Friday, January 16, 2026

MCQ questions on Activity Based Costing

 


Activity-Based Costing (ABC) – 50 MCQs

1. Activity-Based Costing assigns overhead costs based on:

A. Direct labor hours
B. Machine hours
C. Cost drivers related to activities
D. Units produced

Answer: 


2. Which of the following best describes a cost driver?

A. A fixed overhead cost
B. A factor that causes a change in activity cost
C. A department cost
D. A product cost

Answer: 


3. ABC is most useful when:

A. Overheads are insignificant
B. Products are homogeneous
C. Overhead costs are high and products are diverse
D. Only direct costs are relevant

Answer: 


4. Which is a unit-level activity?

A. Machine setup
B. Quality inspection
C. Processing each unit
D. Product design

Answer: 


5. Which is a batch-level activity?

A. Machine operation
B. Setup of machines
C. Factory supervision
D. Product advertising

Answer: 


6. Which activity is product-level?

A. Customer order processing
B. Product design
C. Machine operation
D. Material handling

Answer: 


7. Facility-level activities include:

A. Setup costs
B. Quality inspection
C. Factory rent
D. Material movement

Answer: 


8. In ABC, overheads are first allocated to:

A. Products
B. Departments
C. Cost pools
D. Cost centers

Answer: 


9. Which is a correct cost driver for machine setups?

A. Units produced
B. Machine hours
C. Number of setups
D. Direct labor hours

Answer: 


10. Traditional costing differs from ABC because traditional costing:

A. Uses multiple cost drivers
B. Uses activity cost pools
C. Uses volume-based allocation
D. Is more accurate

Answer: 


11. Which industry benefits MOST from ABC?

A. Single-product manufacturing
B. Highly automated manufacturing
C. Service industry with diverse services
D. Pure trading business

Answer: 


12. Which of the following is NOT a benefit of ABC?

A. Improved cost accuracy
B. Better pricing decisions
C. Reduced accounting effort
D. Identification of non-value activities

Answer: 


13. ABC helps management to:

A. Reduce direct material cost
B. Identify cost reduction opportunities
C. Eliminate fixed costs
D. Increase depreciation

Answer: 


14. Which cost is usually excluded from ABC product costing?

A. Machine depreciation
B. Direct labor
C. Factory rent
D. Product-specific setup costs

Answer: 


15. A cost pool is:

A. A group of products
B. A collection of similar activities
C. A department
D. A cost driver

Answer: 


16. Which of the following is a non-value-added activity?

A. Assembly
B. Rework due to defects
C. Product design
D. Packaging

Answer: 


17. ABC supports which type of decision?

A. Make or buy
B. Product mix
C. Pricing
D. All of the above

Answer: 


18. Which costing method is more suitable when overheads are low?

A. ABC
B. Marginal costing
C. Traditional costing
D. Target costing

Answer: 


19. In ABC, costs are traced from activities to products using:

A. Cost pools
B. Cost drivers
C. Departments
D. Labor hours

Answer: 


20. Which of the following is a transaction driver?

A. Machine hours
B. Number of purchase orders
C. Time spent
D. Direct labor cost

Answer: 


21. Which is a duration cost driver?

A. Number of inspections
B. Inspection hours
C. Units produced
D. Orders received

Answer: 


22. ABC is LEAST suitable when:

A. Many products exist
B. Overhead costs are significant
C. Products consume resources uniformly
D. Activities differ significantly

Answer: 


23. Which statement is TRUE?

A. ABC increases cost distortion
B. ABC ignores overheads
C. ABC reduces cross-subsidization
D. ABC is simpler than traditional costing

Answer: 


24. Cross-subsidization means:

A. Profitable products subsidize loss-making ones
B. Costs are equally distributed
C. Fixed costs are eliminated
D. Costs are ignored

Answer: 


25. ABC was developed mainly to address problems of:

A. Marginal costing
B. Absorption costing
C. Traditional overhead allocation
D. Budgeting

Answer: 


26. Which cost driver is suitable for material handling?

A. Number of units
B. Number of material moves
C. Machine hours
D. Labor cost

Answer: 


27. Which is a limitation of ABC?

A. More accurate costing
B. High implementation cost
C. Better performance measurement
D. Improved decision-making

Answer: 


