OPERATIONS AUDITING REVIEWER Students Copy With Key Answer
OPERATIONS AUDITING REVIEWER Students Copy With Key Answer
1. During an engagement to evaluate the organization's accounts payable function, an internal auditor plans to
confirm balances with suppliers. What is the source of authority for such contacts with units outside the
organization?
a. Internal audit activity policies and procedures.
b. The Standards.
c. The Code of Ethics.
d. The internal audit activity’s charter.
2. To avoid being the apparent cause of conflict between an organization's senior management and the audit
committee, to chief audit executive should
A. Communicate all engagement results to both senior management and the audit committee.
B. Strengthen the independence of the internal audit activity through organizational status.
C. Discuss all reports to senior management with the audit committee first.
D. Request board approval of policies that include internal audit activity relationships with the audit
committee.
a. Communicate all engagement results to both senior management and the audit committee.
b. Strengthen the independence of the internal audit activity through organizational status.
c. Discuss all reports to senior management with the audit committee first.
d. Request board approval of policies that include internal audit activity relationships with
the audit committee.
3. The authority of the internal audit activity is limited to that granted by
a. The board and the controller.
b. Senior management and the Standards.
c. Management and the board.
d. The audit committee and the chief financial officer.
4. Participation on a system conversion team falls into which possible category of consulting engagements?
a. Formal consulting engagements.
b. Special consulting engagements.
c. Informal consulting engagements.
d. Emergency consulting engagements.
5. Internal auditing has planned an engagement to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality assurance function as
it affects the receipt of goods, the transfer of the goods into production, and the scrap costs related to defective
items. The engagement client argues that such an engagement is not within the scope of the internal audit
activity and should come under the purview of the quality assurance department only. What is the most
appropriate response?
a. Refer to the internal audit activity’s charter and the approved engagement plan that
includes the area designated for evaluation in the current time period.
b. Because quality assurance is a new function, seek the approval of management as a
mediator to set the scope of the engagement.
c. Indicate that the engagement will evaluate the function only in accordance with the
standards set by, and approved by, the quality assurance function before beginning the
engagement.
d. Terminate the engagement because it will not be productive without the client’s
cooperation.
6. A charter is being drafted for a newly formed internal audit activity. Which of the following best describes the
appropriate organizational status that should be incorporated into the charter?
a. The chief audit executive should report to the chief executive officer but have access to the
board of directors.
b. The chief audit executive should be a member of the audit committee of the board of
directors.
c. The chief audit executive should be a staff officer reporting to the chief financial officer.
d. The chief audit executive should report to an administrative vice president.
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7. The status of the internal audit activity should be free from the effects of irresponsible policy changes by
management. The most effective way to assure that freedom is to
a. Have the internal audit charter approved by the board.
b. Adopt policies for the functioning of the internal audit activity.
c. Establish an audit committee within the board.
d. Develop written policies and procedures to serve as standards of performance for the
internal audit activity.
8. Internal auditors may provide consulting services that add value and improve an organization's operations.
The performance of the services
a. Impairs internal auditors' objectivity with respect to an assurance service involving the
same engagement client.
b. Precludes generation of assurance from a consulting engagement.
c. Should be consistent with the internal audit activity's empowerment reflected in the
charter.
d. Imposes no responsibility to communicate information other than to the engagement
client.
9. Independence is most like the impaired by internal auditor's
a. Continuation on an engagement at the division for which (s)he will soon be responsible as
the result of a promotion.
b. Reduction of the scope of an engagement due to budget restrictions.
c. Participation on a task force that recommends standards for control of a new distribution
system.
d. Review of a purchasing agent's contract drafts prior to their execution.
10. An internal auditor has recently received an offer from the manager of the marketing department of all
weekend's free use of his beachfront condominium. No engagement is currently being conducted in the
marketing department, and none is scheduled. The internal auditor
a. Should reject the offer and report it to the appropriate supervisor.
b. May accept the offer because its value is immaterial.
c. May accept the offer because no engagement is being conducted or planned.
d. May accept the offer if approved by the appropriate supervisor.
11. When faced with an impulse scope limitation, the chief audit executive should
a. Refuse to perform the engagement until the scope limitation is removed.
b. Communicate the potential effects of the scope limitation to the audit committee of the
board of directors.
c. Increase the frequency of engagements concerning the activity in question.
d. Assign more experienced personnel to the engagement.
12. Prior to performing consulting services, the Chief Audit Executive should get approval from whom?
a. The audit committee.
b. The board of directors.
c. The chief executive officer.
d. The external auditor.
13. For control and monitoring functions that the CAE has a relationship with (risk management, compliance,
security, legal, etc.) the CAE should do which of the following?
a. Facilitate the reporting of material risk and control issues to the Chief Executive Officer.
b. Facilitate the reporting of material risk and control issues to the external auditor.
c. Facilitate the reporting of material risk and control issues to the audit committee.
d. Facilitate the reporting of material risk and control issues to no one, since this is not a
responsibility of the CAE.
