Revision Guide 1
CHAPTER 2 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: POSITIVE CLIMATE IN LEADERSHIP-
FOSTERING COMPASSION, FORGIVENESS, AND GRATITUDE
Comprehensive Revision Practice Guide
PSY 302
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. What does a positive climate primarily refer to in a work environment?
A. A focus on eliminating all workplace challenges
B. An environment where positive emotions outweigh negative ones
C. A policy of constant employee recognition
D. A leadership style based solely on charisma
Answer: An environment where positive emotions outweigh negative ones
Explanation: Positive climate is defined by the predominance of positive emotions over negative
emotions like stress or distrust.
2. According to Fredrickson's research, what is the "broaden and build" effect of positive emotions?
A. They narrow focus to improve efficiency on immediate tasks
B. They broaden cognitive perspectives and build personal resources
C. They build physical strength and broaden social networks exclusively
D. They primarily build financial resources for the organization
Answer: They broaden cognitive perspectives and build personal resources
Explanation: Positive emotions expand thought-action repertoires and create enduring resources
like knowledge and resilience.
3. What did brain imaging studies reveal about imagining a positive future?
A. It deactivates the amygdala to reduce fear responses
B. It activates more brain areas to a greater extent than neutral or negative futures
C. It shows no significant difference from imagining a negative future
D. It primarily activates areas responsible for logical reasoning only
Answer: It activates more brain areas to a greater extent than neutral or negative futures
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Explanation: Research showed enhanced activation in regions like the amygdala during positive
visualizations.
4. What is a key finding of Baumeister et al. (2001) regarding negative events?
A. Negative and positive events have equal impact on individuals over time
B. Negative occurrences are more influential and longer-lasting than positive ones
C. Organizations are better at mitigating negative events than individuals
D. Positive feedback always outweighs a single instance of negative feedback
Answer: Negative occurrences are more influential and longer-lasting than positive ones
Explanation: Their review concluded that "bad is stronger than good," with negative events
prompting stronger reactions.
5. Why do individuals and leaders often focus more on the negative according to the chapter?
A. Negative information is more scientifically valid than positive information
B. Early socialization teaches that ignoring negative feedback can be dangerous
C. Academic training emphasizes critical thinking over positive thinking
D. Organizational rewards systems are designed to punish failure
Answer: Early socialization teaches that ignoring negative feedback can be dangerous
Explanation: People learn from childhood to attend to negative cues to avoid potential threats or
harm.
6. What is a defining characteristic of positive leaders, even amid difficulties?
A. They ignore negative threats to maintain team morale
B. They emphasize the uplifting side of organizational life with abundant positivity
C. They avoid making difficult decisions that could cause distress
D. They prioritize financial performance over emotional climate
Answer: They emphasize the uplifting side of organizational life with abundant positivity
Explanation: Positive leaders counter negativity bias by intentionally fostering positive phenomena.
7. What was a demonstrated outcome of Synovus Financial's positive climate?
A. It completely eliminated employee turnover and customer complaints
B. It achieved earnings-per-share growth above the industry average
C. It focused solely on spiritual growth rather than material success
D. It replaced all formal policies with unstructured relationship building
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Answer: It achieved earnings-per-share growth above the industry average
Explanation: The firm's positive climate was linked to a 13 percent annual growth rate, a deviant
performance indicator.
8. What does enabling a positive climate require from leaders regarding problems?
A. Denying the existence of problems to maintain a cheerful atmosphere
B. Concentrating primarily on solving negative and threatening issues first
C. Turning problems into opportunities and emphasizing positive phenomena
D. Outsourcing problem-solving to specialized negative-focused teams
Answer: Turning problems into opportunities and emphasizing positive phenomena
Explanation: Leaders enable positive deviance by reframing challenges and focusing on positive
emotions and relationships.
9. What did Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener (2005) link to success across multiple life domains?
A. High intelligence and extensive work experience
B. Positive emotions and a positive climate
C. Rigorous training programs and competitive drive
D. Strong regulatory frameworks and clear policies
Answer: Positive emotions and a positive climate
Explanation: Their research review found that positivity engenders success in work, health, and
relationships.
10. Which U.S. military program applies the connection between positive climate and performance?
A. The Advanced Weapons Training Program
B. The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program
C. The Strategic Command Leadership Initiative
D. The Operational Resilience Drill System
Answer: The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program
Explanation: This program trains soldiers in positive practices to build resiliency and enhance unit
performance.
11. What three key activities did Cameron, Bright, & Caza (2004) link to superior organizational
performance?
A. Monitoring, evaluating, and rewarding
Revision Guide 4
B. Planning, executing, and reviewing
C. Compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
D. Competing, winning, and dominating
Answer: Compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
Explanation: Organizations scoring higher on these virtues performed better on metrics like
profitability and innovation.
12. What is the first actionable process for enabling organizational compassion according to Kanov et
al. (2004)?
A. Collective responding
B. Collective feeling
C. Collective noticing
D. Collective organizing
Answer: Collective noticing
Explanation: The first step is for people to become collectively aware of colleagues' difficulties and
needs.
13. How can leaders legitimize the sharing of personal concerns at work?
A. By making personal disclosure mandatory in all meetings
B. By including discussions of personal issues in performance interviews
C. By publicly sharing all employee personal information
D. By eliminating privacy policies to foster transparency
Answer: By including discussions of personal issues in performance interviews
Explanation: This strategy helps make sharing legitimate while maintaining sensitivity to privacy.
14. What strategy fosters the expression of collective emotion or compassion?
A. Encouraging private reflection only to avoid discomfort
B. Holding planned forums for public expression of feelings
C. Limiting communication to formal written reports
D. Discouraging emotional expression to maintain professionalism
Answer: Holding planned forums for public expression of feelings
Explanation: Public forums and communication enable compassionate feelings to be shared and
flourish.
Revision Guide 5
15. In Powley's (2005) study of a crisis, what helped direct compassionate feelings?
A. Suspending all work operations indefinitely
B. Ceremonial activities and symbols like vigils and memorials
C. Issuing financial compensation to affected individuals
D. Initiating immediate disciplinary reviews of security staff
Answer: Ceremonial activities and symbols like vigils and memorials
Explanation: Symbols and gatherings provided channels for expressing and directing collective
compassion.
16. What is the third step in enabling organizational compassion?
A. Collective noticing of the event
B. Collective feeling about the trauma
C. Collective responding with organized action
D. Collective planning for future prevention
Answer: Collective responding with organized action
Explanation: This involves taking coordinated steps to foster healing and restoration after a difficult
event.
17. When does forgiveness become particularly relevant in organizations?
A. During periods of high profit and success
B. When harmful or hurtful events such as downsizing occur
C. Only in the context of personal friendships outside work
D. When implementing new technological systems
Answer: When harmful or hurtful events such as downsizing occur
Explanation: Forgiveness is needed to move forward from events that cause animosity or grudge
holding.
18. According to Desmond Tutu, what does forgiveness involve?
A. Forgetting the harmful event entirely to ensure peace
B. Condoning the actions of the perpetrator to enable reconciliation
C. Abandoning the right to retaliate, which liberates the victim
D. Minimizing the event's significance to reduce emotional pain
Answer: Abandoning the right to retaliate, which liberates the victim
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Explanation: Tutu described forgiveness as a loss of vengeance that frees the individual from being
poisoned by the past.
19. What is the first leadership activity to enable organizational forgiveness?
A. Immediately punishing those responsible for harm
B. Acknowledging trauma but defining it as a chance to move forward
C. Offering financial bonuses to offset distress
D. Requiring all parties to sign a legal non-disclosure agreement
Answer: Acknowledging trauma but defining it as a chance to move forward
Explanation: Leaders must recognize the harm but then emphasize a positive future over a
negative past.
20. How can leaders replace a focus on self-pity or retribution after a harm?
A. By associating organizational outcomes with a higher, elevating purpose
B. By encouraging intense competition among employees
C. By isolating individuals involved to prevent conflict
D. By lowering performance standards to reduce pressure
Answer: By associating organizational outcomes with a higher, elevating purpose
Explanation: Connecting work to a meaningful purpose shifts focus from self-centered emotions to
contribution.
