IIA IIA-CIA-Part2 Practice Test Questions and Exam Dumps Part15 Q281-300

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Question 281.

What is the primary purpose of evaluating procurement controls during an internal audit engagement?

  1. Determine whether purchases are authorized, competitive when appropriate, supported, and aligned with organizational requirements
  2. Guarantee that the lowest-cost supplier is always selected
  3. Eliminate the need for management approval
  4. Replace contract administration

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether purchases are authorized, competitive when appropriate, supported, and aligned with organizational requirements

Explanation:

Procurement controls are intended to ensure that goods and services are acquired for legitimate business purposes, approved by appropriate personnel, and obtained under suitable terms. Internal audit may assess requisitions, bidding, supplier selection, approval limits, conflicts of interest, and purchase-order controls. The lowest price is not always the best choice because quality, reliability, service, and total cost should also be considered.

Question 282.

Which situation would MOST strongly indicate a weakness in competitive bidding controls?

  1. Multiple qualified suppliers are invited to bid
  2. Bid evaluation criteria are documented
  3. Procurement personnel retain bidding records
  4. A preferred supplier repeatedly receives awards without documented justification for bypassing competition**

Correct Answer: 4. A preferred supplier repeatedly receives awards without documented justification for bypassing competition

Explanation:

Repeatedly avoiding competition without documented justification may create risks of favoritism, excessive pricing, conflicts of interest, or fraud. Some purchases may legitimately require sole-source procurement, but such exceptions should be justified, approved, and monitored. Internal audit should evaluate whether procurement exceptions are appropriately controlled and whether patterns suggest broader weaknesses in sourcing governance.

Question 283.

What is the primary purpose of supplier due diligence before establishing a significant business relationship?

  1. Determine whether the supplier is capable, legitimate, financially sound, and appropriately screened for relevant risks
  2. Guarantee the supplier will never fail
  3. Replace ongoing vendor monitoring
  4. Eliminate the need for contracts

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether the supplier is capable, legitimate, financially sound, and appropriately screened for relevant risks

Explanation:

Due diligence helps identify operational, financial, legal, compliance, cybersecurity, and reputational risks before the organization enters a significant supplier relationship. Internal audit may review whether the depth of due diligence is proportionate to the importance and risk of the supplier. Ongoing monitoring remains necessary because a supplier’s condition and risk profile can change over time.

Question 284.

Which control BEST reduces the risk of undisclosed conflicts of interest in procurement?

  1. Allowing buyers to select suppliers without review
  2. Eliminating supplier declarations
  3. Requiring conflict-of-interest disclosures and independent review of relevant procurement decisions
  4. Allowing employees to approve purchases from related parties without documentation

Correct Answer: 3. Requiring conflict-of-interest disclosures and independent review of relevant procurement decisions

Explanation:

Conflict-of-interest controls help identify situations where an employee’s personal interests could affect procurement decisions. Disclosures, periodic certifications, supplier screening, independent approval, and transparent bidding processes can reduce the risk. Internal audit may compare employee and supplier information and investigate unusual relationships, while recognizing that a data match alone does not prove misconduct.

Question 285.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing purchase-order controls?

  1. Determine whether purchases are properly authorized and documented before commitments are made
  2. Eliminate emergency purchases completely
  3. Replace invoice approval controls
  4. Guarantee that all purchases are delivered immediately

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether purchases are properly authorized and documented before commitments are made

Explanation:

Purchase orders provide evidence of approved quantities, prices, terms, and suppliers before an organization commits funds. Internal audit may test whether purchase orders are issued before purchases, whether approval limits are followed, and whether exceptions are appropriately controlled. Retrospective purchase orders can weaken the preventive value of the control if they merely document purchases after commitments have already been made.

Question 286.

Which situation would MOST likely indicate inappropriate purchase-order splitting?

  1. A large approved order is delivered in several shipments
  2. Several related purchases are made just below an approval threshold within a short period
  3. A supplier issues several invoices under one purchase order
  4. A recurring service is billed monthly under an approved contract

Correct Answer: 2. Several related purchases are made just below an approval threshold within a short period

Explanation:

Splitting purchases can be used to avoid higher-level approval or competitive bidding requirements. Internal audit may analyze transactions by requester, supplier, amount, timing, description, or cost center to identify suspicious patterns. Flagged transactions should be investigated to determine whether they represent legitimate separate purchases or an attempt to circumvent established controls.

Question 287.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing supplier performance after contract award?

