Unit 12: Compensation Management - Practice Quiz

DEMGN581 60 Questions
0 Correct 0 Wrong 60 Left
0/60

1 Which of the following is a form of direct compensation?

Types and theories of compensation Easy
A. Paid vacation
B. Health insurance
C. Retirement plan
D. Basic salary

2 The equity theory of compensation is primarily concerned with which of the following?

Types and theories of compensation Easy
A. Legal minimum wage rules
B. Total cost of labour
C. Fairness of rewards relative to others
D. Speed of payroll processing

3 Compensation that varies based on individual or company performance is called:

Types and theories of compensation Easy
A. Variable pay
B. Fixed pay
C. Base pay
D. Statutory pay

4 Which theory links pay to the expectation that effort will lead to rewards?

Types and theories of compensation Easy
A. Equity theory
B. Agency theory
C. Expectancy theory
D. Reinforcement theory

5 The wage that is just enough to meet the basic survival needs of a worker is called the:

Concept of wages Easy
A. Living wage
B. Piece wage
C. Minimum wage
D. Fair wage

6 Wages paid on the basis of number of units produced are known as:

Concept of wages Easy
A. Nominal wages
B. Time wages
C. Piece wages
D. Real wages

7 Real wages refer to:

Concept of wages Easy
A. The amount printed in the contract
B. Wages plus overtime pay
C. The purchasing power of wages
D. Wages before tax deduction

8 The amount of money an employee receives in cash without adjusting for prices is called:

Concept of wages Easy
A. Living wages
B. Nominal wages
C. Fair wages
D. Real wages

9 A wage higher than the minimum wage but below the living wage is generally termed a:

Concept of wages Easy
A. Fair wage
B. Statutory wage
C. Piece wage
D. Nominal wage

10 Which of the following is an external factor influencing compensation?

Factors influencing compensation management Easy
A. Internal promotion rules
B. Employee's job role
C. Labour market conditions
D. Company pay policy

11 The ability of an organisation to pay compensation depends mainly on its:

Factors influencing compensation management Easy
A. Number of departments
B. Office location
C. Financial position
D. Founding year

12 Which factor reflects the influence of trade unions on compensation?

Factors influencing compensation management Easy
A. Collective bargaining
B. Individual appraisal
C. Market research
D. Job rotation

13 Rising prices in the economy that affect wage levels are captured by:

Factors influencing compensation management Easy
A. Job design
B. Employee turnover
C. Cost of living
D. Span of control

14 Which of the following is an example of a fringe benefit?

Incentives and fringe benefits Easy
A. Piece-rate pay
B. Basic wage
C. Medical insurance
D. Sales commission

15 Incentives are best described as rewards designed to:

Incentives and fringe benefits Easy
A. Reduce working hours
B. Replace basic salary
C. Lower company costs
D. Motivate higher performance

16 A payment made to a salesperson based on the value of goods sold is called a:

Incentives and fringe benefits Easy
A. Pension
B. Gratuity
C. Allowance
D. Commission

17 Which of the following is a non-monetary incentive?

Incentives and fringe benefits Easy
A. Recognition and praise
B. Profit sharing
C. Cash bonus
D. Overtime pay

18 Employee retention refers to an organisation's ability to:

Employee engagement and retention Easy
A. Reduce product costs
B. Increase working hours
C. Keep its employees over time
D. Recruit new candidates

19 Which of the following best describes employee engagement?

Employee engagement and retention Easy
A. Annual salary increment
B. Emotional commitment to the organisation
C. Rate of employee absences
D. Total number of employees

20 A high employee turnover rate generally indicates:

Employee engagement and retention Easy
A. Poor employee retention
B. High job satisfaction
C. Strong engagement
D. Effective retention policy

21 A manager argues that employees compare their input-output ratio with that of colleagues and adjust their effort when they perceive unfairness. Which compensation theory best supports this reasoning?

Types and theories of compensation Medium
A. Reinforcement theory
B. Expectancy theory
C. Agency theory
D. Equity theory

22 A firm links pay to performance so employees believe that greater effort leads to better results and desired rewards. This design is most directly grounded in which theory?

