15. A manager arrives an hour early to work every day and is always completing his task early
as well as constantly striving for excellence within the organization. Which two traits best
represent the manager?
a. Articulate and self-confident
b. Dependable and diligent
c. Trustworthy and perceptive
d. Self-confident and empathetic
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

16. During the 2008 United States presidential election, Barack Obama demonstrated this trait
extensively and brought public attention to its value as it relates to leadership.
a. Readiness
b. Vigor
c. Charisma
d. Drive
e. Capacity
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

17. Being socially aware, possessing social acumen, practicing self-monitoring, and having the
ability to decide on the best response for any given situation, and then following through with
said decision, are part of Zaccaro's definition of
a. Problem solving
b. Intelligence
c. Task knowledge
d. Cognitive ability
e. Social intelligence
Ans: E
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

18. By comparing Stogdill's findings from his 1948 survey with the findings of his updated 1974
survey, which of the following was suggested?
a. Leadership research has progressed little.
b. That risk taking and originality no longer play a role in problem solving.
c. That situational factors no longer play a large role within leadership.
d. That both personality and situational factors were causals in leadership.
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

19. Founder and former CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, best demonstrated which trait?
a. Openness
b. Integrity
c. Sociability
d. Intelligence
e. Determination
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Intelligence
Question Type: MC

20. A student who practices the piano daily and tries new music despite the difficulty
demonstrates which trait?
a. Determination
b. Sociability
c. Integrity
d. Self-awareness
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Determination
Question Type: MC

21. Developed a model of emotionally intelligent leadership:

a. Stogdill
b. Judge et al.
c. Jung and Sosik
d. Zaccaro
e. Shankman and Allen
Ans: E
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

22. Goleman suggests that emotional intelligence is a set of

a. Ethical and emotional competencies
b. Social and perceptual competencies
c. Personal and social competencies
d. Cognitive and expressive competencies
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

23. The underlying premise of emotional intelligence’s impact on leadership is

a. Intelligence is the most essential part of leadership
b. Sensitivity to personal emotions is most important to positive leadership
c. Understanding one’s own and others emotions provides a base for impactful leadership
d. Emotional intelligence has minimal impact on effective leadership
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

24. The cognitive domain in emotional intelligence describes

a. Confidence
b. Feeling
c. Competency
d. Thinking
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

25. Emotional intelligence has to do with two different domains and the interplay between them.
Those two domains are
a. Task and process
b. Mind and body
c. Affective and cognitive
d. Traits and styles
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

26. Shankman and Allen's (2002) model of emotionally intelligent leadership suggests leaders
must take into account these three fundamental facets of leadership:
a. Context, self, and others
b. Referent power, expert power, and legitimate power
c. Desire for power, desire to help others, and desire to win
d. Determination, integrity, and sociability
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

27. Openness in the Big Five Personality Model is defined as

a. intellect, being informed, creativity
b. Sociable, assertive, high energy
c. Organized, dependable, decisive
d. Accepting, trusting, nurturing
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

28. The Big Five personality factor that is weakly associated with leadership is
a. Conscientiousness
b. Neuroticism
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

c. Agreeableness
d. Sociability
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

29. Which of the Big Five personality factors is also one of the five major traits identified in the
text?
a. Extraversion
b. Determination
c. Conscientiousness
d. Self-confidence
e. Intelligence
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

30. Of the Big Five personality factors, which is the most strongly associated with leadership?
a. Openness
b. Neuroticism
c. Social status
d. Extraversion
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

31. Found a strong relationship between the Big Five traits and leadership:
a. Stogdill
b. Judge et al.
c. Jung and Sosik
d. Zaccaro
Ans: B
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

32. The Big Five consists of all of the following factors except
a. Openness
b. Neuroticism
c. Conscientiousness
d. Dominance
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: MC

33. The trait approach is concerned with

a. Leadership situations
b. Leadership skills
c. Follower attributes
d. Leader characteristics
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: How Does the Trait Approach Work
Question Type: MC

34. The trait approach is

a. No longer a viable leadership approach
b. Is primarily a focus of outdated research
c. Still a focus of contemporary leadership research
d. Irrelevant in modern society
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: How Does Trait Approach Work
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

35. A major strength of the trait approach is

a. There is a set list of traits that identify leadership
b. It is easy to identify the best traits for leadership
c. It can be used for leader training and development
d. It highlights the leader component of the leadership process
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