21. What should leaders communicate about the relationship between forgiveness and standards?
A. Forgiveness means tolerating more errors and lowering expectations
B. Forgiveness is synonymous with forgetting the offense occurred
C. Forgiveness enables excellence by refusing to dwell on the negative
D. Forgiveness requires minimizing the consequences of harmful actions
Answer: Forgiveness enables excellence by refusing to dwell on the negative
Explanation: Forgiveness maintains high standards by directing energy toward positive goals, not
past mistakes.
22. What type of support helps humanize a harmful event for both perpetrators and victims?
A. Offering social support that prioritizes human development and welfare
B. Providing exclusive legal support for victims to sue perpetrators
C. Issuing formal reprimands that are placed in permanent records
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D. Withholding support to encourage natural consequences and learning
Answer: Offering social support that prioritizes human development and welfare
Explanation: Social support helps people move past injury by emphasizing human value over
blame.
23. How does language influence the legitimacy of forgiveness in an organization?
A. Using complex jargon makes forgiveness seem more scientific and valid
B. Avoiding emotional terms keeps discussions focused on logical outcomes
C. Accepting words like reconciliation and humility provides a supportive context
D. Mandating specific forgiveness scripts ensures consistent implementation
Answer: Accepting words like reconciliation and humility provides a supportive context
Explanation: Language that includes virtuous terms makes forgiveness a legitimate and expected
response.
24. What did research on successful organizational turnarounds after downsizing find?
A. Most organizations flourish immediately after downsizing
B. Institutionalized forgiveness was a key enabler for the few that flourished
C. Financial incentives were the sole predictor of recovery
D. Avoiding discussion of the trauma was the most effective strategy
Answer: Institutionalized forgiveness was a key enabler for the few that flourished
Explanation: Evidence shows that of the few companies that thrive post-downsizing, forgiveness is
a critical factor.
25. What method did Emmons (2003) use to induce feelings of gratitude in students?
A. Requiring them to perform community service hours
B. Assigning them to keep daily or weekly gratitude journals
C. Giving them unexpected monetary rewards
D. Having them attend lectures on philosophical thankfulness
Answer: Assigning them to keep daily or weekly gratitude journals
Explanation: The experimental condition involved writing down events for which students were
grateful.
26. Compared to frustrated and neutral students, those keeping gratitude journals experienced what?
A. More physical symptoms like headaches and colds
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B. Fewer hassles, better sleep, and higher grade point averages
C. Increased tardiness and lower levels of energy
D. Higher levels of competitive drive and individualism
Answer: Fewer hassles, better sleep, and higher grade point averages
Explanation: The gratitude journal group showed significant improvements in well-being and
academic performance.
27. What physiological difference is shown in Figure 2.1 regarding gratitude?
A. A more erratic and stressed heart rhythm pattern
B. No measurable difference in heart rhythm compared to frustration
C. A more consistent and healthy heart rhythm pattern
D. A significantly lower heart rate indicating lethargy
Answer: A more consistent and healthy heart rhythm pattern
Explanation: The figure illustrates a harmonious heart rhythm during appreciation versus a
disordered one during frustration.
28. What effect did expressions of gratitude have on others in Emmons' research?
A. They motivated others to express gratitude, creating a virtuous cycle
B. They caused jealousy and competition among peers
C. They were generally ignored as insincere or routine
D. They reduced the likelihood of others offering help
Answer: They motivated others to express gratitude, creating a virtuous cycle
Explanation: Gratitude tends to be reciprocal and elicits positive, prosocial behaviors from others.
29. What practical gratitude intervention involves sharing written feelings of thanks?
A. Gratitude visits
B. Gratitude letters
C. Gratitude journals
D. Gratitude cards
Answer: Gratitude letters
Explanation: Writing letters to share feelings of thanks is one empirically supported method to
cultivate gratitude.
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30. What is a documented outcome of servers writing "thank you" on restaurant bills?
A. It had no significant impact on customer behavior or tips
B. It elicited approximately 11 percent higher tips from customers
C. It reduced table turnover rates because customers stayed longer
D. It increased complaints about inappropriate personal interaction
Answer: It elicited approximately 11 percent higher tips from customers
Explanation: This simple expression of gratitude resulted in measurably higher financial reciprocity.
Multiple-Response Questions
31. Which elements are characteristic of a positive organizational climate according to the chapter?
(Select all that apply)
A. Predominance of well-being over distress
B. Constant cheerfulness and nonstop smiling
C. Optimistic attitudes among employees
D. Positive interpretations outweighing negative ones
Answer: Predominance of well-being over distress; Optimistic attitudes among employees;
Positive interpretations outweighing negative ones
Explanation: A positive climate is defined by prevailing positive emotions, outlooks, and
interpretations, not by perpetual happiness.
32. What outcomes did Fredrickson associate with positive emotions and the "broaden and build"
effect? (Select all that apply)
A. Narrowed thought-action repertoires
B. Enhanced creativity and productivity
C. Increased ability to take in more information
D. Building of enduring personal resources
Answer: Enhanced creativity and productivity; Increased ability to take in more information;
Building of enduring personal resources
Explanation: Positive emotions broaden cognition, enhance functioning, and build resources like
knowledge and resilience.
33. What findings emerged from the study of brain functioning using magnetic resonance imaging?
(Select all that apply)
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A. Imagining a negative future activated the most brain areas
B. More brain areas were activated when imagining a positive future
C. Activated areas showed greater extent of activation in the positive condition
D. The brain's functioning was superior in a positive versus negative condition
Answer: More brain areas were activated when imagining a positive future; Activated areas
showed greater extent of activation in the positive condition; The brain's functioning was
superior in a positive versus negative condition
Explanation: The research showed enhanced and more extensive brain activation during positive
visualization, indicating better functioning.
34. According to Baumeister et al. (2001), which scenarios illustrate the disproportionate impact of the
negative? (Select all that apply)
A. One traumatic event amid several pleasant events
B. One piece of negative feedback amid several compliments
C. Three encouraging comments outweighing one disparaging remark
D. One significant loss amid several important gains
Answer: One traumatic event amid several pleasant events; One piece of negative feedback
amid several compliments; One significant loss amid several important gains
Explanation: Their research found that single negative events often outweigh multiple positive ones
in impact and memory.
35. Why do leaders tend to focus more on the negative? (Select all that apply)
A. They are traditionally charged with resolving problems and defeating threats
B. Positive feedback is scientifically proven to be less accurate
C. Early life socialization emphasizes attending to negative information
D. Organizational structures provide more rewards for identifying failures
Answer: They are traditionally charged with resolving problems and defeating threats; Early
life socialization emphasizes attending to negative information
Explanation: Leaders' roles and learned vigilance toward threats create a natural tendency to focus
on negatives.
36. What factors contributed to the positive climate at Synovus Financial? (Select all that apply)
A. A "culture of the heart" and a formal customer covenant
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B. An exclusive focus on material growth for shareholders
C. A belief in investing in and building up every team member
D. Policies enabling working mothers to be productive while caring for family
Answer: A "culture of the heart" and a formal customer covenant; A belief in investing in
and building up every team member; Policies enabling working mothers to be productive
while caring for family
Explanation: The firm's climate was built on caring values, employee investment, and supportive
policies.
37. What did the comprehensive review by Lyubomirsky et al. (2005) conclude about positive
emotions? (Select all that apply)
A. They are unrelated to success in income or work performance
B. They engender success across multiple life domains
C. They lead to higher functioning for individuals and organizations
D. Their effects are limited to short-term mood enhancement only
Answer: They engender success across multiple life domains; They lead to higher
functioning for individuals and organizations
Explanation: Their research linked positive affect and climate to success in work, health, and social
relationships.
38. Which processes did Kanov et al. (2004) identify as enabling organizational compassion? (Select
all that apply)
A. Collective ignoring
B. Collective noticing
C. Collective feeling
D. Collective responding
Answer: Collective noticing; Collective feeling; Collective responding
Explanation: The three key actionable processes are noticing the need, feeling compassion, and
responding collectively.
