About this quiz
Group dynamics, types of groups, norms and the status system.
This Lok Sewa practice set has 50 multiple-choice questions (Subject: Public Management · For: Nayab Subba, Section Officer, Kharidar · Level: Medium). Take the quiz above first; after that, use the study list below to revise every question with its correct answer and a short explanation.
Study list: all 50 questions with answers and explanations
Who popularised the term 'group dynamics'?
- A) Kurt Lewin ✔
- B) Henri Fayol
- C) F. W. Taylor
- D) Max Weber
Why: Psychologist Kurt Lewin popularised the term 'group dynamics' in the 1940s.
A group is best described as:
- A) Any crowd of people
- B) Two or more interacting, interdependent people with a common goal ✔
- C) Only people of the same age
- D) People waiting for a bus
Why: A group is two or more people who interact, depend on each other and share a common goal.
A committee formed by the office to complete procurement is a:
- A) Friendship group
- B) Formal task group ✔
- C) Informal group
- D) Crowd
Why: A committee formed officially to complete procurement is a formal task group.
Colleagues who regularly have lunch together form a(n):
- A) Formal group
- B) Informal group ✔
- C) Command group
- D) Secondary group
Why: Colleagues who eat lunch together by choice form an informal group.
In Tuckman's model, the stage with conflict over roles and leadership is:
- A) Forming
- B) Storming ✔
- C) Norming
- D) Performing
Why: Storming is Tuckman's stage of conflict over roles, leadership and ways of working.
In which stage do rules and roles become clear and trust grows?
- A) Forming
- B) Storming
- C) Norming ✔
- D) Adjourning
Why: In norming, rules and roles become clear and trust grows.
The final stage when a group ends after finishing its task is:
- A) Performing
- B) Adjourning ✔
- C) Storming
- D) Forming
Why: Adjourning is the final stage, when the group ends after finishing its task.
How strongly members are attracted to and want to stay in a group is called:
- A) Cohesiveness ✔
- B) Groupthink
- C) Status
- D) Loafing
Why: Cohesiveness is how strongly members are attracted to the group and want to stay in it.
Groupthink means:
- A) Careful critical thinking by groups
- B) Valuing agreement so much that critical thinking stops ✔
- C) Thinking alone
- D) A training method
Why: Groupthink happens when members value agreement so much that they stop thinking critically, which leads to poor decisions.
Some members putting in less effort in a group than alone is:
- A) Social loafing ✔
- B) Motivation
- C) Cohesiveness
- D) Delegation
Why: Social loafing is when some members put in less effort in a group than they would alone.
Organisational norms are:
- A) Shared, accepted standards of behaviour ✔
- B) Salary scales
- C) Office buildings
- D) Budget heads
Why: Norms are shared standards of behaviour that group members accept.
A written code of conduct is an example of a:
- A) Formal norm ✔
- B) Informal norm
- C) Status symbol
- D) Group stage
Why: A written code of conduct is a formal norm.
Status in an organisation means:
- A) Rank, position or prestige of a person ✔
- B) The office address
- C) The budget
- D) The number of files
Why: Status is the rank, position or prestige a person has in the organisation.
A separate room, vehicle and nameplate are examples of:
- A) Status symbols ✔
- B) Norms
- C) Groupthink
- D) Control techniques
Why: A separate room, vehicle and nameplate are status symbols showing rank.
Status that comes from expertise or experience, not from the post, is:
- A) Formal status
- B) Informal status ✔
- C) Legal status
- D) Political status
Why: Status earned from expertise or experience, not from the post, is informal status.
In Nepali, group dynamics is called:
- A) समूह गतिशीलता ✔
- B) समूह निर्माण
- C) समूह विघटन
- D) समूह बीमा
Why: Group dynamics is समूह गतिशीलता in Nepali.
Which is NOT a feature of a group?
- A) Interaction
- B) Interdependence
- C) A common goal
- D) Strangers with no contact ✔
Why: A group needs interaction, interdependence and a common goal. Strangers with no contact are not a group.
A manager and the people who report to them form a:
- A) Command group ✔
- B) Friendship group
- C) Interest group
- D) Crowd
Why: A manager and the staff who report to them form a command group.
Small, close, face-to-face groups are called:
- A) Primary groups ✔
- B) Secondary groups
- C) Formal departments
- D) Crowds
Why: Small, close, face-to-face groups such as family or close friends are primary groups.
The whole department as a larger, formal group is a:
- A) Secondary group ✔
- B) Primary group
- C) Friendship group
- D) Family
Why: A whole department is a larger, formal secondary group.
A sports group of office staff is a(n):
- A) Interest/friendship group ✔
- B) Command group
- C) Formal task force
- D) Court
Why: An office sports group is an interest or friendship group.
People join groups for:
- A) Security, belonging, status, power and goals ✔
- B) Only salary
- C) Only punishment
- D) Only transfer
Why: People join groups for security, belonging, status, self-esteem, power and to achieve goals.
In the forming stage, members are:
- A) Polite and unsure ✔
- B) In heavy conflict
- C) Highly productive
- D) Ending the group
Why: In the forming stage, members are polite and unsure of their roles.
