CSEC Office Administration Paper 1 May/June 1993 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

The MAIN purpose of a franking machine is to

print attractive designs on letter heads

strip papers into small pieces

print the amount of postage on envelopes

A friend who started working two weeks ago received an offer for another job for which she was interviewed previously. She plans to stay in the job she now has. What should she do about the new offer?

Visit the personnel officer and apologise for not taking the job.

Telephone the personnel officer, say thanks and advise that she will not be taking the job.

Decide that if the company does not hear from her they will know she is not taking the job.

Jamie works as a switchboard operator at Office Supplies Limited. Which of the following would be the correct way for Jamie to answer an incoming call on the firm's switchboard?

"Hello, good morning, can I help you?"

"Good morning, Office Supplies Limited."

"This is Jamie speaking, good morning."

"Good morning, Jamie speaking."

For which of the following duties is a chairman of a meeting responsible? I. Approving the agenda II. Seconding all motions III. Signing the adopted minutes of the last meeting IV. Directing and controlling the proceedings at the meeting

In which of the following situations would files be transferred to the inactive section?

The organisation has stopped buying from a particular supplier.

A supplier now sells a wider range of goods.

A company with which the organisation deals has changed its name.

A company with which the organisation deals has changed its business address.

A customer who has credit facilities with a firm should expect to receive a record of payments and purchases made each month on a/an

statement of account

reconciliation statement

You have been elected secretary of your school's thrift society. Which of the following gives the correct order for conducting the business of the meeting? I. Matters Arising II. New Business III. Approval of the Minutes IV. Any Other Business

Which of the following is NOT included in a job description?

Results of the job interview

Statement of the employee's duties

Name of the employee's supervisor

A memorandum is used for:

informal communication with business associates in other firms

short notes to personal friends

confirmation of business matters that do not require a formal letter

communication within a firm

The amount of outgoing mail in a firm has increased greatly. Which of the following steps should be taken to improve efficiency of posting? I. Assign more mail clerks to stick the postage stamps on all outgoing mail. II. Ask each department to try to reduce the amount of outgoing mail. III. Set a specific time when outgoing mail will be collected from all departments. IV. Frank outgoing mail

In a sales transaction the correct sequence for the flow of documents between the purchaser and the supplier is

order, quotation, inquiry, invoice

inquiry, order, quotation, invoice

inquiry, quotation, order, invoice

order, inquiry, invoice, quotation

Which of the following statements applies to a contract of employment?

It is binding on the employee only.

It is binding on the employer only.

It is not binding on the employee or the employer.

It is binding on both the employee and the employer.

What steps should a businessman take if his cash book and bank statement show a difference of $20.00?

Reconcile his bank statement with his cash book.

Regard the $20.00 as interest on his current account.

Inform the bank that an error has been made in his account.

Write a cheque for $20.00 to balance his statement with the bank.

The letters 'E.&O.E.' on the invoice indicate that

Mr Lee should not regard this document as a request for payment.

Garden Supplies & Plant Care Services can correct any error made when preparing the bill.

Mr Lee can hold Garden Supplies & Plant Care Services to the terms of sale as shown on the invoice.

Garden Supplies & Plant Care Services may not have included all the items that Mr Lee ordered.

How much should Mr Lee pay if the bill is settled on 16th May?

What is the LATEST date by which Mr Lee is required to pay this bill?

To correct an error which has been made when writing a cheque, one should

make the correction and initial it.

erase the error and initial the correction.

cross out the error and make the correction above it.

make the correction and ask the bank teller to initial it.

Which of the following should be done if no mention is made of promotional opportunities when you are being interviewed for a job and you are interested in having such information?

Assume that promotion will occur automatically.

Ask about it if you are offered the job.

Ask about it before the close of the interview.

Ask about it in a follow-up letter after the interview.

When a file has been requisitioned, the name of the borrower, together with other important information should be recorded on a/an

The Head Office of a Caribbean company uses a geographical filing system. In which order should index cards for the following be filed? I. Anthony Jackson, Queen Street, Bridgetown, Barbados II. Brown Brothers Ltd, Broad Street, Roseau, Dominica III. Carlton Associates, Grenville Street, Basseterre, St Kitts IV. Smith and Co. Ltd., High Street, St John's, Antigua

Which of the following conditions is MOST likely to exist where people work in a large company?