14. The reporting relationship within the organization's management structure that facilitates the day-to-day
operations of the internal audit function is referred to as which of the following?
a. Administrative reporting.
b. Financial reporting.
c. Management reporting.
d. Functional reporting.
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15. Which of the following statements is an appropriate reason for the internal audit activity not to participate in
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c. Approve dissolution.
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d. Attribute Standards.
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32. Which of the following divisions of the SEC reviews corporate filings?
a. The Office of the Chief Accountant.
b. The Division of Enforcement.
c. The Division of Corporate Disclosure.
d. The Division of Corporate Finance.
33. Which of the following is not a principle related to the component of the control environment?
a. Demonstrate a commitment to integrity and ethical values.
b. Demonstrate a commitment to attract, develop and retain competent individuals.
c. Identify and assess changes that could significantly impact the system of internal control.
d. Hold individuals accountable for their internal control responsibilities.
34. According to the COSO framework, evaluators that monitor controls within an organization should have
which of the following sets of characteristics?
a. Competence and objectivity.
b. Respect and judgment.
c. Judgment and objectivity.
d. Authority and responsibility.
35. According to COSO, the use of ongoing and separate evaluations to establish a new baseline after changes
have been made can best be accomplished in which of the following stages of the monitoring-for-change
continuum?
a. Control baseline.
b. Change identification.
c. Change management.
d. Control revalidation/update.
36. Which of the following is not a control environment factor?
a. Integrity and ethical values.
b. Board of directors or audit committee.
c. Human resources policies and procedures.
d. Control monitoring.
37. Which of the following is not a component in the COSO framework for internal control?
a. Control environment.
b. Segregation of duties.
c. Risk assessment.
d. Monitoring.
38. Which of the following is not a limitation of internal control?
a. Human judgment in decision-making may be faulty.
b. External forces may attack the system.
c. Management may override internal control.
d. Controls may be circumvented by collusion.
39. Which of the following would generally be entitled to a reward for whistle-blowing under the Dodd-Frank
Act?
a. An external auditor who discovers a violation while performing an audit of a company's
financial statement and internal control under SEC requirements.
b. A customer of a company who discovers a violation in the course of doing business with
the company.
c. A director of a company who discovers a violation while performing her duties as a
director.
d. An internal auditor of a company who discovers a violation while performing an audit of
compliance.
40. Jarrett Corporation is considering establishing an enterprise risk management system. Which of the following
is not a benefit of enterprise risk management?
a. Helps the organization seize opportunities.
b. Enhances risk response decisions.
c. Improves the deployment of capital.
d. Ensures that the organization shares all major risks.
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41. Management of Warren Company has decided to respond to a particular risk by hedging the risk with futures
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b. Take a random sample of loans made during the period and compare the riskiness of the loans with
that of a random sample of loans made 2 years ago.
c. Perform an analytical review that involves developing a chart to compare interest income plotted over
the past 10 years.
d. Develop a multiple-regression time-series analysis of income over the past 5 years including such
factors as interest rate in the economy, size of loan portfolio, and dollar amount of new loans each
year.
49. The scope of internal auditing work encompasses a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluating and
improving the adequacy and effectiveness of all of the following processes except
a. Risk management.
b. Control.
c. Financial statements.
d. Governance.
50. All of the following are primary objectives of the overall management process except
a. Improving the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance processes.
b. Compliance with laws, regulations, ethical and business norms, and contracts.
c. Identification of risk exposures and use of effective strategies to control them.
d. Safeguarding of the organization's assets.
51. Which of the following is not a type of control?
a. Preventive.
b. Reactive.
c. Detective.
d. Directive.
52. Internal auditors can play a more proactive role in assisting with the initial establishment of a risk
management process for the organization. However, if such assistance exceeds normal assurance and
consulting activities conducted by internal auditors, independence may be impaired. Which of the following
would impair the independence of an internal auditor who had participated in the initial establishment of a
risk management process?
a. Developing assessments and reports on the risk management process.
b. Managing the identified risks.
c. Evaluating the adequacy and effectiveness of management's risk processes.
d. Implementing controls to address the risks identified.
53. An organization should establish compliance standards and procedures, and should develop a written business
code of conduct to be followed by its employees. Which of the following is true concerning business codes of
conduct and the compliance standards?
a. Compliance standards should be straightforward and reasonably capable of reducing the prospect of
criminal conduct.
b. The compliance standards should be codified in the charters of the audit committee.
c. Companies with international operations should institute various compliance programs based on
selective geographic locations, that reflect appropriate local regulations.
d. In order to prevent future legal liability, the code should consist of legal terms and definitions.
54. Environmental compliance information and training is most applicable, and should be provided, to which of
the following departments?
a. Sales.
b. Human resources.
c. Manufacturing.
d. Information technology.
55. Employees have the most confidence in a hotline monitored by which of the following?
a. An expert from the legal department, backed by a non-retaliation policy.
b. An in-house representative, backed by a retaliation policy.
c. An on-site ombudsperson, backed by a non-retaliation policy.
d. An off-site attorney who can better protect attorney-client privilege.