Types and theories of compensation Medium
A. Expectancy theory
B. Human capital theory
C. Two-factor theory
D. Equity theory

23 Which of the following is classified as a component of direct financial compensation rather than indirect compensation?

Types and theories of compensation Medium
A. Retirement pension plan
B. Paid vacation leave
C. Commission on sales
D. Health insurance

24 According to the Fair Wage Committee, which wage sits between the minimum wage and the living wage, taking into account the employer's capacity to pay?

Concept of wages Medium
A. Nominal wage
B. Fair wage
C. Statutory wage
D. Real wage

25 An employee's salary stays at per month, but prices rise sharply during the year. Which wage concept has effectively declined?

Concept of wages Medium
A. Contract wage
B. Money wage
C. Real wage
D. Nominal wage

26 A wage that ensures a worker can meet basic needs plus a measure of comfort, education, and insurance against misfortune is described as the:

Concept of wages Medium
A. Living wage
B. Piece wage
C. Fair wage
D. Minimum wage

27 A worker is paid for each unit produced and completes 150 units in a week. Which wage system is being applied, and what is the weekly wage?

Concept of wages Medium
A. Piece rate system;
B. Piece rate system;
C. Time rate system;
D. Time rate system;

28 A company operating in a region with a strong labour union and high demand for skilled workers raises its pay scales. These pressures are examples of which type of compensation factor?

Factors influencing compensation management Medium
A. Statutory factors
B. Individual factors
C. Internal factors
D. External factors

29 Two employees hold the same job title, but one is paid more due to greater experience and superior performance ratings. Which factor primarily explains this difference?

Factors influencing compensation management Medium
A. Government regulation factors
B. Product market factors
C. Individual worker factors
D. Cost of living factors

30 A firm structures its pay so that senior engineers earn more than junior engineers, reflecting the relative worth of jobs within the organisation. This is achieved through:

Factors influencing compensation management Medium
A. Cost-of-living adjustment
B. Performance appraisal
C. Collective bargaining
D. Job evaluation

31 A profitable company can afford generous pay packages, while a struggling competitor cannot match them. Which internal factor is chiefly at work here?

Factors influencing compensation management Medium
A. Prevailing market rate
B. Union bargaining power
C. Legal minimum wage
D. Ability to pay

32 A sales team receives a cash bonus tied directly to quarterly targets achieved. This reward is best categorised as:

Incentives and fringe benefits Medium
A. A monetary incentive
B. A fringe benefit
C. A base wage
D. A non-monetary incentive

33 Which of the following is a fringe benefit rather than a direct incentive?

Incentives and fringe benefits Medium
A. Piece-rate production bonus
B. Sales commission
C. Profit-sharing cash payout
D. Subsidised company canteen meals

34 Under a group incentive scheme, a bonus of is shared equally among 8 team members. How much does each member receive, and what is the main behavioural aim?

Incentives and fringe benefits Medium
A. ; to reward only top performers
B. ; to reduce cooperation
C. ; to promote teamwork
D. ; to promote teamwork

35 Recognition awards, challenging assignments, and public appreciation are examples of which category of incentives?

Incentives and fringe benefits Medium
A. Deferred cash incentives
B. Non-monetary incentives
C. Fringe benefits
D. Statutory benefits

36 A company offers employees the option to buy company shares at a discounted price to align their interests with organisational performance. This scheme is known as:

Incentives and fringe benefits Medium
A. Merit pay plan
B. Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
C. Gain-sharing plan
D. Cost-of-living allowance

37 An organisation notices that engaged employees show higher discretionary effort and lower turnover. Which statement best captures the concept of employee engagement?

Employee engagement and retention Medium
A. The number of hours an employee physically spends at work
B. The fixed monthly salary paid to an employee
C. Emotional and psychological commitment to the organisation and its goals
D. The legal contract signed at the time of hiring

38 A firm with a annual attrition rate wants to reduce it. Which of the following is most likely to improve retention?

Employee engagement and retention Medium
A. Offering clear career growth and development opportunities
B. Increasing routine paperwork for all staff
C. Reducing recognition programmes to cut costs
D. Eliminating flexible work arrangements

39 According to Herzberg's two-factor theory applied to retention, which of the following is a motivator that boosts engagement rather than merely preventing dissatisfaction?