39. What leader actions fostered collective responding in the studies of organizational compassion?
(Select all that apply)
A. Publicly articulating caring values like "we care for our own"
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B. Making resources available for compassionate action
C. Privately dealing with tragedies to avoid public disruption
D. Sharing stories of caring and visibly calling others to action
Answer: Publicly articulating caring values like "we care for our own"; Making resources
available for compassionate action; Sharing stories of caring and visibly calling others to
action
Explanation: Leaders enabled collective action by modeling, resourcing, and verbally championing
compassionate responses.
40. What are the three alternatives individuals have when facing harmful events at work, according to
Bright (2005)? (Select all that apply)
A. Hold a grudge and seek retaliation
B. Immediately resign from the organization
C. Neutralize angry feelings and abandon hostility
D. Actively replace negative with positive feelings
Answer: Hold a grudge and seek retaliation; Neutralize angry feelings and abandon
hostility; Actively replace negative with positive feelings
Explanation: The three possible responses range from negativity to neutral disengagement to
active positivity.
41. Based on Desmond Tutu's perspective, which statements are true about forgiveness? (Select all
that apply)
A. It requires forgetting the atrocity to ensure reconciliation
B. It means taking what happened seriously, not minimizing it
C. It involves trying to understand the pressures on the perpetrator
D. It is an absolute necessity for continued human existence
Answer: It means taking what happened seriously, not minimizing it; It involves trying to
understand the pressures on the perpetrator; It is an absolute necessity for continued
human existence
Explanation: Tutu described forgiveness as a serious, empathetic, and liberating act essential for a
future.
Revision Guide 13
42. What leadership activities enable organizational forgiveness? (Select all that apply)
A. Acknowledge the trauma but focus on a positive future goal
B. Associate work with a higher purpose to replace self-focus
C. Lower standards to reduce pressure after a harmful event
D. Provide social support prioritizing human development
Answer: Acknowledge the trauma but focus on a positive future goal; Associate work with a
higher purpose to replace self-focus; Provide social support prioritizing human
development
Explanation: These strategies help organizations move past injury by focusing forward, elevating
purpose, and offering support.
43. What should be communicated about forgiveness in relation to organizational standards? (Select
all that apply)
A. Forgiveness is synonymous with tolerance for repeated error
B. Forgiveness enables excellence by not dwelling on the negative
C. Forgiveness requires forgetting the offense ever occurred
D. Forgiveness points toward maintaining high standards
Answer: Forgiveness enables excellence by not dwelling on the negative; Forgiveness
points toward maintaining high standards
Explanation: Forgiveness is about redirecting focus from past mistakes to future excellence, not
condoning poor performance.
44. What impacts did Emmons (2003) find for students who kept gratitude journals? (Select all that
apply)
A. Fewer physical symptoms like headaches
B. Lower grade point averages due to distraction
C. Higher states of alertness, determination, and energy
D. Increased absenteeism and tardiness
Answer: Fewer physical symptoms like headaches; Higher states of alertness,
determination, and energy
Explanation: The gratitude journal group reported better physical health, well-being, and academic
engagement.
Revision Guide 14
45. What are empirically supported methods for cultivating gratitude? (Select all that apply)
A. Gratitude visits to express thanks in person
B. Writing gratitude letters to share feelings
C. Keeping daily gratitude journals
D. Distributing daily gratitude cards to coworkers
Answer: Gratitude visits to express thanks in person; Writing gratitude letters to share
feelings; Keeping daily gratitude journals; Distributing daily gratitude cards to coworkers
Explanation: Research by Seligman et al. (2005) and others shows these specific practices
produce significant positive impacts.
46. What organizational performance indicators improved when leaders fostered compassion,
forgiveness, and gratitude? (Select all that apply)
A. Profitability and productivity
B. Quality and innovation
C. Customer satisfaction and employee retention
D. Short-term stock price volatility
Answer: Profitability and productivity; Quality and innovation; Customer satisfaction and
employee retention
Explanation: Cameron, Bright, & Caza's study found these virtuous behaviors linked to superior
performance on key metrics.
47. What strategies help in the "collective noticing" phase of organizational compassion? (Select all
that apply)
A. Sharing information broadly about colleagues' struggles
B. Being on the lookout for coworkers who need help
C. Maintaining tight-knit communities with common values
D. Isolating individuals to deal with problems privately
Answer: Sharing information broadly about colleagues' struggles; Being on the lookout for
coworkers who need help; Maintaining tight-knit communities with common values
Explanation: Noticing is facilitated by awareness, communication, and close-knit groups that track
each other's welfare.
Revision Guide 15
48. What did leaders do to foster collective feeling after the apartment fire tragedy in Dutton et al.'s
study? (Select all that apply)
A. They discouraged public discussion to maintain privacy
B. The dean discussed his personal feelings in a public forum
C. Public forums and e-mail communication were used
D. The dean wrote a personal check publicly to assist victims
Answer: The dean discussed his personal feelings in a public forum; Public forums and e-
mail communication were used; The dean wrote a personal check publicly to assist victims
Explanation: These actions legitimized and modeled the public expression of compassionate
emotion.
49. According to the chapter, what does a positive climate produce for organizations? (Select all that
apply)
A. A heliotropic effect toward optimal functioning
B. An upward spiral toward enhanced performance
C. Automatic resolution of all financial challenges
D. Enhanced decision-making and prosocial behaviors
Answer: A heliotropic effect toward optimal functioning; An upward spiral toward enhanced
performance; Enhanced decision-making and prosocial behaviors
Explanation: Research confirms positive climates foster flourishing through improved functioning,
performance, and social integration.
50. What did research on vagal tone and positive affect demonstrate? (Select all that apply)
A. Positive climate produced superior cognitive flexibility
B. Positive affect enhanced working memory and directed attention
C. It had no significant impact on physical health indicators
D. It increased self-regulatory capacity and social connectedness
Answer: Positive climate produced superior cognitive flexibility; Positive affect enhanced
working memory and directed attention; It increased self-regulatory capacity and social
connectedness
Explanation: Inducing positivity improved multiple indices of cognitive function, self-regulation, and
social outcomes.
Revision Guide 16
51. What is true about the role of negative factors in organizations? (Select all that apply)
A. They receive more attention than positive factors traditionally
B. Ignoring negative feedback can have dangerous consequences
C. Business press usage of negative words decreased over time
D. Positive leaders eliminate all negative factors from discussion
Answer: They receive more attention than positive factors traditionally; Ignoring negative
feedback can have dangerous consequences
Explanation: Due to learned vigilance and traditional leadership roles, negatives are prioritized, as
ignoring them can be harmful.
52. What behaviors did the positive leaders at Synovus encourage? (Select all that apply)
A. Striving for employee growth in material, spiritual, and intellectual ways
B. Serving clients with sincerity, fairness, courtesy, respect, and gratitude
C. Prioritizing individual competition to drive performance
D. Investing in every team member and teaching them
Answer: Striving for employee growth in material, spiritual, and intellectual ways; Serving
clients with sincerity, fairness, courtesy, respect, and gratitude; Investing in every team
member and teaching them
Explanation: The company's climate was built on holistic employee development, a customer
covenant, and investment in people.
53. What outcomes are associated with the "broaden and build" theory in work contexts? (Select all
that apply)
A. Down-regulation of negative emotions like fear and anxiety
B. Reversal of negative physiological effects from stress
C. Increased intellectual complexity and capacity to explore
D. A narrowed focus that improves efficiency on routine tasks
Answer: Down-regulation of negative emotions like fear and anxiety; Reversal of negative
physiological effects from stress; Increased intellectual complexity and capacity to explore
Explanation: Positive emotions counteract negativity's effects and build enduring cognitive and
personal resources.
Revision Guide 17
54. What factors in Powley's (2005) study of a crisis helped direct compassionate feelings? (Select all
that apply)
A. Organizing public gatherings immediately after the tragedy
B. Distributing symbolic items like necklaces to memorialize victims
C. Leaders making home visits and sharing meals with affected individuals
D. Minimizing hierarchical distinctions in leader interactions
Answer: Organizing public gatherings immediately after the tragedy; Distributing symbolic
items like necklaces to memorialize victims; Leaders making home visits and sharing meals
with affected individuals; Minimizing hierarchical distinctions in leader interactions
Explanation: These ceremonial and personal contact strategies fostered and channeled collective
compassion.
