Sample questions
Sample questions with answers.
From the practice pool, with the answers shown. The exam asks its own set of 40.
What People Protect
1. What practical question helps shift attention from positions to interests?
- Who has more leverage here?
- How quickly can this be resolved?
- What rule should win?
- What might this person actually be protecting right now? Correct answer
Why: The key shift is asking what deeper concern or need the person may be protecting beneath the position.
Masters, Cases, and Cultural Intelligence
2. What does “separate the people from the problem” primarily mean?
- Treat the relationship and the issue as different things Correct answer
- Convince the other person to admit fault first
- Ignore emotions and focus only on facts
- Avoid discussing conflict directly
Why: The principle means addressing the issue without treating the other person as the problem itself.
Handling Resistance
3. A client says no to your proposal. What does this course say to do first?
- Repeat the same pitch with more enthusiasm
- Ask what's behind the no before reacting with a pitch Correct answer
- End the conversation and move on to the next opportunity
- Immediately offer a discount to change their mind
Why: A no is information — understanding what's behind it (price, timing, trust) lets you craft your next pitch around the real objection instead of guessing.
Reading the Room
4. What is a key reason to notice reluctance early in a conversation?
- It prevents conversations from hardening into frustration or pressure Correct answer
- It removes all conflict from relationships
- It guarantees immediate honesty
- It proves the other person disagrees
Why: Catching hesitation early helps prevent confusion, pressure, and resentment from building over time.
Making the Ask
5. What is overselling?
- Summarizing next steps briefly
- Clarifying responsibilities before agreement
- Continuing to argue for a proposal after it is already understood Correct answer
- Asking whether concerns still exist
Why: Overselling happens when someone keeps pushing or defending a proposal that the listener already understands.
Negotiation in Real Life
6. Low-pressure repair is often safer after tension than forced emotional intensity.
- True Correct answer
- False
Why: Simple honest reconnection usually reduces pressure and helps rebuild comfort more naturally.
Trust Before Tactics
7. Which of these count as trust withdrawals in this course's framework? Select all that apply.
Choose all that apply.
- Changing the terms of a deal after they already agreed Correct answer
- Interrupting someone mid-explanation to correct them Correct answer
- Being unreachable right when you said you'd be available Correct answer
- Asking a clarifying question before responding
- Following through on a small promise you made last week
Why: Withdrawals are actions that quietly cost trust — interrupting, moving goalposts, and breaking availability promises — while keeping promises and asking honest questions build it.
High-Stakes Conversations
8. What is a 'protection need' in conflict?
- A legal demand made during negotiation
- A deeper concern underneath the surface argument Correct answer
- A strategy for proving someone wrong
- A rule both sides must follow
Why: Protection needs are the deeper concerns beneath the visible fight, such as respect, fairness, or control.