Employee engagement and retention Medium
A. Comfortable working conditions
B. Job security and company policy
C. Adequate salary levels
D. Opportunities for achievement and recognition

40 A company calculates that replacing an employee costs about of annual salary. For an employee earning per year, what is the approximate replacement cost, and why does this matter for retention?

Employee engagement and retention Medium
A. ; retention is irrelevant
B. ; high turnover costs justify retention investment
C. ; turnover has no cost impact
D. ; turnover reduces total costs

41 A firm restructures pay so that base salary is deliberately kept slightly above market median while variable pay is uncapped and tied to individual output. According to Agency Theory, the primary rationale for this design is to:

Types and theories of compensation Hard
A. Align the interests of the agent with the principal by reducing goal incongruence through performance-contingent rewards
B. Guarantee internal equity by compressing pay differentials across job families
C. Ensure the reservation wage of employees is met regardless of firm profitability
D. Satisfy lower-order needs before introducing self-actualization incentives

42 Under Equity Theory, an employee who perceives an unfavourable outcome/input ratio compared to a referent is LEAST likely to restore equity by:

Types and theories of compensation Hard
A. Cognitively re-evaluating and inflating the perceived inputs of the referent other
B. Requesting a salary increase or seeking a role change
C. Permanently accepting the imbalance without any behavioural or cognitive adjustment
D. Reducing their own effort and quality of work over time

43 A knowledge-based firm adopts skill-based pay instead of job-based pay. A likely adverse consequence that management must actively control is:

Types and theories of compensation Hard
A. Immediate reduction in training and development expenditure
B. Rising labour costs as employees accumulate certified skills faster than the organisation can deploy them
C. A sharp decline in workforce flexibility and cross-functional mobility
D. Strong pressure toward narrow job specialisation and rigid role boundaries

44 As per the classification adopted in India (following the Fair Wages Committee, 1948), which sequence correctly orders wages from lowest to highest?

Concept of wages Hard
A. Fair wage < Minimum wage < Living wage
B. Minimum wage < Fair wage < Living wage
C. Living wage < Fair wage < Minimum wage
D. Minimum wage < Living wage < Fair wage

45 A worker's monthly nominal wage rises from to while the consumer price index rises from to (base ). The change in real wage is approximately:

Concept of wages Hard
A. An increase of about
B. A decrease of about
C. No change, since both wage and prices rose
D. An increase of about

46 Under a Rowan premium plan, standard time is hours, actual time taken is hours, and the hourly rate is . The total earnings of the worker are:

Concept of wages Hard
A.
B.
C.
D.

47 Using the same data (standard hrs, actual hrs, rate ), a worker on a Halsey plan (50% bonus) would earn how much less than under the Rowan plan?

Concept of wages Hard
A.
B.
C.
D. , both plans pay equally

48 A firm operating in a labour surplus economy still pays a substantial wage premium above the market-clearing rate. The Efficiency Wage Theory explains this as a rational strategy primarily because higher wages:

Factors influencing compensation management Hard
A. Guarantee that the marginal revenue product will always equal the wage rate
B. Are legally mandated once unemployment exceeds a threshold level
C. Reduce shirking, turnover and adverse selection, thereby lowering total unit labour costs
D. Eliminate the need for any performance monitoring or supervision systems

49 An organisation with strong internal equity but weak external competitiveness in its pay structure is most likely to experience:

Factors influencing compensation management Hard
A. Both low turnover and low internal dissatisfaction simultaneously
B. Difficulty attracting entry-level staff but easy retention of senior specialists
C. High internal conflict over relative pay coupled with strong retention
D. Low internal grievance about fairness but high voluntary turnover of high-demand talent

50 Which combination of factors would most strongly justify a firm setting pay significantly above the industry median (a "lead" policy)?