36. Within an organization, the trait approach can be applied to

a. Low-level managers
b. Middle-level managers
c. Upper-level managers
d. All levels of the organization
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Application
Question Type: MC

37. An organization requires you to fill out a personality assessment instrument as part of your
application process for a specific position with the organization. What best explains why they
would have you do this?
a. To place you with others who share the same traits.
b. To determine whether you fit their needs for the particular position.
c. To examine your attention to detail.
d. To decide on an amount for your salary.
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Application
Question Type: MC

38. People want to be able to identify leaders as those who are leading the way in our society.
This is an example of what strength of the approach?
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

a. Century of research
b. Intuitive appeal
c. Benchmarking traits
d. Definitive list of traits
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

39. Having a benchmark for what to look for if we want to be leaders is about
a. Trying to develop specifically the five major traits in the text
b. Giving a boss a specific set of traits to look for in potential new hires
c. Helping individuals see their own traits and decide if these are leadership traits
d. Specifically determining traits for a particular job promotion
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

40. A strength of the trait approach

a. Self-confidence is the trait most important to leadership
b. There is a clear list of leader traits
c. Identifying traits is highly objective
d. It is appealing to identify special traits in leaders
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

41. Which of the following is not a strength of the trait approach?

a. Self-confidence is the trait most important to leadership
b. It is appealing to identify special traits in leaders
c. More than a century of research has been conducted on traits
d. It provides a benchmark for what traits to look for in individuals
Ans: A
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

42. A major criticism of the trait approach is

a. It’s intuitive appeal
b. There is no definitive list of leadership traits
c. It highlights the leader component in the leadership process
d. Research on leadership traits is fairly new
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: MC

43. The trait approach

a. Takes situations into account
b. Is highly objective
c. Is quite useful for training programs
d. Has not found one definitive list of leadership traits
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: MC

44. Individuals displaying the five major traits in the text

a. Are leaders in their workplace
b. Also display other leader traits in their workplace
c. May be leaders in their workplace
d. Also display dominance in their workplace
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Criticisms
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Question Type: MC

45. Research over the past 100 years on leadership traits

a. Has clear and unambiguous findings
b. Has produced a definitive list of traits
c. Has described leader traits that are common to all situations
d. Has failed to produce a definitive list of traits
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: MC

46. Arif is the leader of a small group of human resources professionals. Two of these staff
members, Nina and Bohan, disagree about the leadership traits that Arif displays in their work
situation. This disagreement described which of the main criticisms of the trait approach?
a. High subjectivity
b. Century of research
c. Lack of leadership emergence
d. Usefulness in training and development
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: MC

47. The trait approach is criticized for its failure to take __________ into consideration.
a. Emotional intelligence
b. Personality
c. Differences in leaders
d. Situations
e. Role of the leader
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

48. I just had an argument with my supervisor about going over budget on my project. I had
strong emotions during the argument and now I and thinking about how to improve my mood at
work. This thinking about my emotions is
a. In the affective domain of emotional intelligence
b. In the cognitive domain of emotional intelligence
c. Is affective judgment of my emotions
d. Is neither affective nor cognitive judgment of my emotions
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

49. Social competence in emotional intelligence includes

a. Empathy
b. Self-regulation
c. Confidence
d. Motivation
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

50. Goleman suggests that emotional intelligence

a. Is not as important to leadership as IQ
b. Is less important for meeting life’s challenges than traits
c. Plays a major role in a person’s success
d. Plays a major role at only the top management levels
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MC

51. Applying the trait approach to 21st century leadership

Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

a. Lacks credibility
b. Helps us understand behaviors of leaders
c. Informs that leader’s traits are a part of leadership process
d. Tells us which traits are important in which contexts
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: How Does Trait Work?
Question Type: MC

52. More research has been conducted on this approach than any other.
a. Trait
b. Skills
c. French and Raven’s
d. Path–goal
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

53. When trying to identify who leaders are, I am using _______ approach.
a. Skills
b. Trait
c. Behavioral
d. Social judgment
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

54. The 100 or more years of research on traits was completed originally to
a. To distinguish between traits and behaviors
b. To define the five major traits associated with leadership
c. To distinguish between traits and skills
d. Determine a universal set of traits associated with leadership
Ans: D
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Summary
Question Type: MC