Few opportunities for promotion

Very close supervision

Direct contact with management

High degree of specialization

Which of the following procedures should be used to find a telephone number in the yellow pages for Thompson Electrical Services? I. Look for the main section headed Services. II. Look for the main section headed Electric. III. Look for Thompson Electrical Services.

Assume that it is your first day at work and you have been asked to make copies of reports and documents for different members of staff. Staff members have indicated the dates and times by which they would like to have the copies. Which of the following procedures should you use to facilitate maximum efficiency?

Accept and deal with all work in the order received.

Arrange all work in order of requested priority and work in that order.

Fix strict time limits for the acceptance and delivery of work.

Deal with the requests from the senior officers first.

A cross-reference sheet is prepared when

two pieces of correspondence are to be put in the same file.

one piece of correspondence can be put on two or more files.

correspondence is to be seen by more than one person.

the correspondence in a file is no longer required.

The term 'carriage paid' means that the

carrier must be paid by the purchaser before the goods can be despatched

price quoted does not include overseas transport

carrier must be paid before the goods are delivered

price quoted includes delivery to the customer's door

A quorum is constituted of the

minimum number of members to be present for a meeting to be called to order

specific executive members who must be present for a meeting to be conducted

executive members of the committee present at the meeting

number of members present at a meeting

A receptionist forgot to notify an executive of an appointment. When the caller arrives the receptionist should

ask if the executive would see the caller

let the caller know that she forgot to tell the executive

offer to make another appointment for the caller

tell the caller that she made a mistake about the date

Which of the following would be recorded as a motion in the minutes of a meeting?

An alteration to a resolution

An amendment to the minutes

An addition to a resolution after it has been passed

A formal proposal made by a member

Your regular lunch hour is from 1200 hours to 1300 hours, but you have an appointment between 1300 and 1400 hours today. As a junior clerk you should request

a friend who has lunch from 1300 to 1400 hours to switch lunch hours with you

the Personnel Manager to change your working hours

the Supervisor to permit a change in your lunch hour

a friend to explain your absence if anyone asks for you

The receptionist has been told that Mr Bell, the Sales Manager, will be out of the office for the day. What action should the receptionist take to deal with persons calling to speak to Mr Bell on that day?

Say that Mr Bell is out of office and offer to take a message for him.

Explain that Mr Bell will be out of office for the day and ask them to call on him the following day.

Put the calls through to Mr Bell's extension and expect that someone in the sales department will answer.

Advise that Mr Bell is out of office and ask if anyone else can help.

To locate an item of correspondence in a file one should refer to the

Which of the following actions should be taken at a meeting if the same number of persons who voted 'for' a motion voted 'against' the motion?

A member will submit a closure.

The motion will 'lie on the table'.

The meeting will have to be adjourned.

The chairman will be allowed another vote.

Members who cannot attend a meeting at which officers will be elected but who wish to vote can do so by

Assuming a similar quality and quantity of goods and the same rate of insurance coverage, which of the following shipping terms will give the greatest benefit to a company purchasing goods?

Your firm has a PABX switchboard. A telephone call has come to your department's extension for a staff member, Mr Khan, who is in another department. Which of the following replies should you give?

"Sorry, Mr Khan works in another department. Please hold the line while I transfer your call."

"Sorry, we do not have anyone by that name in this department."

"Sorry, Mr Khan is not in this department, can I help you?"

"Sorry, you have the wrong department. Please hang up and call back."

To which of the following departments should the mail clerk send incoming invoices?

The formal relationship between the personnel department and other departments of an organisation is BEST described as a

vertical relationship

functional relationship

The correct procedure for a receptionist to use when introducing a visitor to a staff member is to announce the

visitor's name and company

visitor's name, title and company

visitor's name, company and title

A 'post-dated cheque' is a cheque which

carries a date after that on which it is written

carries a date before that on which it is written

is mailed on the day on which it is written

is mailed after the date on which it is written

In an office, in which of the following situations would the relationship between two employees be described as a 'lateral relationship'?