56. Which of the following is an effective tool for uncovering unethical or illegal activity in an organization?
a. The screening of applicants.
b. The ethics interview.
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d. Compliance.
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74. When purchasing temporary investments, which one of the following best describes the risk associated with
the ability to sell the investment in a short period of time without significant price concessions?
a. Interest rate risk.
b. Purchasing power risk.
c. Financial risk.
d. Liquidity risk.
75. Business risk is the risk inherent in a firm's d operations that excludes financial risk. It depends on all of the
following factors except
a. Amount of financial leverage.
b. Sales price variability.
c. Demand variability.
d. Input price variability.
76. Which of the following classes of securities are listed in order from lowest risk/opportunity for return to
highest risk/opportunity for return?
a. U.S. Treasury bonds; corporate first mortgage bonds; corporate income bonds; preferred
stock.
b. Corporate income bonds; corporate mortgage bonds; convertible preferred stock;
subordinated debentures.
c. Common stock; corporate first mortgage bonds; corporate second mortgage bonds;
corporate income bonds.
d. Preferred stock; common stock; corporate mortgage bonds; corporate debentures.
77. An asset with high risk will have a(n)
a. Low expected return.
b. Lower price than an asset with low risk.
c. Increasing expected return.
d. High standard deviation of returns.
78. A firm must select from among several methods of financing arrangements when meeting its capital
requirements. To acquire additional growth capital while attempting to maximize earnings per share, a firm
should normally
a. Attempt to increase both debt and equity in equal proportions, which preserves a stable
capital structure and maintains investor confidence.
b. Select debt over equity initially, even though increased debt is accompanied by interest
costs and a degree of risk.
c. Select equity over debt initially, which minimizes risk and avoids interest costs.
d. Discontinue dividends and use current cash flow, which avoids the cost and risk of
increased debt and the dilution of EPS through increased equity.
79. A higher degree of operating leverage compared with the industry average implies that the firm
a. Has higher variable costs.
b. Has profits that are more sensitive to changes in sales volume.
c. Is more profitable.
d. Is less risky.
80. In general, it is more expensive for a company to finance with equity capital than with debt capital because
a. Long-term bonds have a maturity date and must therefore be repaid in the future.
b. Investors are exposed to greater risk with equity capital.
c. Equity capital is in greater demand than debt capital.
d. Dividends fluctuate to a greater extent than interest rates.
81. The maximum capital expansion that can be supported in the coming year without resorting to external equity
financing is
a. P2 million.
b. P3 million.
c. P5 million.
d. Cannot determine from the information given.
82. Osgood Products has announced that it plans to finance future investments so that the firm will achieve an
optimum capital structure. Which one of the following corporate objectives is consistent with this
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announcement?
a. Maximize earnings per share.
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about a subject.
d. An internal auditor has no responsibility to recommend improvements.
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98. An internal auditor observes that a receivables clerk has physical access to and control of cash receipts. The
auditor worked with the clerk several years before and has a high level of trust in the individual. Accordingly,
the auditor notes in the engagement working papers that controls over receipts are adequate. Has the auditor
exercised due professional care?
a. Yes, reasonable care has been taken.
b. No, irregularities were not noted.
c. No, alertness to conditions most likely indicative of irregularities was not shown.
d. Yes, the engagement working papers were annotated.
99. An internal auditor judged an item to be immaterial when planning an assurance engagement. However, the
assurance engagement may still include the item if it is subsequently determined that
a. Sufficient staff is available.
b. Adverse effects related to the item are likely to occur.
c. Related information is reliable.
d. Miscellaneous income is affected.
100. An internal auditor fails to discover an employee fraud during an assurance engagement. The nondiscovery is
most likely to suggest a violation of the Standards if it was the result of a
a. Failure to perform a detailed review of all transactions in the area.
b. Determination that any possible fraud in the area would not involve a material amount.
c. Determination that the cost of extending procedures in the area would exceed the potential
benefits.
d. Presumption that the internal controls in the area were adequate and effective.
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OPERATIONS AUDITING REVIEWER
Answer Section
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. D
2. D
3. C
4. B
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. C
9. A
10. A
11. B
12. B
13. C
14. A
15. D
16. D
17. B
18. B
19. C
20. C
21. C
22. C
23. C
24. B
25. B
26. D
27. B
28. D
29. B
30. A
31. B
32. D
33. C
34. A
35. C
36. D
37. B
38. B
39. B
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40. D
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41. D
42. C
43. A
44. D
45. D
46. C
47. C
48. C
49. C
50. A
51. B
52. B
53. A
54. C
55. C
56. D
57. B
58. A
59. A
60. A
61. B
62. B
63. C
64. A
65. D
66. C
67. B
68. D
69. D
70. A
71. D
72. D
73. C
74. D
75. A
76. A
77. D
78. B
79. B
80. B
81. C
82. C
83. C
84. D
85. A
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86. B
87. D
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88. D
89. D
90. A
91. D
92. C
93. B
94. D
95. D
96. A
97. C
98. C
99. B
100. D
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