55. What is required for a positive climate to exist, given the natural negativity bias? (Select all that
apply)
A. Leaders must adopt intentional strategies to enable positivity
B. Leaders must ignore all negative threats and problems
C. An abundance of positivity must counter the tendency toward negativity
D. A Pollyannaish perspective that denies difficulty is essential
Answer: Leaders must adopt intentional strategies to enable positivity; An abundance of
positivity must counter the tendency toward negativity
Explanation: Without deliberate effort to emphasize the positive, negative inclinations will dominate
as the default.
56. What does the chapter state about the relationship between positive climate and performance?
(Select all that apply)
A. It is strongly associated with positive organizational performance
B. The connection is only theoretical without empirical support
C. It produces a heliotropic effect toward flourishing
D. It guarantees short-term financial success regardless of other factors
Answer: It is strongly associated with positive organizational performance; It produces a
heliotropic effect toward flourishing
Revision Guide 18
Explanation: Substantial research confirms that a positive work climate predicts enhanced
performance and optimal functioning.
57. Which leadership actions were part of enabling forgiveness after organizational trauma? (Select all
that apply)
A. Paying attention to language that includes terms like reconciliation
B. Clarifying that forgiveness means forgetting the offense
C. Communicating that human welfare is as important as financial results
D. Isolating offenders to protect the rest of the organization
Answer: Paying attention to language that includes terms like reconciliation;
Communicating that human welfare is as important as financial results
Explanation: Using virtuous language and prioritizing support help institutionalize forgiveness as a
legitimate response.
58. What effects did expressions of gratitude have on interpersonal behavior? (Select all that apply)
A. They motivated reciprocal grateful behavior from others
B. They made others more likely to loan money or offer support
C. They consistently elicited feelings of jealousy and competition
D. They increased the frequency of visits from case workers when thanked
Answer: They motivated reciprocal grateful behavior from others; They made others more
likely to loan money or offer support; They increased the frequency of visits from case
workers when thanked
Explanation: Gratitude creates virtuous cycles, eliciting prosocial and reciprocal behaviors like
increased helping and engagement.
59. What did the study of organizations across 16 industry groups by Cameron et al. investigate?
(Select all that apply)
A. The impact of fostering compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
B. The performance differences between large and small firms only
C. The link between virtuous activities and organizational performance
D. The exclusive performance of for-profit manufacturing companies
Answer: The impact of fostering compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude; The link between
virtuous activities and organizational performance
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Explanation: The study examined how these specific positive activities related to performance
across a diverse set of organizations.
60. What are key components of the definition of a positive climate? (Select all that apply)
A. Employees with optimistic attitudes and cheerful outlooks
B. The complete absence of any distress or dissatisfaction
C. Positive interpretations predominating over negative ones
D. Well-being predominating over distress
Answer: Employees with optimistic attitudes and cheerful outlooks; Positive interpretations
predominating over negative ones; Well-being predominating over distress
Explanation: A positive climate is characterized by the relative prevalence of positive states and
interpretations, not their absolute presence.
True/False Questions
61. A positive climate means that negative emotions like stress and anxiety are completely eliminated
from the workplace.
Answer: False
Explanation: A positive climate means positive emotions predominate over negative ones, not that
negatives are absent.
62. Fredrickson's "broaden and build" theory posits that positive emotions narrow people's focus to
improve efficiency on immediate tasks.
Answer: False
Explanation: The theory states positive emotions broaden cognitive perspectives and build
enduring personal resources.
63. Brain imaging studies show that imagining a positive future activates fewer brain areas than
imagining a negative future.
Answer: False
Explanation: Studies found more brain areas were activated to a greater extent during positive
future visualization.
64. Baumeister et al.'s research concluded that "bad is stronger than good," meaning negative events
have a disproportionate impact compared to positive ones.
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Answer: True
Explanation: Their review highlighted that negative occurrences are more influential and longer-
lasting for individuals.
65. People tend to pay more attention to negative feedback because ignoring it is often merely
inconvenient, not dangerous.
Answer: False
Explanation: Early socialization teaches that ignoring negative feedback can be dangerous or even
life-threatening.
66. Positive leaders ignore negative threats and problems to maintain an uplifting perspective.
Answer: False
Explanation: Positive leaders do not ignore the negative but counter it with an abundance of
intentional positivity.
67. Synovus Financial's positive climate was unrelated to its financial performance, which was average
for the industry.
Answer: False
Explanation: Synovus achieved above-average earnings growth, linking its positive climate to
positively deviant performance.
68. Enabling a positive climate involves leaders turning problems into opportunities and emphasizing
positive relationships.
Answer: True
Explanation: Leaders foster positive deviance by reframing challenges and highlighting positive
phenomena.
69. Research by Lyubomirsky et al. found that positive emotions are linked to success only in personal
relationships, not in work performance.
Answer: False
Explanation: Their review found success across multiple domains including work performance,
income, and health.
70. The U.S. Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is designed to build physical strength
only, not positive psychological practices.
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Answer: False
Explanation: The program trains soldiers in positive practices to build resiliency, affecting both
personal and unit performance.
71. Studies show that fostering compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude has no significant impact on
organizational profitability or innovation.
Answer: False
Explanation: Cameron et al. found organizations scoring higher on these virtues performed better
on these and other metrics.
72. The first step in enabling organizational compassion, according to Kanov et al., is collective
responding with organized action.
Answer: False
Explanation: The first step is collective noticing, or becoming aware of colleagues' difficulties and
needs.
73. Leaders can foster collective noticing by discouraging the sharing of personal concerns at work to
maintain professionalism.
Answer: False
Explanation: Leaders can legitimize sharing personal concerns to help colleagues become aware
of struggles.
74. In Dutton et al.'s study, the dean fostered collective feeling by publicly expressing personal
emotions and donating money.
Answer: True
Explanation: The dean modeled compassionate feeling by sharing emotions and writing a public
personal check.
75. Collective responding in compassion involves organized action aimed at fostering healing and
restoration.
Answer: True
Explanation: The third step is taking coordinated action to address the needs arising from a difficult
event.
Revision Guide 22
76. Forgiveness in organizations is only relevant for major ethical scandals, not for minor mistakes or
common hurtful events.
Answer: False
Explanation: Forgiveness is relevant for various harmful events, from major traumas to minor
personal affronts.
77. Desmond Tutu argued that forgiveness requires condoning the harmful actions that were taken.
Answer: False
Explanation: Tutu stated forgiveness does not mean condoning but seriously addressing the harm
without minimizing it.
78. One leadership strategy for enabling forgiveness is to acknowledge the trauma and then
emphasize building a positive future.
Answer: True
Explanation: Leaders should recognize the harm but define it as an opportunity to move toward a
new, positive goal.
79. Forgiving an organizational mistake means lowering performance standards for those involved.
Answer: False
Explanation: Forgiveness maintains high standards by freeing people from dwelling on the negative
to pursue excellence.
80. Institutionalized forgiveness was found to be irrelevant in the few organizations that flourished after
downsizing.
Answer: False
Explanation: Research identified forgiveness as a key enabler for the rare organizations that
thrived after downsizing trauma.
81. Emmons' research induced gratitude by having students perform community service, not by
keeping journals.
Answer: False
Explanation: The study assigned students to keep gratitude journals, writing down things for which
they were thankful.
Revision Guide 23
82. Students who kept gratitude journals reported more physical symptoms like headaches compared
to frustrated students.
Answer: False
Explanation: The gratitude journal group experienced fewer physical symptoms and better overall
well-being.
83. Figure 2.1 shows that frustration leads to a more consistent and healthy heart rhythm than
gratitude.
Answer: False
Explanation: The figure illustrates a harmonious heart rhythm during appreciation and a disordered
pattern during frustration.
84. Expressions of gratitude by one person tend to inhibit others from expressing gratitude, creating a
competitive dynamic.
Answer: False
Explanation: Gratitude expressions motivate reciprocal gratitude, creating a self-perpetuating,
virtuous cycle.