28. ABC treats most overhead costs as:

A. Fixed
B. Variable with respect to activities
C. Period costs
D. Sunk costs

Answer: 


29. ABC can be applied in:

A. Manufacturing only
B. Service sector only
C. Non-profit organizations only
D. Both manufacturing and service sectors

Answer: 


30. Which activity adds NO value to customers?

A. Inspection
B. Assembly
C. Packaging
D. Design

Answer: 


31. ABC improves cost accuracy by:

A. Using fewer cost drivers
B. Using a single overhead rate
C. Using multiple relevant cost drivers
D. Ignoring indirect costs

Answer: 


32. Which of the following is a resource cost driver?

A. Machine hours
B. Number of orders
C. Time spent by employees
D. Units produced

Answer: 


33. In ABC, activities consume:

A. Products
B. Resources
C. Customers
D. Departments

Answer: 


34. Products in ABC consume:

A. Resources directly
B. Activities
C. Departments
D. Labor hours only

Answer: 


35. Which costing system is preferred for complex operations?

A. Marginal costing
B. Standard costing
C. ABC
D. Process costing

Answer: 


36. ABC is especially helpful for identifying:

A. Fixed costs
B. Variable costs
C. High-cost activities
D. Direct costs

Answer: 


37. Which of the following is NOT an activity hierarchy level?

A. Unit-level
B. Batch-level
C. Customer-level
D. Facility-level

Answer: 


38. ABC focuses on:

A. Departments
B. Activities
C. Profit centers
D. Cost centers

Answer: 


39. Which costing method may overcost high-volume products?

A. ABC
B. Marginal costing
C. Traditional absorption costing
D. Variable costing

Answer: 


40. ABC helps in eliminating:

A. Direct labor
B. Wasteful activities
C. Fixed costs
D. Product costs

Answer: 


41. Which statement about ABC is correct?

A. It is mandatory under GAAP
B. It is mainly for internal management
C. It replaces financial accounting
D. It ignores overheads

Answer: 


42. Which is a value-added activity?

A. Rework
B. Inspection
C. Assembly
D. Storage

Answer: 


43. ABC can improve profitability by:

A. Increasing production
B. Better pricing and cost control
C. Increasing fixed costs
D. Ignoring overheads

Answer: 


44. The first step in ABC implementation is:

A. Assign costs to products
B. Identify activities
C. Select cost drivers
D. Compute overhead rates

Answer: 


45. Which costing system emphasizes cause-and-effect relationships?

A. Traditional costing
B. Marginal costing
C. ABC
D. Standard costing

Answer: 


46. ABC is less effective when:

A. Overhead is high
B. Products are customized
C. Production is simple and repetitive
D. Costs are activity-driven

Answer: 


47. Which of the following is an example of service-industry ABC?

A. Machine setup
B. Patient admission process
C. Assembly line operation
D. Material movement

Answer: 


48. ABC supports strategic decisions like:

A. Market entry
B. Product discontinuation
C. Process improvement
D. All of the above

Answer: 


49. Compared to traditional costing, ABC provides:

A. Less information
B. More accurate product costs
C. Lower data requirement
D. Less complexity

Answer: 


50. ABC is primarily designed to improve:

A. Financial reporting
B. Tax compliance
C. Internal cost management
D. External audit

Answer: 


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Numerical MCQs – Activity-Based Costing (ABC)


1. Setup Cost Allocation

A company has total setup cost of ₹240,000. Total setups = 120.
Product A requires 30 setups.
What setup cost is allocated to Product A?

A. ₹48,000
B. ₹60,000
C. ₹72,000
D. ₹80,000

Answer


2. Machine Cost Allocation

Machine-related overhead = ₹300,000
Total machine hours = 15,000
Product X uses 2,000 machine hours.

Allocated overhead?

A. ₹30,000
B. ₹35,000
C. ₹40,000
D. ₹50,000

Answer: 


3. Order Processing Cost

Total order processing cost = ₹180,000
Total orders = 900
Product B placed 120 orders.

Allocated cost?