The stage where the group works effectively towards goals is:
- A) Performing ✔
- B) Forming
- C) Storming
- D) Adjourning
Why: In the performing stage the group works effectively towards its goals.
Tuckman's model originally had how many stages before adjourning was added?
- A) Four ✔
- B) Three
- C) Five
- D) Six
Why: Tuckman's 1965 model had four stages. Adjourning was added in 1977.
The expected behaviour of each member in a group is their:
- A) Role ✔
- B) Status
- C) Norm
- D) Salary
Why: A role is the behaviour expected of a member in a particular position.
High cohesiveness helps performance when:
- A) Group goals match office goals ✔
- B) Group opposes the office
- C) Members do not trust each other
- D) There is no leader
Why: High cohesiveness raises performance when the group's goals match the organisation's goals.
Who developed the idea of groupthink?
- A) Irving Janis ✔
- B) Kurt Lewin
- C) Tuckman
- D) Fayol
Why: Irving Janis developed the idea of groupthink in 1972.
Groupthink usually leads to:
- A) Poor decisions ✔
- B) Better critical thinking
- C) More debate
- D) Innovation always
Why: Groupthink usually leads to poor decisions because doubts are not raised.
Brainstorming, nominal group technique and Delphi are methods of:
- A) Group decision-making ✔
- B) Recruitment
- C) Audit
- D) Budgeting
Why: Brainstorming, nominal group technique and Delphi are methods of group decision-making.
Norms create:
- A) Predictability, discipline and unity ✔
- B) Chaos
- C) Conflict always
- D) Absence
Why: Norms make behaviour predictable and create discipline and unity.
An unwritten office custom is a(n):
- A) Informal norm ✔
- B) Formal norm
- C) Law
- D) Circular
Why: An unwritten office custom is an informal norm.
'No one works after 4 pm' is an example of a:
- A) Negative norm ✔
- B) Positive norm
- C) Status symbol
- D) Legal rule
Why: 'No one works after 4 pm' lowers performance, so it is a negative norm.
Managers should build:
- A) Positive norms ✔
- B) Negative norms
- C) Groupthink
- D) Social loafing
Why: Managers should build positive norms such as punctuality and good service.
In Nepali, the status system is called:
- A) मर्यादा प्रणाली ✔
- B) मूल्याङ्कन प्रणाली
- C) लेखा प्रणाली
- D) सूचना प्रणाली
Why: The status system is मर्यादा प्रणाली in Nepali.
Formal status comes from:
- A) Post and class ✔
- B) Popularity only
- C) Age only
- D) Hobbies
Why: Formal status comes from a person's post and class.
Seating order in a meeting often reflects:
- A) Status ✔
- B) Weather
- C) Budget
- D) Leave
Why: Seating order in meetings often reflects status.
A clear status system provides:
- A) Order and clear lines of authority ✔
- B) Confusion
- C) No motivation
- D) Equality of all posts
Why: A clear status system gives order and clear lines of authority.
Too much emphasis on status can cause:
- A) Distance, ego and poor communication ✔
- B) Better teamwork
- C) Faster decisions
- D) More trust
Why: Too much focus on status creates distance and ego and blocks communication.
When status symbols do not match a person's real rank or ability, it is called:
- A) Status incongruence ✔
- B) Status harmony
- C) Cohesiveness
- D) Delegation
Why: Status incongruence is a mismatch between status symbols and a person's real rank or ability.
A respected expert junior officer has high:
- A) Informal status ✔
- B) Formal status
- C) Legal status
- D) Grade only
Why: A junior officer respected for expertise has high informal status.
Coming on time and respecting seniors are examples of:
- A) Organisational norms ✔
- B) Budget heads
- C) Store items
- D) Taxes
Why: Punctuality and respect for seniors are organisational norms.
Group dynamics studies:
- A) How groups form, behave and change ✔
- B) Only budgets
- C) Only buildings
- D) Weather
Why: Group dynamics studies how groups form, behave and change.
A procurement committee is a:
- A) Task group ✔
- B) Friendship group
- C) Primary family group
- D) Crowd
Why: A procurement committee is a task group formed for a specific job.
Members putting in less effort when working in a group shows:
- A) Social loafing ✔
- B) Cohesiveness
- C) Leadership
- D) Delegation
Why: Putting in less effort in a group shows social loafing.
Conflict over roles and leadership happens in:
- A) Storming ✔
- B) Norming
- C) Performing
- D) Forming
Why: Conflict over roles and leadership happens in the storming stage.
A group that ends after finishing its task reaches:
- A) Adjourning ✔
- B) Norming
- C) Forming
- D) Storming
Why: A group that ends after its task reaches the adjourning stage.
Which is a formal group in a government office?
- A) A section ✔
- B) Lunch friends
- C) Cricket fans
- D) Neighbours
Why: A section in a government office is a formal group created by the organisation.
Group norms are mainly about:
- A) What is considered right or wrong behaviour ✔
- B) The salary scale
- C) The building design
- D) The budget code
Why: Group norms are about what behaviour is considered right or wrong in the group.
Not leaking confidential matters is a:
- A) Norm (formal and informal) ✔
- B) Status symbol
- C) Leave type
- D) Budget head
Why: Not leaking confidential matters is a norm, both a formal rule and an informal expectation.