85. Writing a "thank you" on a restaurant bill has been shown to have no effect on the size of tips left
by customers.
Answer: False
Explanation: Research found this simple gratitude expression elicited approximately 11 percent
higher tips.
86. Gratitude visits, letters, journals, and cards are all empirically supported methods for cultivating
gratitude.
Answer: True
Explanation: Studies by Seligman et al. and others demonstrate these practices produce significant
positive impacts.
87. A positive climate is the default option in most organizations because humans are naturally
optimistic.
Answer: False
Revision Guide 24
Explanation: Due to negativity bias, a negative climate is the default unless leaders adopt
intentional positive strategies.
88. Positive leadership activities like modeling compassion directly affect organizational climate and
performance.
Answer: True
Explanation: Leaders personally induce and display positive emotions, significantly affecting
climate and outcomes.
89. The "broaden and build" effect explains how positive emotions down-regulate negative emotions
and reverse their physiological effects.
Answer: True
Explanation: Positivity nullifies negativity's harmful consequences, both emotionally and
physiologically.
90. Walsh's research found that positively biased words appeared four times more often than negative
words in business press over 17 years.
Answer: False
Explanation: His research found negatively biased words increased fourfold, while positive terms
appeared seldom.
Application-Based Questions
91. A manager notices her team is demoralized after a failed project. Drawing from the chapter, what
should she emphasize to foster a positive climate?
A. Conduct a detailed blame analysis to identify the single point of failure
B. Highlight the learning opportunity and positive aspects of the team's effort to build future
resources
C. Ignore the failure entirely and immediately assign a new, similar project
D. Lower performance standards for the next project to ensure success
Answer: Highlight the learning opportunity and positive aspects of the team's effort to build
future resources
Explanation: Positive leaders turn problems into opportunities, emphasizing positive interpretations
to enable an upward spiral.
Revision Guide 25
92. During a company-wide meeting following a significant financial loss, a CEO acknowledges the
difficulty but spends most of her time describing an inspiring new vision for community impact.
Which enabling forgiveness strategy is she using?
A. Maintaining high standards by punishing those responsible
B. Acknowledging harm but defining it as a chance to move toward a positive goal
C. Isolating the victims of the loss to prevent spreading negativity
D. Minimizing the consequences of the loss to reduce emotional impact
Answer: Acknowledging harm but defining it as a chance to move toward a positive goal
Explanation: This aligns with the strategy of clarifying a positive future with greater emphasis than
the negative past.
93. A department head institutes a weekly "team wellness check-in" where employees can briefly
share personal or professional challenges. This practice most directly facilitates which process for
organizational compassion?
A. Collective responding
B. Collective feeling
C. Collective noticing
D. Collective organizing
Answer: Collective noticing
Explanation: Regular forums for sharing help team members become aware of each other's
difficulties, enabling collective noticing.
94. After a conflict between two senior engineers disrupts project workflow, their leader arranges a
mediation. He guides them to discuss the pressures each was under and encourages them to
release the right to retaliate. This approach is most aligned with fostering what?
A. Gratitude
B. Compassion
C. Forgiveness
D. Neutral disengagement
Answer: Forgiveness
Explanation: The leader is facilitating understanding and the abandonment of retaliation, core
components of enabling forgiveness.
Revision Guide 26
95. An executive mandates that all meeting agendas include a "gratitude minute" for acknowledging
colleagues' contributions. What is a likely outcome based on chapter research?
A. It will waste time and reduce meeting efficiency for discussing core business
B. It will motivate reciprocal positive behavior and enhance social connectedness
C. It will create jealousy among those who are not acknowledged as frequently
D. It will have no measurable impact on team dynamics or performance
Answer: It will motivate reciprocal positive behavior and enhance social connectedness
Explanation: Expressions of gratitude tend to create virtuous cycles, eliciting prosocial behavior
and strengthening bonds.
96. A plant manager learns that an overnight fire damaged several employees' cars in the parking lot.
He immediately uses the plant's PA system to announce the incident, calls for donations of spare
transportation, and shares his own concern. These actions best demonstrate enabling which
virtue?
A. Forgiveness for the lack of security
B. Gratitude for the undamaged property
C. Compassion through collective noticing and responding
D. Neutrality by not getting involved in personal employee matters
Answer: Compassion through collective noticing and responding
Explanation: The manager facilitates awareness (noticing) and organizes a supportive response,
key to collective compassion.
97. In the aftermath of a painful round of layoffs, a division head launches a new initiative focused on
mentoring underserved youth, telling the remaining staff, "Our work now gives purpose beyond
ourselves." Which forgiveness-enabling activity is this?
A. Providing social support to victims
B. Associating outcomes with a higher purpose
C. Paying attention to language of reconciliation
D. Maintaining high standards despite the trauma
Answer: Associating outcomes with a higher purpose
Explanation: Connecting work to an elevating objective replaces a focus on self-pity or retribution
with meaningful contribution.
Revision Guide 27
98. A sales team is consistently falling short of targets. The leader chooses to start each weekly review
by having team members share one thing they appreciate about a colleague's work before
discussing numbers. This tactic is primarily intended to:
A. Distract from the performance issues with positive chatter
B. Down-regulate negative emotions like anxiety and foster a broaden-and-build effect
C. Identify which employees are not contributing to positivity
D. Replace the need for performance metrics with subjective feelings
Answer: Down-regulate negative emotions like anxiety and foster a broaden-and-build effect
Explanation: Inducing gratitude and appreciation can counteract negative emotions and broaden
cognitive resources for better performance.
99. Following a product recall, a company president states, "We will not define ourselves by this error
but by our rigorous commitment to making it right and setting a new industry standard for safety."
This statement best reflects which concept?
A. That forgiveness means tolerating the error
B. That maintaining high standards is part of enabling forgiveness
C. That the negative event should be minimized and forgotten
D. That collective feeling should be avoided to stay focused on action
Answer: That maintaining high standards is part of enabling forgiveness
Explanation: The leader clarifies that forgiveness enables excellence by refusing to dwell on the
negative while pointing to a higher standard.
100. A project leader, knowing her team is under intense stress, brings in a counselor for a
group session where people can share their feelings about the workload. This most directly aims to
foster:
A. Collective noticing of who is struggling the most
B. Collective feeling of shared emotion and compassion
C. Collective responding with a plan to reduce hours
D. Collective forgiveness for the stressful assignment
Answer: Collective feeling of shared emotion and compassion
Explanation: Creating a planned forum for public emotional expression is a strategy to foster
collective feeling.
Revision Guide 28
101. An organization recovering from an embezzlement scandal adopts a new value statement
emphasizing "humility, reconciliation, and integrity." Based on the chapter, what is the intended
effect of changing the organizational vocabulary in this way?
A. To make the language sound more sophisticated to investors
B. To provide a context where forgiveness is seen as a legitimate response
C. To shift focus away from the financial details of the scandal
D. To satisfy public relations consultants' recommendations
Answer: To provide a context where forgiveness is seen as a legitimate response
Explanation: Paying attention to language that includes virtuous terms legitimizes forgiveness as
an acceptable organizational response.
102. A manager wants to apply findings from vagal tone research to improve his team's
cognitive flexibility. Based on the chapter, what should he focus on creating?
A. A highly competitive reward structure
B. A positive affective climate
C. A neutral, emotion-free workspace
D. A rigorous physical training regimen
Answer: A positive affective climate
Explanation: Inducing positive affect and climate produced superior performance on indices like
cognitive flexibility and working memory.
103. During a budget crisis, a school principal decides to protect funding for staff development
and wellness programs while cutting elsewhere. This decision aligns with which strategy for
enabling forgiveness after potential harm?
A. Acknowledging the trauma of cuts
B. Providing support prioritizing human development
C. Maintaining high academic standards
D. Using language of compassion
Answer: Providing support prioritizing human development
Explanation: Communicating that human welfare is as important as financial priorities offers
support that humanizes difficult events.
Revision Guide 29
104. A CEO, reflecting on Baumeister et al.'s findings, worries that one critical news article will
overshadow a year of positive press. How should she, as a positive leader, respond?
