INTRODUCTION TO INDIAN GOVERMENT ACCOUNTS AND AUDIT
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTORY
1.1 The object of the book* is to give a broad outline of the system of accounts of Government transactions and their audit. Before going into details, it is desirable to understand the purpose of accounts and audits.
1. The main object of the book Introduction to Indian Government Accounts and Audit is to:
A. Teach accounting for private companies
B. Give a broad outline of the system of government accounts and their audit
C. Explain the procedure of court trials
D. Focus only on tax collection
Answer: B
2. Before going into details of government accounts, it is desirable to understand:
A. The purpose of audits and accounts
B. The legal procedures of courts
C. Foreign trade policies
D. Personal finance management
Answer: A
Accounts and Transactions
1.Statements of facts relating to money or things having money value are
(A) Transactions
(B) Records
(C) Reports
(D) Account
Answer: D
2. The facts that are incorporated in accounting records are described as
(A) Transactions
(B) Facts
(C) Budget
(D) Accounts
Answer: A
3. Statement of facts relating to money on _________________ are called accounts
A:-Government
B:-Profit
C:-Things having money value
D:-Balance sheet
Correct Answer:- Option-C
1. Accounts are:
A. Only cash books
B. Statements of facts relating to money or things having money value
C. Legal documents only
D. Personal diaries of officials
Answer: B
2. The ‘facts’ incorporated in accounting records are described as:
A. Balances
B. Transactions
C. Budgets
D. Reports
Answer: B
3. Transactions in accounting refer to:
A. Only bank deposits
B. Events or facts relating to money or things having monetary value
C. Court proceedings
D. Only payrolls
Answer: B
Accounting
1. A mere chronological listing of monetary transactions in cash accounts:
A. Clearly shows the significance of transactions
B. Does not show the significance of transactions or their aggregate effects
C. Is sufficient for auditing purposes
D. Is the same as accounting
Answer: B
2. From cash accounts alone, one cannot easily tell:
A. How he stands in relation to his various customers
B. The legal compliance of transactions
C. The physical location of assets
D. The government’s budget allocation
Answer: A
3. To understand profitability or business position, transactions should be:
A. Ignored
B. Classified under various heads such as customer names or articles dealt in
C. Only recorded in cash books
D. Maintained in personal diaries
Answer: B
4. Arranging results of transactions under various heads helps to:
A. Only maintain cash balances
B. Show both the significance of each transaction and the combined effect of series of transactions
C. Avoid audits
D. Reduce accounting work
Answer: B
5. The process of classifying and arranging transactions to understand their significance and combined effect is called:
A. Auditing
B. Accounting
C. Budgeting
D. Banking
Answer: B
Compilation of Accounts
1.4 The initial accounts of Government transactions in India are prepared by the authorities through whom the transactions occur, such as treasuries, the various departmental offices, pay and accounts organizations, etc. From these initial accounts the Indian Audit & Accounts Department as well as the Central Accounting organizations of the Union Government compile, under different heads prescribed for Government accounts, and bring out, monthly and annually, the combined result of all the transactions which occur during that period. From the accounts so compiled by the Indian Audit and Accounts Department and other agencies, the Union and the States Governments are prepared by the Comptroller and Audit General. These accounts incorporate the results of the total Government transactions arising both in and outside India.
1.The initial accounts of Govt. transactions in India are prepared by the authorities through whom the transactions occur, such as :
(A) Nationalised Banks
(B) Reserve Bank of India
(C) Treasuries, various departmental offices, pay and accounts, organizations etc.
(D) Audit Department
Answer: C
Who prepares the initial accounts of government transactions in India?
A. Parliament
B. Reserve Bank of India
C. Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG)