55. Which of the following is a strength of the trait approach?

a. It includes behaviors as a central component
b. It is used in many leadership training and development programs
c. It helps followers fulfill their need to see their leaders as gifted and special
d. It has a definitive set of traits that researchers agree upon
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: MC

56. The five traits that have been found to be the set of traits leaders must have to be considered
leaders are
a. Intelligence, sociability, self-confidence, integrity, determination
b. Self-confidence, social judgment, integrity, determination, extraversion
c. There is not a set of traits that all leaders must have
d. There is a set of leader traits that all leaders must have, just not those listed above
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Summary
Question Type: MC

57. A leader who is assured and dominant in her manner is expressing

a. Agreeableness
b. Openness
c. Integrity
d. Self-confidence
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Summary
Question Type: MC
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

58. _____________ is one of Northouse’s five major leadership traits focused on a leader’s
inclination to seek out pleasant social relationships.
a. Surgency
b. Agreeableness
c. Extraversion
d. Sociability
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Sociability
Question Type: MC

59. The vast majority of research on traits from early to modern day has found
a. Leaders are different from non-leaders
b. Masculinity is a common theme
c. Dominance is a common theme
d. Leaders and followers appear much the same
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MC

60. Zaccaro et. al. in 2004 analyzed several studies about

a. Masculinity and leadership
b. Self-confidence and leadership
c. Intelligence and leadership
d. Sociability and leadership
Ans: C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Intelligence
Question Type: MC

61. Intelligence as a leader characteristic is found in which of the following approaches?

a. Behavioral and Trait
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

b. Trait and Situational

c. Skills and Behavioral
d. Skills and Trait
Ans: D
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Summary
Question Type: MC

62. For effective leadership, intelligence of leaders should be

a. Fairly similar to their followers
b. Lower than their followers
c. Significantly higher than their followers’
d. Levels of intelligence do not matter in leadership
Ans: A
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Intelligence
Question Type: MC

63. The tendency to be thorough, dependable, organized, and decisive describes which Big Five
personality factor?
a. Openness
b. Conscientiousness
c. Low neuroticism
d. Self-confidence
Ans: B
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Five Factor Model
Question Type: MC

Multiple Selection

64. Which of the following traits are not among the five major leadership traits identified in the
text?
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

a. Openness
b. Integrity
c. Sociability
d. Agreeableness
e. Determination
Ans: A, D
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MS

65. Social competencies in emotional intelligence include

a. Empathy
b. Conflict management
c. Self-awareness
d. Self-confidence
Ans: A, B
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MS

66. Emotional intelligence includes our ability to perceive and

a. Manipulate emotions of others
b. Manage emotions of others
c. Express emotions
d. Use emotions to facilitate thinking
Ans: C, D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MS
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

67. Emotional intelligence includes our ability to perceive and

a. Express emotions
b. Use emotions to facilitate thinking
c. Reason/understand emotions
d. Manage emotions within oneself
Ans: A, B, C, D
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Emotional Intelligence
Question Type: MS

68. Completing a personal assessment of one’s own leadership traits

a. Helps individuals assess their own strengths
b. Helps individuals determine their potential for promotion
c. Helps individuals understand how they fit into an organization
d. Helps organizations choose lower-level managers
Ans: A, C
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: How Does the Trait Approach Work
Question Type: MS

69. Taking a trait assessment can help people

a. Gain insight about their own traits
b. Pinpoint their weaknesses
c. Recognize potential traits to develop
d. Manipulate others to gain a higher standing in their organization
Ans: A, B, C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Application
Question Type: MS

70. Mann’s study in 1959

a. Focused on situational factors in leadership
b. Reviewed studies on traits of leaders in small groups
c. Suggested that certain traits could be used to identify leaders from non-leaders
d. Described leader traits in terms of social perceptiveness rather than dominance
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Ans: B, C
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: MS

True/False

71. Openness is one of the five traits in the text that focuses on honesty and trustworthiness.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Big Five Personality Model
Question Type: TF

72. A strength of the trait approach is that it links specific leader traits to organizational
outcomes.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: TF

73. The trait approach focuses primarily on the leader, not on the followers or the situation.
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Knowledge
Answer Location: How Does the Trait Approach Work?
Question Type: TF
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

74. The great person approach stresses that leaders' traits are learned.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