A. Launch a aggressive PR campaign to discredit the negative source
B. Counteract the single negative with an abundance of positive internal and external
communication
C. Ignore all media as inherently biased and negative
D. Focus management attention exclusively on the threats raised in the article
Answer: Counteract the single negative with an abundance of positive internal and external
communication
Explanation: Positive leaders counter the natural tendency toward negativity bias with deliberate,
abundant positivity.
105. Inspired by Synovus, a bank manager introduces a "customer covenant" card and tells
employees, "Our goal is to serve with sincerity and gratitude." This primarily aims to:
A. Create a legally binding contract with clients
B. Codify values that contribute to a positive, heart-based culture
C. Replace performance-based incentives with value-based ones
D. Simplify the employee handbook by removing other rules
Answer: Codify values that contribute to a positive, heart-based culture
Explanation: Formalizing caring values in a covenant is an example of building a positive climate
through articulated principles.
106. A research lab head reads about the broaden-and-build effect. To boost creativity on a
tough problem, she might:
A. Increase pressure and stress to narrow the team's focus
B. Induce positive emotions through a fun, collaborative brainstorming session
C. Isolate team members to force deep individual concentration
D. Postpone the project until a neutral, low-emotion period
Answer: Induce positive emotions through a fun, collaborative brainstorming session
Explanation: Positive emotions broaden cognitive perspectives and enhance creativity, problem-
solving, and information intake.
Revision Guide 30
107. After a merger, employees from the acquired company feel distrustful and marginalized.
The integration team organizes social mixers and highlights stories of successful collaboration from
both legacy companies. These actions best represent enabling:
A. Gratitude for the acquisition's success
B. Compassion for the logistical challenges
C. Forgiveness for past competitive hostility
D. Neutrality by treating all employees identically
Answer: Forgiveness for past competitive hostility
Explanation: The activities aim to help employees move past ingroup/outgroup animosity, a form of
fostering organizational forgiveness.
108. A supervisor wishes to implement a gratitude intervention with proven individual and
organizational benefits. Which of the following should she assign based on Emmons' research?
A. Daily journaling of frustrating incidents
B. Weekly journaling of neutral events
C. Daily journaling of three things for which one is grateful
D. A one-time thank-you email to the company president
Answer: Daily journaling of three things for which one is grateful
Explanation: Keeping a gratitude journal is an empirically supported practice that improved well-
being and performance in studies.
109. An IT company faces constant negative scrutiny in tech blogs. The founder decides to start
an internal "Wall of Wins" to visibly celebrate small and large team successes every week. This
strategy primarily addresses:
A. The need to hide negative external press from employees
B. The research finding that negative factors traditionally receive more attention than positive ones
C. The requirement to publicly retaliate against critics
D. The principle that forgiveness requires forgetting setbacks
Answer: The research finding that negative factors traditionally receive more attention than
positive ones
Explanation: The intentional internal celebration of positives counteracts the external negativity
bias and default focus on threats.
Revision Guide 31
110. In response to a near-miss safety incident, a factory foreman calls a team huddle. He
states, "This was a wake-up call we needed. Now, let's work together to design a safety protocol
that becomes the industry benchmark." This reframing exemplifies:
A. Enabling compassion for those who were almost hurt
B. Turning a problem into an opportunity for positive deviance
C. Neutralizing feelings by downplaying the incident's severity
D. Expressing gratitude that no one was injured
Answer: Turning a problem into an opportunity for positive deviance
Explanation: The leader resists concentrating on the negative threat and instead emphasizes a
positive, aspirational outcome.
111. A non-profit team is exhausted after a demanding fundraising campaign. The director gives
everyone a day off and leaves handwritten notes on each desk thanking them for their specific
contribution. This action is most likely to:
A. Be seen as an insufficient material reward, reducing motivation
B. Create a sense of obligation that leads to future resentment
C. Elicit reciprocal positive behavior and enhance felt gratitude
D. Highlight inequities in perceived contributions among staff
Answer: Elicit reciprocal positive behavior and enhance felt gratitude
Explanation: Personalized expressions of gratitude motivate reciprocal prosocial behavior and
strengthen social bonds.
112. When two departments are blamed for a missed deadline and begin accusing each other,
an executive brings the leaders together and says, "Our aim is excellence for our customers, not
winning this blame game." This statement aligns with enabling forgiveness by:
A. Providing social support to the victims of the blame
B. Associating the work with a higher purpose beyond the conflict
C. Paying attention to language that avoids the word "blame"
D. Acknowledging the trauma of the missed deadline
Answer: Associating the work with a higher purpose beyond the conflict
Explanation: Redirecting focus to an elevating objective (customer excellence) replaces a focus on
self-justification and retribution.
Revision Guide 32
113. A hospital unit adopts a practice where nurses can briefly report not just clinical updates
but also personal concerns about patients or each other during shift changes. This routine primarily
facilitates:
A. Collective responding to every concern raised
B. Collective noticing of difficulties and needs
C. Collective feeling through public forums
D. Collective forgiveness for clinical errors
Answer: Collective noticing of difficulties and needs
Explanation: Integrating personal concern sharing into standard routines helps teams collectively
stay aware of struggles.
114. A company president, speaking about a competitor's aggressive lawsuit, tells her team,
"This is a chance to demonstrate our integrity and resilience. Let's focus on how we can emerge
stronger." Her framing illustrates a positive leader's tendency to:
A. Ignore legal threats as irrelevant to culture
B. Counter the negative threat with a positive interpretation and opportunity
C. Adopt a Pollyannaish perspective that denies the seriousness of lawsuits
D. Focus primarily on the negative to mobilize a fierce defense
Answer: Counter the negative threat with a positive interpretation and opportunity
Explanation: She acknowledges the difficulty but emphasizes positive phenomena like resilience
and strength.
115. A study group coordinator, after learning one member's notes were destroyed, quickly sets
up a shared online folder for everyone to contribute copies. This action represents which stage in
enabling organizational compassion?
A. Collective noticing of the loss
B. Collective feeling about the misfortune
C. Collective responding with organized help
D. Collective forgiving of the responsible party
Answer: Collective responding with organized help
Explanation: Taking coordinated, practical action to address the need is an example of collective
responding.
Revision Guide 33
116. A manager receives a complaint that an employee's negative attitude is affecting the team.
Informed by the "bad is stronger than good" principle, the manager decides to:
A. Fire the employee immediately to remove the negative influence
B. Have a private reprimand with the employee to correct the behavior
C. Publicly criticize the attitude to set an example for others
D. Deliberately increase positive interactions and recognitions for the entire team to
counterbalance the effect
Answer: Deliberately increase positive interactions and recognitions for the entire team to
counterbalance the effect
Explanation: To offset the disproportionate impact of one negative, a leader should intentionally
amplify positivity in the climate.
117. To improve a call center's morale, a manager institutes a "kudos" board where employees
can post thank-you notes about colleagues. Based on gratitude research, what is a likely
secondary benefit?
A. It will increase competitive hoarding of customer compliments
B. It will motivate more helping behavior and reciprocal gratitude among staff
C. It will lead to jealousy among those who receive fewer notes
D. It will shift focus away from key performance metrics like call time
Answer: It will motivate more helping behavior and reciprocal gratitude among staff
Explanation: Public expressions of gratitude tend to elicit further prosocial and grateful behavior,
creating a virtuous cycle.
118. A leader facing a team reluctant to change a long-standing process says, "I appreciate
your commitment to what has worked. Now, let's explore how we can build on that foundation to
create something even better." This statement primarily uses language that fosters:
A. Compassion for their attachment to the old way
B. Gratitude for their past efforts
C. Forgiveness for their resistance
D. A positive climate by framing change as an opportunity to build
Answer: A positive climate by framing change as an opportunity to build
Revision Guide 34
Explanation: The leader uses appreciative language and frames the challenge as building on the
positive, fostering a positive climate.
119. After a public failure, a team leader insists on conducting a "retrospective" that focuses
equally on what went well and what can be learned, rather than a "post-mortem" that implies
blame. This practice aligns most closely with enabling:
A. Compassion through collective feeling
B. Forgiveness by refusing to dwell solely on the negative
C. Gratitude by thanking people for their effort
D. Neutrality by avoiding emotional discussion
Answer: Forgiveness by refusing to dwell solely on the negative
Explanation: The structured focus on learning and positives, not just failure, helps the team move
forward without being weighed down by the mistake.