  1. Determine whether the supplier continues to meet agreed quality, service, cost, and risk expectations
  2. Replace contract terms
  3. Eliminate the need for invoices
  4. Guarantee renewal of the contract

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether the supplier continues to meet agreed quality, service, cost, and risk expectations

Explanation:

Supplier performance monitoring helps management determine whether contractual and operational expectations are being met. Relevant measures may include delivery timeliness, defects, service availability, incidents, pricing, and corrective actions. Internal audit may assess whether poor performance is identified, escalated, and addressed rather than allowed to continue without consequence.

Question 288.

What is the primary purpose of inventory reorder controls?

  1. Ensure inventory is always maintained at maximum levels
  2. Eliminate the risk of obsolete inventory
  3. Replace demand forecasting
  4. Help maintain sufficient inventory while controlling excess stock and carrying costs**

Correct Answer: 4. Help maintain sufficient inventory while controlling excess stock and carrying costs

Explanation:

Reorder controls should balance the risk of stockouts against the cost of carrying excessive inventory. Factors may include demand, lead time, safety stock, seasonality, storage cost, and supplier reliability. Internal audit can evaluate whether reorder parameters remain current and whether significant shortages or excess inventory indicate weak planning or inappropriate system settings.

Question 289.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing slow-moving and obsolete inventory?

  1. Identify stock that may require valuation adjustment, disposal, or improved purchasing controls
  2. Guarantee all old inventory is worthless
  3. Replace physical inventory counts
  4. Eliminate inventory reserves

Correct Answer: 1. Identify stock that may require valuation adjustment, disposal, or improved purchasing controls

Explanation:

Slow-moving or obsolete inventory can tie up working capital, consume storage space, and create financial reporting risk. Internal audit may analyze inventory aging, turnover, forecast demand, usage history, and management’s reserve or disposal process. Recurring obsolete stock may indicate weaknesses in forecasting, purchasing, product planning, or inventory management.

Question 290.

Which analytical measure is MOST useful for assessing how efficiently inventory is being used or sold?

  1. Current ratio
  2. Inventory turnover
  3. Debt-to-equity ratio
  4. Employee turnover

Correct Answer: 2. Inventory turnover

Explanation:

Inventory turnover measures how frequently inventory is used or sold over a period and can help identify slow-moving stock, excess inventory, or changes in demand. Internal audit should interpret the measure in context because appropriate turnover varies by industry and product type. Trend analysis and comparisons with similar operations can provide additional insight.

Question 291.

What is the primary purpose of cycle-counting controls?

  1. Verify selected inventory quantities throughout the year and identify record inaccuracies promptly
  2. Eliminate annual inventory procedures in every organization
  3. Guarantee that no inventory theft occurs
  4. Replace inventory access controls

Correct Answer: 1. Verify selected inventory quantities throughout the year and identify record inaccuracies promptly

Explanation:

Cycle counting involves counting selected inventory items on a recurring basis rather than relying only on one annual count. This can help identify discrepancies earlier and improve inventory-record accuracy. Internal audit may review count frequency, item selection, independence, investigation of differences, and whether recurring discrepancies result in corrective action.

Question 292.

Which control would BEST help reduce inventory shrinkage risk?

  1. Allow unrestricted warehouse access
  2. Eliminate inventory movement records
  3. Restrict physical access, record inventory movements, and investigate significant count differences
  4. Rely only on employee honesty

Correct Answer: 3. Restrict physical access, record inventory movements, and investigate significant count differences

Explanation:

Inventory shrinkage can result from theft, damage, processing errors, or poor recordkeeping. Effective controls may include restricted warehouse access, surveillance, segregation of duties, movement documentation, physical counts, and investigation of discrepancies. Internal audit should consider both physical safeguards and record accuracy when evaluating inventory controls.

Question 293.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing warehouse access records?

  1. Determine whether access to inventory areas is limited to authorized personnel and unusual activity is identified
  2. Replace physical inventory counts
  3. Guarantee that authorized employees never steal
  4. Eliminate the need for security controls

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether access to inventory areas is limited to authorized personnel and unusual activity is identified

Explanation:

Access records can help management identify who entered sensitive warehouse areas and when. Internal audit may compare access rights with job responsibilities, review unusual entry times, and assess whether access is removed promptly when roles change. Access logging is most useful when records are reliable and significant anomalies are actually reviewed.

Question 294.

What is the primary purpose of evaluating shipping controls?