D. Treasuries, departmental offices, and pay & accounts organizations
Answer: D
2. The Indian Audit & Accounts Department compiles initial accounts to:
A. Only check for errors in the accounts
B. Replace departmental offices
C. Prepare private financial statements
D. Bring out combined results of all transactions under prescribed heads
Answer: D
3. How often are the combined results of government transactions compiled?
A. Only annually
B. Only when requested by Parliament
C. Monthly and annually
D. Daily and weekly
Answer: C
4. The accounts compiled by the Indian Audit & Accounts Department are used by:
A. Supreme Court
B. Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to prepare Union and State accounts
C. Commercial banks
D. Private corporations
Answer: B
5. The government accounts prepared by CAG include:
A. Only revenue receipts
B. Only transactions of the Union Government
C. Only transactions within India
D. Transactions arising both in and outside India
Answer: D
Audit
1.The word being derived from Audire meaning to hear is the :
(A) Auditor
(B) Accountant
(C) Account
(D) Audit
Answer: A
2. The word 'Auditor', is derived from the word:
(A) Audit
(B) Account
(C) Audire
(D) Authority
Answer: C
3. The person whose duty, it was, to check accounts became known as the :
(A) Doctor
(B) Auditor
(C) Engineer
(D) None of the above
Answer: B
4. The Latin word “ Audire” means:
(A) To see
(B) To watch
(C) To hear
(D) None of the above
Answer: CA. Highly advanced
B. Crude, and transactions were few
C. Fully computerized
D. Used only by governments
Answer: B
2. In ancient States and Empires, systems of check were applied to:
A. Private accounts only
B. Public accounts
C. Foreign trade exclusively
D. Personal diaries
Answer: B
3. The person responsible for checking accounts in ancient times was called:
A. Accountant
B. Auditor
C. Cashier
D. Manager
Answer: B
4. The word ‘auditor’ is derived from the Latin word:
A. Auditus
B. Audire
C. Audio
D. Audacia
Answer: B
5. Originally, accounting parties were required to:
A. Submit written reports only
B. Come before the auditor who heard their accounts
C. Send accounts by post
D. Record accounts in diaries only
Answer: B
6. The increase in trade in the 19th Century led to the formation of:
A. Small family businesses only
B. Numerous Joint Stock Companies
C. Only government departments
D. Personal savings accounts
Answer: B
7. Joint Stock Companies in the 19th Century involved:
A. Small sums of capital managed by all shareholders
B. Large sums of capital under management of few individuals
C. No capital investment
D. Only local trade
Answer: B
8. Under the conditions of large companies, the need for auditors:
A. Became unnecessary
B. Became apparent for ensuring proper accounting
C. Was replaced by managers
D. Was limited to foreign trade
Answer: B
9. Auditors became important because:
A. They could manage large sums of capital
B. They provided independent verification of accounts
C. They replaced accountants
D. They supervised government budgets
Answer: B
10. The commercial world generally recognized the advantages of using auditors:
A. In the 17th Century
B. In the 19th Century with the rise of joint-stock companies
C. Only in ancient empires
D. Only in government departments
Answer: B
1.6 Audit was originally confined to ascertaining whether the accounting party had properly accounted for all receipts and payments on behalf of his principal, and was in fact merely a cash audit; but the object of modern audit, although it includes the examination of cash transactions, has as its ultimate aim, the verification of the financial position of the undertaking.
(A) The examination of cash transactions
(B) The verification of the financial position of the undertaking:
(C) Both (A) and (B) above
(D) None of the above
1. Originally, audit was confined to:
A. Verifying only assets and liabilities
B. Ascertaining whether the accounting party properly accounted for all receipts and payments
C. Evaluating business profitability
D. Checking tax compliance
Answer: B
2. The original audit was primarily a:
A. Financial audit
B. Cash audit
C. Operational audit
D. Management audit
Answer: B
3. Modern audit includes examination of:
A. Only cash transactions
B. Cash transactions as well as the overall financial position
C. Only tax records
D. Only personal accounts of managers
Answer: B
4. The ultimate aim of modern audit is:
A. To maintain cash books
B. Verification of the financial position of the undertaking
C. To prepare budgets
D. To conduct employee evaluations
Answer: B
5. Modern audit differs from original audit because it:
A. Ignores receipts and payments
B. Focuses on verifying the entire financial position, not just cash transactions
C. Is limited to cash accounts only
D. Only records tran
sactions in chronological order
Answer: B
1.7 Audit is, therefore, an examination of accounting records undertaken with a view to establishing whether they correctly and completely reflect the transactions to which they purport to relate. The difference between accounting and auditing is not clearly understood by many, it being thought that if accounts are prepared by a professional accountant he necessarily guarantees their accuracy. This however, is far from the case. If an accountant is instructed merely to prepare accounts from a set of books, he would be acting simply as an expert accountant and not in any way as an auditor. He would not check the books himself.
(A) An Auditor
(B) A Manager
(C) A Custodian Officer
(D) None of the above
1. Audit is an examination of accounting records undertaken to:
A. Prepare cash books
B. Establish whether they correctly and completely reflect the transactions they relate to
C. Record personal diaries
D. Avoid accounting
Answer: B
2. Many people misunderstand the difference between accounting and auditing because they think:
A. Auditors prepare books of accounts
B. If accounts are prepared by a professional accountant, they are necessarily accurate
C. Accounting and auditing are unrelated
D. Accounts need no verification
Answer: B
3. An accountant instructed merely to prepare accounts from a set of books acts as:
A. An auditor
B. A professional accountant
C. A financial controller
D. A tax consultant
Answer: B
4. If an accountant is not checking the books himself, he is:
A. Acting as an auditor
B. Acting simply as an expert accountant
C. Responsible for verifying accuracy
D. Conducting audit
Answer: B
5. The key distinction between accounting and auditing is that auditing:
A. Involves merely preparing accounts
B. Involves examination to verify correctness and completeness of transactions
C. Is optional
D. Only records cash transactions
Answer: B
1.8 An audit is quite distinct and apart from accountancy, an audit does not entail the preparation of the accounts at all but deals with something much wider, namely the examination of a Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Accounts prepared by others, together with the books, accounts and vouchers relating thereto in such a manner that the auditor may be able to satisfy himself and honestly report that, in his opinion, such Balance Sheet is properly drawn up so as to exhibit a true and correct view of the State of affairs of the particular concern according to the information and explanation given to him and as shown by the books.
