CRP Problem Solving & Decision Making 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A recreation facility's aquatic center experiences a sudden chlorine spike that makes the water unsafe. What is the FIRST action the recreation professional should take?
- Notify the local health department immediately
- Close the pool and remove all patrons (Correct answer)
- Test the water a second time to confirm the reading
- Call the pool chemical supplier for advice
Correct answer: Close the pool and remove all patrons
Patron safety is the top priority, so clearing the pool must happen before any other action is taken.
Question 2: When using the nominal group technique (NGT) in a team decision-making session, what is its primary advantage over open brainstorming?
- It produces decisions faster than other methods
- It prevents dominant personalities from controlling idea generation (Correct answer)
- It requires no facilitator to run effectively
- It eliminates the need for follow-up evaluation of ideas
Correct answer: It prevents dominant personalities from controlling idea generation
NGT uses silent individual idea generation followed by round-robin sharing, ensuring every participant's voice is heard equally.
Question 3: A recreation director discovers that two full-time staff members have an ongoing personal conflict affecting program quality. Which conflict resolution approach is generally MOST effective long-term?
- Separating the employees by assigning them to different shifts permanently
- Mediating a structured conversation between the employees to address underlying issues (Correct answer)
- Issuing formal written warnings to both employees
- Ignoring the conflict and monitoring whether it resolves on its own
Correct answer: Mediating a structured conversation between the employees to address underlying issues
Facilitated mediation addresses root causes of interpersonal conflict and builds communication skills that prevent recurrence.
Question 4: Which analytical tool helps recreation managers identify the root cause of a problem by repeatedly asking 'why' until the fundamental issue is uncovered?
- SWOT analysis
- Force field analysis
- The 5 Whys technique (Correct answer)
- Pareto analysis
Correct answer: The 5 Whys technique
The 5 Whys technique systematically drills down through symptoms to the underlying root cause of a problem.
Question 5: A parks department must decide whether to renovate an existing community center or build a new facility. Which decision-making tool would BEST help compare the long-term financial and community impact of both options?
- A fishbone diagram
- A cost-benefit analysis (Correct answer)
- A flowchart
- A scatter plot
Correct answer: A cost-benefit analysis
Cost-benefit analysis quantifies and compares the total costs and projected benefits of competing alternatives over time.
Question 6: During an outdoor concert event, lightning is detected 8 miles away. According to NRPA risk management guidelines, what should the recreation professional do?
- Continue the event but move attendees to covered areas if possible
- Suspend the event and direct attendees to safe shelter immediately (Correct answer)
- Wait until lightning is within 5 miles before taking action
- Make an announcement and let attendees decide whether to seek shelter
Correct answer: Suspend the event and direct attendees to safe shelter immediately
The standard lightning safety protocol requires suspending outdoor activities and moving people to safe shelter when lightning is detected within 8 miles.
Question 7: A recreation manager notices participation in a Thursday evening yoga class has dropped 40% over three months. What is the MOST logical first step in problem-solving this issue?
- Cancel the class and replace it with a more popular program
- Reduce the class fee to attract more participants
- Gather data through participant surveys and attendance trend analysis (Correct answer)
- Hire a different instructor to refresh the program
Correct answer: Gather data through participant surveys and attendance trend analysis
Identifying the cause through data collection must precede any solution to ensure the correct problem is being addressed.
CRP Problem Solving & Decision Making 2
A recreation facility's aquatic center experiences a sudden chlorine spike that makes the water unsafe.
What is the FIRST action the recreation professional should take?