CHAPTER: MOTIVATION

Multiple Choice Questions

1. _____ is the set of forces that energize, direct, and sustain behavior.
a. Motivation
b. Expectancy
c. Empowerment
d. Socialization

2. Which of the following statements regarding internal forces of motivation is true?

a. They are more important to understand than external forces of motivation.
b. They are less important to understand than external forces of motivation.
c. They are as important as external forces of motivation.
d. They are seldom recognized by managers.

3. Which of the following is NOT a “pull” force of motivation?

a. availability of training
b. performance-level goals
c. rewards and compensation
d. pressure for high levels of output

4. Which of the following is NOT an internal motivational force?

a. goals
b. needs
c. attitudes
d. feedback

5. Characteristics of a job are considered _____ forces, which focus on _____.

a. external or push; what happens in the work setting
b. external or pull; what a person does in the work setting
c. internal or push; what a person brings to his or her work
d. internal or pull; what happens outside of the work setting

6. Which of the following is NOT a “push” force of motivation?

a. security needs
b. career advancement goals
c. attitudes about the supervisor
d. the amount and timing of feedback
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7. According to your textbook, all of the following EXCEPT _____ can be used to form
a useful framework for analyzing the sources of motivation in the workplace.
a. the characteristics of the job
b. the characteristics of the individual
c. the characteristics of the work situation
d. the characteristics of the business environment

8. _____ focus on the needs a person is trying to satisfy and the features of the work
environment that seem to satisfy those needs.
a. Process theories
b. Content theories
c. Situational theories
d. Motivational theories

9. To begin motivating an apathetic associate, a manager informally questions her about

her satisfaction with her job’s ability to provide safety, social interaction, self-respect,
and opportunities for growth. What theory of motivation is this manager most likely
trying to apply in working with the associate?
a. Maslow’s need hierarchy
b. Vroom’s expectancy theory
c. Herzberg’s two-factor theory
d. McClelland’s acquired needs theory

10. Which of the following is NOT a content theory?

a. Maslow’s need hierarchy
b. Vroom’s expectancy theory
c. Herzberg’s two-factor theory
d. McClelland’s acquired needs theory

11. A plant manager in a small factory wishes to raise morale in his workforce. The
manager notes that the working conditions at the plant are safe, clean, and pleasant,
and that recent expansion of the workforce has assured the employees that their jobs
are secure. Which of the following actions should the manager take to ensure that the
“belongingness” needs in Maslow’s hierarchy are satisfied?
a. pay bonuses to workers who achieve specified goals
b. publicly praise those workers who have been most productive
c. set up after-work clubs, such as a softball team, to allow more social interaction
d. foster the development of skills in workers who show talent in a particular area

12. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes all of the following categories EXCEPT _____.
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 a. safety
b. relatedness
c. physiological
d. self actualization

13. McClelland’s acquired needs theory asserts that managers who work with high need
achievers typically should NOT _____.
a. expect them to take extreme risks
b. assign moderately difficult tasks to them
c. provide specific feedback on their performance
d. assume they will take personal responsibility for their actions

14. According to Frederick Herzberg, _____ are elements associated with conditions
surrounding the job.
a. hygiene factors
b. motivating factors
c. economic factors
d. environmental factors

15. A manager wishes to improve the job performance of a group of clerical workers.
Based on Herzberg’s theory, _____ would be an appropriate motivator.
a. providing them with a better health care plan
b. setting up a break room where coworkers could socialize
c. offering them opportunities for achievement and recognition
d. redecorating their offices so that they are pleasant and comfortable

16. _____ focuses on core job attributes, critical psychological states, and expected
outcomes.
a. The equity model
b. The expectancy model
c. The two-factor model
d. The job characteristics model

17. A manager is designing a new position for a head of training. Considering the job
characteristics model, which of the following changes would be least likely to result
in a rich and rewarding job?
a. making the job cover a variety of tasks, from one-on-one training, to supervision
and hiring of staff, to creating training materials
b. making whoever holds the position responsible for consolidating and expanding
training activities
c. tying the success of the training program to the company’s overall strategy of
upgrading its workforce
d. building a state-of-the-art training center and new offices for the training staff
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18. _____ involves increasing the complexity of a job to provide a greater sense of
responsibility, accomplishment, and achievement.
a. Goal setting
b. Job enrichment
c. Job enhancement
d. Positive reinforcement