75. The great person approach focuses on important political leaders.

a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

76. The trait approach has a century of research to back it up.

a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: TF

77. The trait approach failed to identify a definitive set of specific leadership traits.
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticism
Question Type: TF
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

78. In his early studies, Stogdill found that leaders in one situation would almost always be
leaders in another situation.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

79. Stogdill's later studies argued that personality and situational factors were both determinants
of leadership.
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

80. A major strength of the trait approach is that it is quite useful for training.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Strengths
Question Type: TF

81. Some studies have suggested that masculinity is a leadership trait.

a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

82. The trait approach determines the most important traits in a highly objective way.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: How Does the Trait Approach Work?
Question Type: TF

83. The trait approach determines the most important traits in a highly objective way.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: How Does the Trait Approach Work?
Question Type: TF

84. Of all the traits that are related to leadership, intelligence is probably the strongest (most
consistent).
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

85. In application, the trait approach can help individuals pinpoint their strengths and
weaknesses.
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Application
Question Type: TF
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

86. The trait approach emphasizes that leadership resides within the individual.
a. True
b. False
Ans: True
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: TF

87. A high level of neuroticism is positively correlated with leadership in Judge’s research.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Big Five Personality
Question Type: TF

88. The Big Five and leadership meta-analysis found that the factor most strongly associated
with leadership is conscientiousness.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Five Factor Personality Model
Question Type: TF

89. The trait approach successfully identified one list of specific leader traits.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Question Type: TF

90. The trait approach determines the most important traits in a highly objective way.
a. True
b. False
Ans: False
Cognitive Domain: Comprehension
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: TF

Essay

91. Why has the trait approach failed to provide a definitive list of leadership traits?
Ans: The approach has failed to take into account the impact of different situations, which may
call for different traits. The traits are not consistently operationalized and measured between
studies. Lists of important leadership traits are often subjective.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Criticisms
Question Type: Essay

92. Defend or refute: Personality assessment instruments are accurate ways of identifying
potential leaders within organizations.
Ans: If one holds the view that personal attributes are fixed and cannot be developed, then
identifying desired traits is one way of assessing potential leadership of organizational members.
Assessment instruments are limited in effectiveness in that organizations and their environments
change over time and the traits that serve members well in one setting may be less effective in
another. If one holds the view that personal attributes can be developed, then assessment
instruments may be useful in identifying initial desirable traits and, later on, measuring members'
progress in developing these traits. Personality assessment instruments, however, do not give the
full picture of a person's capabilities.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Five-factor Personality Model
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

Question Type: Essay

93. Of the five major leadership traits discussed in the chapter, which would you claim to be the
most important? Which the least important? Support your claim with specific examples from the
chapter.
Ans: The following traits should be referenced and supported through examples that demonstrate
specifics of each: Intelligence: Having strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning
appears to make one a better leader. Should not differ much from the follower as this may cause
communication problems. Self-confidence: the ability to be certain about one's competencies
and skills, closely tied to influence. Determination: Determination is the desire to get the job
done and includes characteristics such as initiative, persistence, dominance, and drive.
Integrity: Leaders with integrity inspire confidence in others because they can be trusted to do
what they say they are going to do. Sociability: Leaders who show sociability are friendly,
outgoing, courteous, tactful, and diplomatic.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Description
Question Type: Essay

94. Are leaders born or made? Defend your answer using information from either trait or skills
approach.
Ans: Answers will vary. Trait answers should include leaders are born because they have inborn
traits that help them be identified as leaders by their followers. Not all people can possess these
traits and people cannot really develop a trait. Therefore leaders are born not made.
Skills answers include leaders are made because skills and competencies can be learned and
developed. This makes leadership available to everyone if individuals take the time, energy, and
reflection to develop their skills for good leadership outcomes.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Application
Question Type: Essay

95. How do the Big Five personality factors relate to the five major leadership traits identified in
the text?
Ans: Answers will vary. Self-confidence is similar to extraversion in the sociable and assertive
area. Intelligence is similar to openness in that the insightful and informed and creative relate
somewhat to reasoning capacity. Agreeableness and sociability share the accepting and nurturing
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource

or human capacities. Determination and conscientiousness are similarly focused on dependability

and getting things done. Neuroticism is not what we want in leaders, and integrity as a
leadership trait is not part of the Big Five explicitly.
Cognitive Domain: Application
Answer Location: Five-factor Personality Model
Question Type: Essay