120. An organization designs its new headquarters with open spaces, communal lunch areas,
and walls displaying employee stories. Drawing from the chapter, this design philosophy likely
intends to:
A. Reduce real estate costs per square foot
B. Foster tight-knit communities that enhance collective noticing and compassion
C. Create a sterile, neutral environment for focused work
D. Impress clients with a modern aesthetic
Answer: Foster tight-knit communities that enhance collective noticing and compassion
Explanation: Physical spaces that promote interaction and shared identity support the close-knit
communities that facilitate compassion processes.
121. A leader learns her top performer made a costly error due to personal stress. Instead of
disciplinary action, she offers confidential counseling resources and adjusts deadlines. This best
demonstrates enabling which virtue?
A. Gratitude for past performance
B. Compassion through supportive responding
C. Forgiveness by lowering standards
D. Neutrality to avoid favoritism
Answer: Compassion through supportive responding
Revision Guide 35
Explanation: Offering support and resources in response to personal struggle is an act of
organizational compassion.
122. During a strategic retreat, a CEO shows a slide comparing the frequency of negative vs.
positive words in their own internal memos, citing Walsh's research. What is her most likely goal?
A. To prove the company's communication is already highly positive
B. To raise awareness of a potential negativity bias in their organizational language
C. To mandate that all future memos use only positive vocabulary
D. To criticize the communications department for poor word choice
Answer: To raise awareness of a potential negativity bias in their organizational language
Explanation: Highlighting the imbalance in language use can illuminate a default focus on the
negative that needs intentional correction.
123. A team is paralyzed by fear of making another mistake. The leader shares Fredrickson's
finding that positive emotions broaden cognition, then leads a lighthearted improvisation exercise.
What is the intended outcome?
A. To make the team forget about the past mistake entirely
B. To broaden their thought-action repertoires and build creative resources
C. To identify which team members are not sufficiently serious
D. To replace performance reviews with entertainment-based assessments
Answer: To broaden their thought-action repertoires and build creative resources
Explanation: Inducing positive emotions can cognitively broaden perspective and build personal
resources for problem-solving.
124. After a hostile takeover attempt fails, the surviving company's leadership holds workshops
where employees are encouraged to write and share "gratitude letters" to colleagues who showed
resilience. This directly applies which research finding?
A. Gratitude journals improve individual grade point averages
B. Expressions of gratitude motivate reciprocal positive behavior
C. Gratitude down-regulates the vagus nerve's healthy tone
D. Gratitude is only effective when expressed privately
Answer: Expressions of gratitude motivate reciprocal positive behavior
Revision Guide 36
Explanation: Gratitude elicits prosocial behavior and can strengthen bonds during recovery from
negative events.
125. An operations manager, aiming for "positively deviant performance," studies Synovus
Financial. He decides to start investing significantly in employee skill-building programs, even
during an economic downturn. Which Synovus principle is he emulating?
A. Serving clients with the highest level of courtesy only
B. Building people and investing in every team member
C. Maintaining an atmosphere of constant cheerfulness
D. Focusing exclusively on earnings-per-share growth
Answer: Building people and investing in every team member
Explanation: Synovus's culture emphasized investing in employees' material, spiritual, and
intellectual growth.
126. Facing a serious product quality issue, a leadership team spends 90% of its meeting
analyzing the failure's root causes. A consultant citing the chapter would most likely warn them
about what?
A. They are correctly following the "bad is stronger than good" principle
B. They are succumbing to the natural tendency to over-focus on the negative
C. They are effectively enabling collective noticing of the problem
D. They are fostering forgiveness by thoroughly understanding the harm
Answer: They are succumbing to the natural tendency to over-focus on the negative
Explanation: Leaders are often socialized to focus on problems, which can overwhelm positive
factors if not intentionally balanced.
127. To implement "collective feeling" after a colleague's serious illness diagnosis, a leader
organizes a voluntary lunch where people can share memories and well-wishes. This is analogous
to which element from the research?
A. The dean writing a personal check after the apartment fire
B. Replacing course notes for students after their notes were destroyed
C. Keeping a gratitude journal to improve personal health
D. Using a "customer covenant" to codify service values
Answer: The dean writing a personal check after the apartment fire
Revision Guide 37
Explanation: Both are public, leader-modeled actions that legitimize and foster the expression of
collective compassionate emotion.
128. A military unit commander, influenced by the U.S. Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness
program, incorporates resilience and positive communication training into daily drills. What is the
overarching goal?
A. To ensure unconditional obedience to orders
B. To produce compounding benefits for unit performance and social connections
C. To eliminate all expressions of negative emotion among soldiers
D. To replace weapons training with psychological exercises
Answer: To produce compounding benefits for unit performance and social connections
Explanation: The program aims to build personal resiliency that benefits both the individual and the
collective unit's functioning.
129. When a long-time employee acts out of character and yells at a subordinate, his manager's
first step is to have a private conversation to understand what external pressures he is facing. This
initial approach aligns most with enabling what?
A. Gratitude for his years of service
B. Compassion through collective noticing and understanding
C. Forgiveness by immediately abandoning the right to retaliate
D. Neutrality by ignoring the incident as a one-time event
Answer: Compassion through collective noticing and understanding
Explanation: The first step in compassion is noticing and seeking to understand the difficulty or
need behind the behavior.
130. A company-wide email announces a new policy: any team that delivers a project under
budget can allocate a portion of the savings to a charity of their choice. This policy best leverages
which forgiveness-enabling strategy?
A. Acknowledging the trauma of budget constraints
B. Associating outcomes with a higher, altruistic purpose
C. Maintaining high financial standards
D. Providing social support through charitable giving
Answer: Associating outcomes with a higher, altruistic purpose
Revision Guide 38
Explanation: Linking work success to charitable contribution provides personal significance and
elevates the goal beyond self-interest.
131. A manager reads about the "heliotropic effect" of a positive climate. She interprets this to
mean her team will naturally:
A. Require less sunlight and thrive in artificial light
B. Move toward energy and away from negativity, like plants to the sun
C. Become more competitive and seek individual recognition
D. Resist change and favor traditional methods
Answer: Move toward energy and away from negativity, like plants to the sun
Explanation: The heliotropic effect describes how positive climates draw individuals and
organizations toward optimal functioning.
132. During performance reviews, a supervisor makes it a point to discuss not just professional
goals but also personal challenges and resources. This practice is designed to:
A. Make performance reviews longer and more comprehensive
B. Illegitimately pry into employees' private lives
C. Humanize the workplace and foster conditions for compassion
D. Collect data to identify employees who are personal liabilities
Answer: Humanize the workplace and foster conditions for compassion
Explanation: Discussing personal issues as well as professional ones helps legitimize sharing
concerns, aiding collective noticing.
133. In the wake of a failed product launch, the VP of Sales insists on launching a nearly
identical product immediately to "prove we can win." A positive leadership approach, in contrast,
would more likely:
A. Fire the product development team to signal accountability
B. Encourage a period of learning and a focus on rebuilding positive relationships
C. Hide the failure from shareholders to protect the stock price
D. Lower sales quotas to guarantee future success
Answer: Encourage a period of learning and a focus on rebuilding positive relationships
Explanation: Positive leaders would emphasize learning and positive phenomena (like
relationships) to rebuild resources and climate.
Revision Guide 39
134. A coach tells his losing team, "We can either dwell on this loss, or we can use it as fuel to
build a tighter, smarter, and more resilient unit. The choice is ours." This rhetoric is closest to which
enabling forgiveness activity?
A. Paying attention to language
B. Maintaining high standards
C. Acknowledging harm but focusing on a positive future goal
D. Providing support to the victims of the loss
Answer: Acknowledging harm but focusing on a positive future goal
Explanation: The coach acknowledges the loss (harm) but defines it as an opportunity to move
toward a new, positive objective.
