PDF Accounting-for-Decision-Makers Study Guide

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 answers are C. Interest expense and D. Cost of goods sold . Net income is determined by starting with revenues and then subtracting expenses and other costs. Because interest expense is an expense, increasing it reduces earnings before tax and therefore lowers net income. Likewise, cost of goods sold (COGS) is a major expense directly tied to the goods sold by the business. When COGS increases, gross profit falls, which then reduces net income. OpenStax summarizes the income statement as including revenues, expenses, gains, and losses in arriving at net income or net loss.

Options A. Gains and B. Revenues are incorrect because increases in either of those items generally increase net income rather than decrease it. Gains arise from peripheral transactions and still improve profitability, while revenues represent inflows from the company’s main operations. In contrast, both interest expense and cost of goods sold are deductions in the income statement. Therefore, the two items that decrease net income when increased are Interest expense and Cost of goods sold .

The correct answer is A. Return on sales . Return on sales, also called profit margin or net profit margin , measures how effectively a company converts sales revenue into net income. It is commonly calculated as Net income ÷ Sales . OpenStax explains that this ratio shows how much of each sales dollar remains as profit after all expenses, including taxes, have been deducted. A higher ratio generally indicates stronger profitability and better cost control relative to revenue.

Option B, return on costs , is not the standard ratio named in basic financial analysis for this purpose. Option C, return on expenses , is also not the conventional measure used in the ratio formulas you listed. Option D, return on profit , is not a recognized standard profitability ratio in introductory accounting frameworks. Since the question asks specifically about how well a company turns sales into profits , the ratio that directly measures that relationship is return on sales . This ratio is widely used in financial statement analysis to compare operating performance across periods and across firms, especially within the same industry.

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 .