19. While they agree that satisfaction is a factor in motivation, scholars note that there is
little evidence that increasing employee satisfaction actually increases motivation.
This has led them to criticize the _____ as being overly simplistic.
a. equity theory
b. expectancy theory
c. two-factor theory
d. hierarchy of needs theory

20. _____ asserts that individuals are likely to compare the ratios of inputs to outcomes
they receive against the ratios of other people, such as colleagues or acquaintances.
a. Acquired needs theory
b. Equity theory
c. Expectancy theory
d. Two-factor theory

21. According to the job characteristics model, _____ is the degree to which a job has a
substantial impact on the lives of other people.
a. autonomy
b. task identify
c. task significance
d. feedback from the job

22. Hackman and Oldham proposed that _____ is the degree to which a job requires the
completion of a “whole” and identifiable piece of work.
a. autonomy
b. skill variety
c. task identity
d. task significance

23. Whereas _____ focus on which variables affect motivation, _____ focus on how the
variables affect motivation.
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 a. content theories; process theories
b. process theories; content theories
c. equity theories; expectancy theories
d. goal-setting theories; reinforcement theories

24. All of the following EXCEPT _____ are process theories of work motivation.
a. goal-setting theory
b. expectancy theory
c. social cognitive theory
d. acquired needs theory

25. Within the context of the job characteristics model, _____ is involved when a
machine designer knows that her schematics are correct, as very few are rejected by
the machine shop.
a. skill variety
b. task identify
c. task significance
d. feedback from the job

26. A low-level manager in a certain company finds out that a colleague who performs
similar work is getting paid considerably more than he is. According to equity theory,
which of the following is the LEAST likely way this worker might think in order to
reduce his feelings of inequity?
a. “Obviously I’m really not very good at what I do.”
b. “I suppose her job must be a lot more demanding than mine.”
c. “I’m not going to push myself anymore, since it does not get me anywhere.”
d. “Oh well, at least I’m doing better than anyone else in my family ever did.”

27. The basic components of _____ are effort, performance, and outcomes.
a. equity theory
b. goal-setting theory
c. expectancy theory
d. social cognitive theory

28. Expectancy theory asserts that “instrumentality” or _____ is the probability that a
particular level of performance will lead to particular outcomes or consequences.
a. effort-to-outcome
b. effort-to-consequences
c. performance-to-effort
d. performance-to-outcome

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29. A software engineer believes that if she can complete her current project on time she
will get the promotion to team leader that she strongly desires. However, she doubts
that she can complete the project on time. Within the context of expectancy theory,
what level of motivation would the engineer have and why?
a. very high, since the level of expectancy and the level of valence are both high
b. moderately high, as high levels of valence and instrumentality offset low
expectancy levels
c. moderate, since high levels of expectancy and high levels of valence will be
balanced by the low level of instrumentality
d. low, since the expectancy, instrumentality, and valence of the outcome must all be
high for motivation

30. According to expectancy theory, valence, outcome, and performance interact in a

multiplicative way to determine _____.
a. the cost of a particular course of action
b. the projected results of a particular task
c. the anticipated value of a particular outcome
d. the amount of effort a person will expend on a particular task

31. Self-efficacy is an individual’s confidence about his or her abilities to mobilize the
_____ needed to execute a given task successfully within a specific context.
a. motivation
b. cognitive resources
c. courses of action
d. all of the above

32. From an expectancy theory perspective, a manager who wanted to boost motivation
levels would be least likely to _____.
a. identify rewards that are valued
b. limit praise to encourage hard work
c. dispense rewards directly following particular levels of performance
d. strengthen employees’ beliefs that their efforts will lead to valued rewards

33. Social cognitive theory proposes that all of the following EXCEPT _____ would
increase an individual’s self-efficacy.
a. being motivated to reduce feelings of inequity
b. attributing success on similar tasks to his or her own capabilities
c. the opportunity to observe and model others’ successful behavior
d. statements from others that convince the person that he or she can be successful

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34. Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory defines _____ as gaining knowledge by
observing how others perform a task and then modeling one’s own behavior in a
similar manner.
a. interactive mastery
b. vicarious learning
c. ocular discernment
d. physiological observation

35. A call center manager hopes to improve the performance of her staff by decreasing
the average time spent on a call. First, she sets up a performance board where the
average length of a call for the previous week is posted and compared to the average
call length for the previous four weeks. Then, she encourages the staff to reduce the
average. According to goal-setting theory, how could she improve this scheme?
a. She should make the goal easier.
b. She should make the goal more specific.
c. She should make the goal less specific.
d. She should make the goal more elaborate.

