Pass the WGU Courses and Certificates Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Questions and answers with Dumpstech

The correct answer is D. $140 million . This question is solved using the basic accounting equation :

Assets = Liabilities + Owners’ Equity

The company has $100 million in liabilities and $40 million in owners’ equity. Adding these together gives:

Assets = $100 million + $40 million = $140 million

Therefore, the asset balance must be $140 million . This relationship is fundamental in accounting because every recorded transaction must keep the accounting equation in balance. Authoritative accounting materials explain that assets are financed by two main sources: liabilities, which represent creditors’ claims, and equity, which represents owners’ claims.

Option A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not satisfy the accounting equation. In financial statement analysis, this equation is the foundation of the balance sheet and helps users understand how a business finances its resources. When liabilities increase or equity increases, total assets must reflect those financing sources. Since both liabilities and owners’ equity together total $140 million , assets must also total $140 million . That makes Option D the only correct choice.

The correct answer is C. 1.47 . The current ratio measures a company’s ability to pay its short-term obligations using its short-term assets. The formula is:

Current ratio = Current assets / Current liabilities

Using the given figures:

Current ratio = 36,543 / 24,824 = 1.4721 , which rounds to 1.47

This means the company has $1.47 of current assets for every $1.00 of current liabilities . In financial analysis, this is generally viewed as a sign that the company has a reasonable short-term liquidity position, although the ideal ratio depends on the industry and the quality of the current assets. For example, cash and receivables are usually more liquid than inventory.

Option A is close, but it is not the correct rounded result. Option B is incorrect because it would indicate current liabilities exceed current assets. Option D is far too high based on the numbers given. Since the question asks specifically for the current ratio , the correct calculation and answer are clearly 1.47 , making Option C the right choice.

The correct answer is C. Total variable costs will decrease in direct proportion . Variable costs change in total as activity or sales volume changes. When sales volume decreases, total variable costs also decrease proportionally because fewer units are produced or sold. Multiple accounting references explain that total variable cost rises and falls with the level of activity, while the variable cost per unit remains constant within the relevant range.

Option A is the opposite of what happens when volume falls. Options B and D are incorrect because total fixed costs generally remain unchanged within the relevant range regardless of short-term changes in sales volume. OpenStax notes that fixed costs are present regardless of production or sales levels, while variable costs occur only as items or services are produced and sold.

This distinction is central to cost behavior analysis and profit planning. As volume declines, total variable costs go down in direct proportion, but total fixed costs do not normally move with sales in the short run. Therefore, the correct answer is Option C .

The correct answer is C. Increase in assets by $750 and increase in liability by $750 . When a company purchases supplies on credit, it receives an asset now and promises to pay later. The supplies increase the company’s assets , and the amount owed to the seller increases liabilities , usually as accounts payable. This keeps the accounting equation balanced:

Assets = Liabilities + Equity

Here, assets rise by $750 and liabilities also rise by $750 , while equity is unchanged at the time of purchase. OpenStax explains that buying items on account increases the related asset and increases accounts payable.

Option A is incorrect because liabilities do not decrease. Option B is incorrect because assets do not decrease when the company receives supplies. Option D is incorrect because neither side decreases at the moment of purchase. The expense is not recognized immediately unless the supplies are consumed; initially, the company records the asset and the obligation. This is a common transaction used to show how dual effects maintain balance in the accounting equation. Therefore, the correct impact is an increase in assets and an equal increase in liabilities , which is Option C .

The correct answer is A. $0.313 . A predetermined overhead rate is calculated at the beginning of the period using estimated overhead costs and the estimated amount of the allocation base. OpenStax states that the rate is found by dividing estimated manufacturing overhead by the estimated activity base.

The formula is:

Predetermined overhead rate = Estimated total overhead / Estimated allocation base

Using the numbers in the question:

$1,250,000 / 4,000,000 shoes = $0.3125 per shoe

Rounded to three decimal places, that equals $0.313 per shoe .

The actual overhead and actual number of shoes produced are not used to compute the predetermined rate. Those figures are used later when applying overhead or analyzing overapplied and underapplied overhead. That is why choices based on actual data are incorrect.