135. To improve "vagal tone" and thus cognitive performance in her design firm, a partner
decides to:
A. Institute mandatory high-intensity interval training at lunch
B. Decorate the office with calming, nature-inspired art and ensure regular breaks
C. Install software that monitors heart rate variability at workstations
D. Replace all chairs with standing desks to improve physical posture
Answer: Decorate the office with calming, nature-inspired art and ensure regular breaks
Explanation: A positive affective climate, which such changes can foster, is linked to healthier vagal
tone and superior cognitive function.
136. A new CEO receives a report showing high employee satisfaction but mediocre
productivity. Citing Cameron et al.'s (2004) findings, she should investigate the organization's level
of:
A. Competitive intensity within teams
B. Emphasis on compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
C. Use of individual monetary incentives
D. Frequency of mandatory overtime
Answer: Emphasis on compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude
Explanation: The study found organizations scoring higher on these virtues performed better on
multiple performance metrics, including productivity.
Revision Guide 40
137. After a natural disaster disrupts a supplier community, a manufacturing director authorizes
paid time off for employees to volunteer in relief efforts. This action represents which compassion
process?
A. Collective noticing of the disaster's impact
B. Collective feeling of sympathy for the victims
C. Collective responding by enabling organized aid
D. Collective forgetting of the resulting supply chain issues
Answer: Collective responding by enabling organized aid
Explanation: The company is taking organized, practical action (freeing up labor) to foster healing
and restoration.
138. A board member argues that focusing on "soft" concepts like compassion will dilute a
results-driven culture. The chapter's research on positive climate directly counters this by showing
such climates:
A. Are only suitable for non-profit organizations
B. Are strongly associated with positive organizational performance
C. Require eliminating all negative performance feedback
D. Work only when employees are already highly motivated
Answer: Are strongly associated with positive organizational performance
Explanation: Substantial research confirms a positive work climate predicts enhanced productivity,
creativity, and profitability.
139. An employee who was passed over for promotion feels bitter. His mentor advises, "Don't
let this poison your other good relationships and work here." This advice echoes which part of
Desmond Tutu's perspective on forgiveness?
A. Forgiveness means condoning the unfair decision
B. Forgiveness involves drawing out the sting in the memory
C. Forgiveness requires forgetting the incident happened
D. Forgiveness is only necessary for life-threatening events
Answer: Forgiveness involves drawing out the sting in the memory
Explanation: Tutu described forgiveness as drawing out the sting that threatens to poison one's
entire existence.
Revision Guide 41
140. A company facing a lawsuit uses only legal terminology in internal communications,
forbidding words like "care" or "unfair." According to the chapter, this language policy would most
likely:
A. Enhance legal precision and protect the company
B. Hinder the development of a context where forgiveness is legitimate
C. Promote collective feeling among wronged employees
D. Foster gratitude by focusing on the facts
Answer: Hinder the development of a context where forgiveness is legitimate
Explanation: Language that excludes virtuous terms makes forgiveness seem an illegitimate, rather
than an expected, organizational response.
141. A team uses a "pre-mortem" exercise, imagining a future project has failed and
brainstorming all the positive efforts that will nonetheless have been made. This is intended to
trigger which effect?
A. The "bad is stronger than good" effect to avert failure
B. The "broaden and build" effect of imagining positive efforts
C. A neutral emotional state to ensure unbiased planning
D. Collective forgetting of past project management issues
Answer: The "broaden and build" effect of imagining positive efforts
Explanation: Focusing on positive efforts and contributions, even in a failure scenario, can induce
the broadening cognitive effects of positive emotion.
142. A department consistently meets targets but through grueling, joyless effort. The director,
wanting positively deviant performance, should first:
A. Raise targets to provide a greater challenge
B. Analyze why the current process isn't more efficient
C. Intentionally foster positive emotions to create an upward spiral
D. Reward the department with a bonus for their hard work
Answer: Intentionally foster positive emotions to create an upward spiral
Explanation: Positive emotions generate upward spirals toward optimal functioning, moving beyond
mere competence to flourishing.
Revision Guide 42
143. When announcing a necessary but unpopular policy change, a manager sandwiches the
news between announcements of a new professional development fund and a team achievement
award. This tactic addresses:
A. The need to hide bad news behind good news
B. The principle that "bad is stronger than good," requiring extra positivity
C. The strategy of collective responding to negative feedback
D. The process of enabling routines for compassion
Answer: The principle that "bad is stronger than good," requiring extra positivity
Explanation: Because negative information has disproportionate impact, a leader may intentionally
surround it with positive information to counterbalance its effect.
144. A project post-review document lists "What we learned" and "What we appreciate about
our team's work" before "What went wrong." This structure is designed to:
A. Minimize accountability for errors
B. Ensure the negative receives the most detailed analysis
C. Refuse to dwell solely on the negative, enabling forward movement
D. Foster collective feeling before collective noticing
Answer: Refuse to dwell solely on the negative, enabling forward movement
Explanation: Leading with learning and appreciation points toward a higher standard and prevents
being weighed down by mistakes.
145. An employee confesses to a minor but embarrassing procedural violation. Instead of
punishment, her manager has her lead a session teaching others how to avoid the same error.
This aligns with enabling forgiveness by:
A. Providing support that prioritizes human development over mere punishment
B. Acknowledging the trauma of the violation publicly
C. Associating the error with a higher purpose of teaching
D. Using language of humility in the teaching session
Answer: Providing support that prioritizes human development over mere punishment
Explanation: Offering a developmental opportunity instead of isolation or punishment humanizes
the event and helps the individual move past it.
Revision Guide 43
146. A leader wants to replicate the brain function benefits shown in Sherot et al.'s MRI study.
She should encourage her team to regularly:
A. Practice imagining detailed, optimistic future scenarios for their work
B. Meditate on neutral outcomes to achieve emotional detachment
C. Analyze worst-case scenarios to prepare for threats
D. Focus solely on immediate tasks to reduce cognitive load
Answer: Practice imagining detailed, optimistic future scenarios for their work
Explanation: The study found imagining a positive future activated more brain areas to a greater
extent, enhancing function.
147. During a cost-cutting initiative, a manager fights to preserve the "Gratitude Card" program,
where employees give small cards of thanks. She argues it impacts the bottom line. Which finding
supports her?
A. Gratitude journals led to higher GPAs and less tardiness
B. "Thank you" notes on bills led to higher tips
C. Positive climate is strongly associated with positive performance
D. All of the above provide supporting rationale
Answer: All of the above provide supporting rationale
Explanation: Each finding demonstrates a tangible performance or outcome benefit linked to
expressions of gratitude or positive climate.
148. A company's stock price falls on a rumor. The CFO wants to issue a harshly worded
denial. The CEO, advocating a positive leadership approach, would more likely suggest a
statement that:
A. Ignores the rumor completely, refusing to give it attention
B. Corrects the record while reaffirming the company's values and strengths
C. Launches a counter-rumor about a competitor
D. Focuses exclusively on the legal repercussions for the rumor's source
Answer: Corrects the record while reaffirming the company's values and strengths
Explanation: A positive leader would counter negativity with factual clarity and an abundance of
positive, value-based communication.
Revision Guide 44
149. To build the "enduring personal resources" Fredrickson described, a leader institutes a
"curiosity hour" where employees explore unrelated skills. This directly aims to build:
A. Intellectual complexity and capacity to explore
B. Immediate task-specific proficiency
C. Fear of falling behind in one's core job
D. A narrow, specialized skillset
Answer: Intellectual complexity and capacity to explore
Explanation: The broaden-and-build theory states positive emotions build enduring resources like
intellectual interest and exploration capacity.
150. An organization surveys employees and finds they perceive leadership as caring only
about financial results. To enable forgiveness for past transgressions, leaders should now:
A. Communicate that human development is as important as the financial bottom line
B. Increase the frequency of financial performance communications
C. Explain that human welfare is a secondary concern to survival
D. Hire a PR firm to craft a more caring external image
Answer: Communicate that human development is as important as the financial bottom line
Explanation: Providing support that prioritizes human welfare helps humanize the organization and
fosters an environment where forgiveness can occur.
Revision Guide 45
Course Reference Text
Cameron, K. S. (2012). Positive leadership: Strategies for extraordinary performance (2nd ed.). Berrett-
Koehler Publishers.