36. Goal-setting research suggests that people will exert higher levels of effort when
goals are _____.
a. easy and general
b. challenging and specific
c. very difficult to attain and specific
d. moderately easy to attain and general

37. A study jointly conducted on American and Israeli students showed that a lack of
participation had a much more serious negative effect on the Israeli students than on
the American students. The results of this study suggest that _____.
a. goals will not have a positive effect on performance, unless they are properly set
b. goals have little positive effect on performance, even if they are properly set
c. participation in goal setting will be more effective in countries and cultures where
collective decision making is the norm
d. participation in goal setting will be more effective in countries and cultures where
individualism is the norm

38. A production supervisor receives a bonus for each day a project is completed ahead of
schedule. This is an example of _____.
a. motivation
b. negative reinforcement
c. positive reinforcement
d. equitable incentivization

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39. Shortly after Christmas, a catalog company is besieged by complaints of poor service,
so a task force designs an incentive plan to motivate associates to fill orders more
quickly and more accurately. To be an effective positive reinforcement strategy, the
proposed incentive plan should NOT be _____.
a. equitable
b. exclusive
c. reversible
d. visible

40. A sales representative is told that if he exceeds his sales for the last quarter by 20
percent then some of his more difficult clients will be transferred to another sales
representative. This is an example of _____.
a. extinction
b. punishment
c. negative reinforcement
d. positive reinforcement

41. When a manager uses _____ to lessen the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, he
or she avoids providing any positive consequences as a result of that behavior.
a. extinction
b. reversibility
c. enactive mastery
d. negative reinforcement

42. Manager A takes the time to know her subordinates well enough so that she can adapt
her motivational strategies to each; consequently, the work groups she supervises
consistently perform very well. When Manager B resigns unexpectedly, a senior
manager congratulates Manager A on her excellent managing skills and reassigns her
to Manager B’s work groups. Although the reassignment is meant to demonstrate
respect for Manager A’s abilities, it will likely function as a/an_____ and _____ the
probability of her high performance.
a. extinction; increase
b. unintended punishment; decrease
c. negative reinforcement; decrease
d. positive reinforcement; increase

43. A shift manager at a fast-food restaurant is using _____ when she fines a habitually
tardy crewmember the equivalent of one hour’s pay each day he is late for work.
a. extinction
b. punishment
c. negative reinforcement
d. employment psychology
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44. _____ increase the probability that people will repeat a behavior; _____ decrease the
probability that people will repeat a behavior.
a. Extinction and punishments; positive reinforcements and negative reinforcements
b. Extinction and positive reinforcements; punishments and negative reinforcements
c. Positive reinforcements and punishments; negative reinforcements and extinction
d. Positive reinforcements and negative reinforcements; extinction and punishments

45. Which of the following is NOT a step in a program that systematically applies the
principles of reinforcement theory to motivate employees?
a. measure desired behaviors
b. describe desired performance in broad, general terms
c. evaluate the effectiveness of the program
d. provide frequent positive consequences for specified desired behaviors

46. The direction of a group’s influence on the motivation of an individual in that group
will likely depend on _____ of the group.
a. the norms
b. the cohesion
c. the mission
d. the valence

47. Which of the following is NOT a part of the immediate social environment that can
influence employee motivation?
a. subordinates
b. safety issues
c. supervisors
d. workgroup peers

48. From a manager’s perspective, in-group influence_____ when the in-group’s norms
oppose organizational norms.
a. decreases motivation
b. increases motivation
c. neutralizes motivation
d. eliminates motivation

49. From an expectancy theory framework of motivation, a reward system designed to

promote competition and risk taking would be successful with _____workers.
a. Arabic
b. American
c. Japanese
d. Venezuelan
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50. Scholarly research has defined _____ as the degree of general importance that
working has in the life of an individual at a point in time.
a. expectancy
b. self-efficacy
c. work centrality
d. positive reinforcement

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