1. Who prepares the accounts that are examined during an audit?
A. Auditor
B. Shareholders
C. Accountants or others
D. Government authorities
Answer: C
2. An audit primarily involves the examination of:
A. Only the Balance Sheet
B. Balance Sheet, Profit and Loss Account, books, accounts, and vouchers
C. Only the Profit and Loss Account
D. Only the cash book
Answer: B
3. The purpose of an audit is to:
A. Prepare the accounts of a company
B. Ensure the Balance Sheet shows a true and correct view of the state of affairs
C. Correct all errors in accounts
D. Replace the work of accountants
Answer: B
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Auditors are responsible for preparing accounts.
B. Auditors only check the arithmetic accuracy of accounts.
C. Auditors satisfy themselves and honestly report on the accounts prepared by others.
D. Auditors replace accountants in a business.
Answer: C
Audit as an Agency of Financial Control
1.9 Audit is, therefore, an instrument of financial control. In its relation to commercial transactions, it acts as a safeguard on behalf of the proprietor (whether an individual or a group of persons) against extravagance, carelessness or fraud on the part of the proprietors’ agents or servants in the realization and utilization of his money or other assets and it ensures on the proprietor’s behalf that the accounts maintained truly represent facts, and that expenditure has been incurred with due regularity and propriety. The agency employed for this purpose is called an auditor.
💜Audit is an instrument of .......... ..........control
(A) Budgetary
(B) Administrative
(C) Financial
(D) Legal
💜Which type of control is exercised by Audit ?
(A) Financial
(B) Administrative
(C) Legal
(D) Budgetary
💜Audit is an agency to exercise adequate :
(A) Financial control
(B) Budgetary control
(C) Administrative control
(D) Legislative control
(A) extravagance
(B) carelessness
(C) fraud
(D) all of the above
1.10 It is essential that a similar watch should be maintained over the financial transactions of a Government, and that the agency employed for the purpose should be independent of the agents or servants of Government who are entrusted with the realization and utilization of public money or other assets. This task is entrusted in India to the Department. So far, as its audit duties are concerned, the position of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department in relation to Government transactions is to a large extent similar to that of an auditor. In this context, Parliament/Legislatures may be regarded in this context, Parliament/Legislatures may be regarded as the Shareholders of the Government concern and the Executive Government as its directors. The object of this concern is however not profit making. In India the Indian Audit and Accounts Department audits the transactions of the executive on behalf of Parliament/ Legislatures and submits its audit report to the President/ Governor/ Administrator for being laid before them. The Department must ensure that the accounts maintained truly represent facts; that the rules and orders framed by competent authority in regard to financial matters have been obeyed; that the expenditure has been incurred with due regularity and propriety, and that there is no wasteful expenditure on any scheme.
💜The Indian Audit and Accounts Department audits the transactions of the executive on behalf of the Parliament/ Legislature Assembly and submits its Audit Reports to :
(A) Legislature
(B) Cabinet Secretary / Chief Secretary
(C) Public Accounts Committee
(D) President/Governor for being laid before Parliament/ Assembly
💜Periodical stock verification and the check of stock with the accounts is one of the :
(A) Fundamental Principles of Audit
(B) Instruments of Financial Control
(C) Agencies of Financial Control
(D) None of the above
💜So far, as its audit duties are concerned, the position of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department in relation to Government transactions is to a large extent similar to that of:
(A) A friend
(B) A guide
(C) An auditor
(D) A philosopher
Fundamental Principles
1.11 Before leaving this introduction to the subject. attention may be drawn how some of the audit tenets followed centuries ago still apply, as will be shown in this compilation. Prompt payment of money into the treasury, the strict following up of arrears, the necessity for accounts accurately portraying the facts, the value of checking the accounts and of conducting local inspections, periodical stock verification and the check of stock with the accounts, where fundamental principles then as they are today and principles which have held good for so long must contain the essence of importance.
💜During the audit of transactions of the executive, the Indian Audit and Accounts Department must ensure that;
(A) The accounts maintained truly represent facts
(B) The rules and orders framed by the competent authority in regard to financial matters have been obeyed.
(C) The expenditure has been incurred with due regularity and propriety and there is no wasteful expenditure on any scheme.
(D) All of the above.
💜Audit tenets followed the Fundamental Principles of Audit centuries ago still apply:
(A) Prompt payment of money into treasury
(B) Strict following up of arrears
(C) The necessity for accounts accurately portraying the facts
(D) All of the above