Option B, $0.329 , comes from dividing actual overhead by actual production, but that is an actual rate, not the predetermined one asked for here. Since predetermined overhead always relies on estimates made in advance, the correct answer is $0.313 , which makes Option A correct.

The correct answer is D . The control designed to prevent payment for goods not actually received is the receiving function’s preparation of a receiving report , which is then sent to accounts payable and matched against the supplier invoice and purchase order. This is the essence of a three-way match : purchase order, receiving report, and vendor invoice. AccountingTools explains that payables staff should match the supplier invoice to the related purchase order and proof of receipt before authorizing payment.

Option A is helpful for controlling check completeness and sequence, but it does not verify quantities received. Option B adds authorization control over disbursements, but it also does not confirm whether the shipment matched the invoice. Option C helps ensure purchases are approved before ordering, but it still does not prove what was actually delivered. The receiving department’s counting and inspection of goods, followed by forwarding the receiving documentation to accounts payable, directly addresses the risk that a supplier invoice includes more items than were received. Therefore, the best internal control is Option D .

The correct answers are A and B . Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is a forward-looking planning tool used to study how changes in costs , sales volume , and selling price affect contribution margin, break-even point, and target profit. OpenStax describes CVP analysis as one of the most useful tools in managerial accounting for analyzing how changing business situations affect profit.

Option A is correct because CVP helps management estimate how a future change in variable costs or fixed costs would influence profit. Option B is also correct because CVP can determine how many units must be sold to achieve a desired target income or profit level. In contrast, Options C and D focus on past transactions and past tax costs, which are not the primary purpose of CVP analysis. CVP is mainly a planning and decision-making method rather than a historical reporting tool. It helps managers ask “what happens if” questions about future operations, such as what sales volume is needed to earn a target profit or how a change in cost structure would affect margins. Therefore, the correct choices are A and B .

A balance sheet shows the company’s financial position at a specific point in time , so Option C is correct. It reports what the business owns (assets), what it owes (liabilities), and usually owners’ or stockholders’ equity as of a particular date. This is why the balance sheet is often described as a snapshot rather than a report covering a span of time. Authoritative accounting learning materials describe the balance sheet as presenting assets, liabilities, and equity “as of” a date or at a specific moment.

Option A is incorrect because revenues and expenses for a period of time belong to the income statement , not the balance sheet. Option D is incorrect because cash collections and cash expenditures for a period of time are presented in the statement of cash flows . Option B is also incorrect because cash inflows and outflows are not reported only at a single point in time; they are summarized over a period. Therefore, the best answer is the one identifying the balance sheet as a statement of assets and liabilities at a specific point in time .

The correct answer is D. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) . The PCAOB was created to oversee the audits of public companies and SEC-registered brokers and dealers in order to protect investors and support the public interest in accurate, independent audit reports. Its responsibilities include registration of audit firms, inspections, enforcement, and audit-related standard-setting. Because the question refers to a CPA firm auditing a large, publicly traded company , PCAOB oversight is the correct regulatory answer.

Option A is incorrect because FASB sets accounting standards, not audit practice regulation for public company auditors. Option B, FASAC , is an advisory council to FASB and does not regulate audit firms. Option C, the IRS , administers tax laws and does not oversee external audit practices for public companies. In accounting and auditing, it is essential to distinguish between those who set accounting rules and those who supervise auditors. For publicly traded companies, that audit oversight role belongs to the PCAOB , making Option D the only accurate choice.

The correct answer is B. Machine setups . In activity-based costing , batch-level activities are performed each time a batch of goods is processed, regardless of how many units are in that batch. A classic example is the machine setup required before production of a batch can begin. ABC materials commonly identify setup costs as batch-level because the activity occurs per batch rather than per individual unit.

Option A, property taxes , and Option C, factory insurance , are usually considered facility-level or organization-sustaining overhead because they support the factory as a whole rather than a specific batch. Option D, product engineering wages , is more closely related to product-level activities , since engineering work often supports a particular product line rather than each batch run. Batch-level costs increase with the number of production batches, not necessarily with the number of units produced. Since machine setups are incurred each time a batch is started, they are the standard example of a batch-level overhead cost. Therefore, Option B is the correct answer.