  1. Determine whether goods are released accurately, completely, and only for authorized transactions
  2. Increase shipping volume
  3. Replace customer-order controls
  4. Eliminate delivery documentation

Correct Answer: 1. Determine whether goods are released accurately, completely, and only for authorized transactions

Explanation:

Shipping controls help ensure that the correct goods and quantities are delivered to valid customers and appropriately recorded. Internal audit may review order authorization, picking, packing, shipping documentation, carrier records, and system updates. Weak shipping controls can lead to inventory loss, customer disputes, revenue errors, and inaccurate records.

Question 295.

Which procedure would BEST test the completeness of recorded shipments?

  1. Select shipping documents and trace them to sales or inventory records
  2. Select recorded sales and examine customer orders
  3. Review only shipping expense totals
  4. Ask warehouse personnel whether all shipments are recorded

Correct Answer: 1. Select shipping documents and trace them to sales or inventory records

Explanation:

To test completeness, the auditor generally starts with evidence that a shipment occurred and traces it into the organization’s records. This can identify shipments that were physically made but not recorded. Selecting recorded transactions and tracing backward is more useful for testing occurrence. The direction of testing should match the audit objective.

Question 296.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing return and refund controls?

  1. Prevent all customer returns
  2. Determine whether returns and refunds are valid, authorized, accurately recorded, and appropriately monitored
  3. Replace sales controls
  4. Guarantee that every returned item is resold

Correct Answer: 2. Determine whether returns and refunds are valid, authorized, accurately recorded, and appropriately monitored

Explanation:

Returns and refunds can create risks of fraud, revenue manipulation, inventory errors, and customer-service problems. Internal audit may examine authorization, supporting documentation, reason codes, receipt of returned goods, refund methods, and unusual employee or customer patterns. Analytics can help identify excessive or repeated refunds requiring further investigation.

Question 297.

What is the primary purpose of analyzing high levels of customer returns?

  1. Identify potential quality, fulfillment, sales-practice, or fraud issues
  2. Assume all returns are abusive
  3. Replace customer-service controls
  4. Eliminate return policies

Correct Answer: 1. Identify potential quality, fulfillment, sales-practice, or fraud issues

Explanation:

High return rates can reflect defective products, inaccurate descriptions, shipping errors, poor customer expectations, or inappropriate refund activity. Internal audit may analyze trends by product, location, employee, customer, reason, and time period. The goal is to identify meaningful patterns and determine whether operational or control improvements are needed.

Question 298.

Which factor is MOST important when evaluating inventory valuation controls?

  1. Whether the warehouse is geographically centralized
  2. Whether costing methods, quantities, obsolescence, and adjustments are supported and applied consistently
  3. Whether all inventory items have identical margins
  4. Whether stock is counted only at year-end

Correct Answer: 2. Whether costing methods, quantities, obsolescence, and adjustments are supported and applied consistently

Explanation:

Inventory valuation depends on accurate quantities, appropriate costing methods, and reasonable treatment of damaged, slow-moving, or obsolete items. Internal audit may evaluate system calculations, cost changes, reserves, write-downs, and manual adjustments. Consistency is important, but valuation methods should also remain appropriate to applicable accounting and organizational requirements.

Question 299.

What is the primary purpose of reviewing inventory-adjustment trends?

  1. Identify recurring discrepancies, unusual write-offs, or patterns that may indicate control weaknesses
  2. Guarantee all adjustments are fraudulent
  3. Replace physical counts
  4. Eliminate inventory-management systems

Correct Answer: 1. Identify recurring discrepancies, unusual write-offs, or patterns that may indicate control weaknesses

Explanation:

Frequent or large adjustments may indicate errors in receiving, shipping, production, counting, system interfaces, or physical security. Internal audit can analyze adjustments by location, employee, product, reason code, and timing. Significant trends should be investigated to determine root causes rather than simply correcting inventory balances repeatedly.

Question 300.

Which approach BEST supports effective internal audit assurance over procurement and inventory processes?

  1. Focus only on purchase approvals
  2. Rely exclusively on physical inventory counts
  3. Evaluate supplier selection, conflicts, purchasing authorization, inventory planning, safeguarding, counts, adjustments, shipping, returns, and performance using reliable evidence
  4. Assume system automation eliminates procurement and inventory risk

Correct Answer: 3. Evaluate supplier selection, conflicts, purchasing authorization, inventory planning, safeguarding, counts, adjustments, shipping, returns, and performance using reliable evidence

Explanation:

Procurement and inventory risks extend across the full transaction lifecycle. Internal audit should evaluate how suppliers are selected, purchases are authorized, inventory is planned and safeguarded, quantities and values are maintained, and shipping and returns are controlled. Analytical procedures and transaction testing should be combined with process understanding so that conclusions address both control effectiveness and operational performance.