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AICPA CPA Financial Accounting and Reporting CPA-Financial CPA Exam Questions
Question 1
A development stage enterprise should use the same generally accepted accounting principles that apply to established operating enterprises for:
Answer : A
Choice 'a' is correct. Development stage enterprises must use all the same principles as established enterprises including those of revenue recognition and deferral of expenses. The primary difference is that development stage enterprises must provide additional disclosures not required of established operating enterprises. SFAS #7, para. 10
Question 2
On January 2, 1993, Quo, Inc. hired Reed to be its controller. During the year, Reed, working closely with Quo's president and outside accountants, made changes in accounting policies, corrected several errors dating from 1992 and before, and instituted new accounting policies.
Quo's 1993 financial statements will be presented in comparative form with its 1992 financial statements.
This question represents one of Quo's transactions. List B represents the general accounting treatment required for these transactions. These treatments are:
* Cumulative effect approach - Include the cumulative effect of the adjustment resulting from the accounting change or error correction in the 1993 financial statements, and do not restate the 1992 financial statements.
* Retroactive or retrospective restatement approach - Restate the 1992 financial statements and adjust 1992 beginning retained earnings if the error or change affects a period prior to 1992.
* Prospective approach - Report 1993 and future financial statements on the new basis but do not restate 1992 financial statements.
Item to Be Answered
During 1993, Quo determined that an insurance premium paid and entirely expensed in 1992 was for the period January 1, 1992, through January 1, 1994.
List B (Select one)
Answer : B
Choice 'B' is correct. If comparative FS are issued, restate prior year's FS. If comparative FS are not issued, restate prior year-end's retained earnings account by 'adjusting' (net of tax) the opening balance of the current retained earnings statement.
Question 3
On January 2, 1993, Quo, Inc. hired Reed to be its controller. During the year, Reed, working closely with Quo's president and outside accountants, made changes in accounting policies, corrected several errors dating from 1992 and before, and instituted new accounting policies.
Quo's 1993 financial statements will be presented in comparative form with its 1992 financial statements.
This question represents one of Quo's transactions. List A represents possible clarifications of these transactions as: a change in accounting principle, a change in accounting estimate, a correction of an error in previously presented financial statements, or neither an accounting change nor an accounting error.
Item to Be Answered
During 1993, Quo determined that an insurance premium paid and entirely expensed in 1992 was for the period January 1, 1992, through January 1, 1994.
List A (Select one)
Answer : C
Choice 'c' is correct. Expensing insurance premiums when paid (rather than allocating them to the periods benefited) is a correction of an error in previously presented financial statements.
Question 4
On August 31, 1992, Harvey Co. decided to change from the FIFO periodic inventory system to the weighted average periodic inventory system. Harvey is on a calendar year basis. The cumulative effect of the change is determined:
Answer : A
Choice 'a' is correct, as of January 1, 1992, the beginning of the year.
Rule: The cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle equals the difference between retained earnings at the beginning of period of the change and what retained earnings would have been if the change was applied to all affected prior periods, assuming comparative financial statements are not presented. If comparative statements are presented, then beginning retained earnings of the earliest year presented is adjusted for the cumulative effect of the change. We are assuming, based on the answer options given, that Harvey is not presenting comparative financial statements.
Choice 'b' is incorrect. The cumulative effect of the change is not determined as of the date the decision is made.
Choices 'c' and 'd' are incorrect. The cumulative effect of the change is not determined by a weighted average.
Question 5
The cumulative effect of a change in accounting estimate should be shown separately:
Answer : D
Choice 'd' is correct. A change in estimate is handled prospectively. No cumulative effect adjustment is made and no separate line item presentation is made on any financial statement. If a material change is being made, appropriate footnote disclosure is necessary.
Choices 'a', 'b', and 'c' are incorrect, per the above Explanation: .
Question 6
Foy Corp. failed to accrue warranty costs of $50,000 in its December 31, 1992, financial statements. In addition, a $30,000 change from straight-line to accelerated depreciation was made at the beginning of 1993. Both the $50,000 and the $30,000 are net of related income taxes. What amount should Foy report as prior period adjustments in 1993?
Answer : C
Choice 'c' is correct. $50,000.
The cumulative effect of a change in accounting principle is now shown on the retained earnings statement as an adjustment to the beginning balance of retained earnings, assuming that the cumulative effect can be calculated.
An exception is made however, for a change in depreciation method, since a change in depreciation method is no longer considered to be a change in accounting principle. A change in depreciation method is now considered to be both a change in method and a change in estimate. These changes should now be accounted for as a change in estimate and handled prospectively. The new depreciation method should be used as of the beginning of the year of change and should start with the current book value of the underlying asset. No retroactive or retrospective calculations should be made, and no adjustment should be made to retained earnings.
The correction of the failure to accrue warranty costs is treated as a correction of an error and thus as a prior period adjustment.
Choices 'a', 'b', and 'd' are incorrect, per the above Explanation: .
Question 7
Goddard has used the FIFO method of inventory valuation since it began operations in 1987. Goddard decided to change to the weighted-average method for determining inventory costs at the beginning of 1990. The following schedule shows year-end inventory balances under the FIFO and weighted-average methods:
What amount, before income taxes, should be reported in the 1990 retained earnings statement as the cumulative effect of the change in accounting principle?
Answer : A
Choice 'a' is correct. $5,000 decrease.
The cumulative effect of change in accounting principle is determined as of the beginning of the year of change if comparative financial statements are not presented. In this case, the year of change is 1990, so the cumulative effect is the difference in inventory as of the end of 1989. [Note that inventory is a balance sheet item, so the change is based on the balances at the end of the last year the prior method was used. Had this question shown annual income statement amounts of cost of goods sold, we would have had to look at all the past years in the aggregate.] This will allow us to arrive at the adjustment to obtain the amount of retained earnings that would have been reported at the beginning of the period of change if the new accounting principle had been used for all prior periods.
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