Factors influencing compensation management Hard
A. Declining product demand together with strong union-imposed wage ceilings
B. Acute skill scarcity, high recruitment/turnover costs, and productivity that scales with talent quality
C. Abundant local labour supply combined with highly standardised routine tasks
D. Low value-added work, easy substitutability of labour, and a strong internal labour market

51 A company's ability to pay is often cited as a compensation determinant. The most defensible interpretation of this factor is that it sets:

Factors influencing compensation management Hard
A. A fixed percentage of revenue that must be distributed as wages each year
B. The minimum floor below which wages legally cannot fall
C. The exact wage level that must equal average industry earnings
D. The upper bound of sustainable pay, while market rates and job worth determine the actual level within that bound

52 A sales team is switched from a straight commission plan to a plan with a high base salary and a small bonus. Behaviourally, the most probable outcome is:

Incentives and fringe benefits Hard
A. Complete convergence of all salespeople toward identical output levels
B. Elimination of any need for sales quotas or performance tracking
C. Reduced short-term selling intensity but improved customer service and lower risk-driven turnover
D. An immediate rise in aggressive short-term selling and higher performance variance

53 A gainsharing plan (e.g., Scanlon plan) differs fundamentally from a profit-sharing plan mainly because gainsharing:

Incentives and fringe benefits Hard
A. Rewards measurable improvements in operational productivity at the unit level, with a clearer line-of-sight for employees
B. Pays out solely from year-end net profit regardless of unit performance
C. Is a deferred benefit payable only upon retirement
D. Distributes rewards only to senior executives based on share price

54 The primary reason many fringe benefits (such as employer-provided health cover and retirement contributions) are attractive relative to an equivalent cash raise is that they:

Incentives and fringe benefits Hard
A. Often receive favourable tax treatment and exploit group-purchasing economies, raising net value per dollar spent
B. Are always legally mandated and therefore cost the employer nothing
C. Reduce the employer's total compensation expenditure to zero
D. Increase employees' immediate disposable cash more than a salary increase would

55 An incentive scheme rewards individual output in a highly interdependent team-based production process. The most serious dysfunctional consequence is likely to be:

Incentives and fringe benefits Hard
A. Perfect alignment between individual and collective goals
B. A uniform increase in cooperation and knowledge sharing across the team
C. Complete elimination of free-rider behaviour within the team
D. Suboptimisation as members maximise personal metrics at the expense of team coordination and quality

56 Under a straight piece-rate system, if the piece rate is per unit with a guaranteed daily minimum of , a worker producing units in a day earns:

Incentives and fringe benefits Hard
A.
B.
C.
D.

57 A firm reports high employee satisfaction scores but stagnant productivity and rising passive turnover intentions. This pattern most directly illustrates that:

Employee engagement and retention Hard
A. High satisfaction always guarantees high retention and performance
B. Engagement is purely a function of compensation level
C. Satisfaction and engagement are identical, so the data must be measurement error
D. Satisfaction (contentment) is distinct from engagement, which requires discretionary effort and psychological commitment

58 Applying Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory to retention strategy, increasing salary and improving physical working conditions will most likely:

Employee engagement and retention Hard
A. Reduce dissatisfaction and stem exit driven by grievances, but not by itself generate strong engagement
B. Have no effect on either dissatisfaction or motivation
C. Simultaneously maximise both hygiene and motivator outcomes
D. Create lasting intrinsic motivation and sustained engagement on their own

59 A company with an annual voluntary turnover of replaces each leaver at a cost equal to of that role's annual salary. If total annual payroll is million and turnover is spread evenly across salary levels, the approximate annual replacement cost is:

Employee engagement and retention Hard
A. million
B. million
C. million
D. million

60 "Total Rewards" thinking argues that relying on pay alone for retention is often ineffective because:

Employee engagement and retention Hard
A. Once pay is perceived as fair, non-monetary factors like growth, recognition and work-life balance become stronger retention drivers
B. Employees are indifferent to career development and recognition
C. Monetary rewards are the only factor that influences turnover decisions
D. Increasing pay always produces a proportional and permanent rise in engagement