One is more senior than the other.

Each has a similar status in the firm.

Each has an important job in the company.

One has been employed longer than the other.

The MAIN advantage of communication by telex rather than by telephone is that the message by telex is

Which of the following actions is NOT proper telephone etiquette when answering a business telephone?

Answer the telephone as soon as it rings.

Thank a customer for calling.

Have the person calling hang up first.

Answer the phone with a cheery "hello".

Which of the following duties would be carried out by a clerk who works in the personnel department of an organisation? I. Recruiting new staff II. Drawing up contracts of employment III. Receiving articles for the company magazine IV. Recording information on staff record cards

The following are steps to be followed by a company when purchasing goods: I. Issue purchase requisition. II. Place purchase order. III. Issue stock requisition. IV. Write cheque for cost of goods. Which of the following is the correct order of these steps?

In the Caribbean, which of the following can usually be obtained through a travel agency for travel overseas? I. Airline tickets II. Hotel reservations III. Foreign currency IV. Visas to visit foreign countries

The 'cancelled cheques' that one receives with a bank statement are those cheques which

the bank dishonoured

the bank exchanged for cash

are more than 3 months old

the account holder did not negotiate

Which of the following statements BEST describe(s) a bill of lading? I. Contract between the sender of goods and the owner of the vessel. II. Receipt for prepaid shipping charges. III. Request to the crew to load the goods. IV. Proof that the goods have been delivered overseas.

For which of the following types of overseas telephone calls does a telephone company usually charge the highest rate?

Customer dials the overseas telephone number and speaks with anyone who answers.

Customer calls the operator at the telephone company and asks for assistance in making the connection with the desired overseas telephone number.

Customer gives the operator at the telephone company the name of a person to whom he/she wishes to speak on the desired overseas telephone number.

Customer calls the operator at the telephone company, gives the desired overseas telephone number to which the call is to be placed, and requests the telephone operator to give the time and charges at the end of the call.

A complimentary slip is used to

congratulate the recipient

accompany enclosures sent without a letter

acknowledge receipt of payment

accept an invitation

Which of the following gives the sequence of acceptable practices for taking disciplinary action against a member of the office staff who receives a salary? I. Oral warning II. Written warning III. Oral suspension IV. Written dismissal

The stock clerk should have placed an order for paper on

Which of the following items of information could be obtained from an airline schedule?

I. The cost of fares for the airline II. The flight number of the airline for a particular route at a specified time III. The identification of the aircraft used by an airline IV. The times at which the airline flies to and from different airports

A caller comes into an office asking to see a senior executive on a routine matter. He has no appointment. What is the MOST appropriate course of action for a receptionist to follow?

Send him to see the executive when a gap appears between appointments.

Refer him to the officer in the department that deals with that aspect of the business.

Inform him that he cannot see the employer at all that day.

Make an appointment for him at a convenient time.

In which order should the following names be filed?

I. Carr, Richard P. Dundee II. The Dundee Cake Co. III. Dundee and Dandice Ltd IV. James Dundee & Sons

In an alphabetic filing system under which letter would the file for James Taylor-Webber and Sons be filed?

You have been asked to collect the information to be used to prepare an itinerary for a group of persons who will be arriving for a conference which your company is hosting. Which of the following items of information must you try to obtain?

I. Hotel at which the visitors will be staying II. Visitors' flight numbers, arrival and departure times III. Schedule of activities for the conference

Which of the following, if offered by a company, would be considered fringe benefits?

I. Salary II. Induction training III. Contributory pension plan IV. Contributory medical insurance

In a manufacturing firm which of the following statements BEST describes a 'job card'?

A list of information and instructions for production issued from the office

A list of duties and responsibilities of an employee

The record prepared by an employee listing the tasks completed in a month

The record prepared by the production office giving an analysis and cost of each job

CSEC Office Administration Paper 1 May/June 1993 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

CSEC Office Administration Paper 1 May/June 1993 Questions