A. ₹18,000
B. ₹21,600
C. ₹24,000
D. ₹30,000

Answer: 


4. Inspection Cost (Duration Driver)

Inspection cost = ₹90,000
Total inspection hours = 3,000
Product C uses 450 inspection hours.

Allocated cost?

A. ₹12,000
B. ₹13,500
C. ₹15,000
D. ₹18,000

Answer: 


5. Material Handling Cost

Material handling cost = ₹150,000
Total material moves = 600
Product D requires 90 moves.

Allocated cost?

A. ₹18,000
B. ₹20,000
C. ₹22,500
D. ₹25,000

Answer:


6. Total ABC Overhead

Product E incurs:

  • Setup cost: ₹40,000
  • Machine cost: ₹60,000
  • Inspection cost: ₹20,000

Total ABC overhead?

A. ₹100,000
B. ₹110,000
C. ₹120,000
D. ₹130,000

Answer: 


7. Cost per Unit under ABC

Total ABC overhead for Product F = ₹180,000
Units produced = 6,000

Overhead per unit?

A. ₹25
B. ₹28
C. ₹30
D. ₹35

Answer


8. Activity Rate Calculation

Total quality inspection cost = ₹96,000
Total inspections = 800

Inspection cost per inspection?

A. ₹100
B. ₹110
C. ₹120
D. ₹150

Answer: 


9. Batch-Level Cost

Setup cost = ₹200,000
Number of batches = 100
Product G produced in 25 batches.

Allocated cost?

A. ₹40,000
B. ₹45,000
C. ₹50,000
D. ₹55,000

Answer: 


10. ABC vs Traditional Costing

Traditional overhead per unit = ₹80
ABC overhead per unit = ₹65
Units produced = 4,000

Overcosting under traditional costing?

A. ₹40,000
B. ₹50,000
C. ₹60,000
D. ₹65,000

Answer


11. Customer Order Cost

Customer support cost = ₹120,000
Total customer calls = 2,000
Product H related calls = 300

Allocated cost?

A. ₹15,000
B. ₹18,000
C. ₹20,000
D. ₹22,000

Answer: 


12. Multiple Activity Allocation

Product J uses:

  • 40 setups @ ₹2,000
  • 1,500 machine hours @ ₹25
  • 200 inspections @ ₹100

Total ABC overhead?

A. ₹125,000
B. ₹135,000
C. ₹145,000
D. ₹155,000

Answer:


13. Low Volume Product

ABC overhead = ₹90,000
Units produced = 1,000

Overhead per unit?

A. ₹60
B. ₹70
C. ₹80
D. ₹90

Answer: 


14. Cost Driver Rate

Purchase ordering cost = ₹150,000
Total purchase orders = 750

Cost per purchase order?

A. ₹150
B. ₹175
C. ₹200
D. ₹225

Answer: 


15. Product Discontinuation Decision

Product K selling price/unit = ₹400
ABC cost/unit = ₹360

Contribution per unit?

A. ₹20
B. ₹30
C. ₹40
D. ₹50

Answer: 


16. Inspection Avoidance Savings

Inspection hours reduced by 500
Cost per inspection hour = ₹40

Cost savings?

A. ₹15,000
B. ₹18,000
C. ₹20,000
D. ₹22,000

Answer: 


17. Total Cost per Unit

Direct material = ₹120
Direct labor = ₹80
ABC overhead per unit = ₹100

Total cost per unit?

A. ₹280
B. ₹290
C. ₹300
D. ₹320

Answer: 


18. Cross-Subsidization Effect

Traditional overhead/unit = ₹90
ABC overhead/unit = ₹70
Units = 3,000

Amount of cost distortion?

A. ₹40,000
B. ₹50,000
C. ₹60,000
D. ₹70,000

Answer: 


19. Service Industry ABC

Patient admission cost = ₹200,000
Total patients = 4,000
Patients in Cardiology = 600

Allocated cost?

A. ₹25,000
B. ₹30,000
C. ₹35,000
D. ₹40,000

Answer: 


20. Profit under ABC

Sales revenue = ₹900,000
Total ABC cost = ₹720,000

Profit?

A. ₹150,000
B. ₹160,000
C. ₹170,000
D. ₹180,000

Answer: 


Exam Tips (CMA & ACCA)

✔ Always calculate activity rate first
✔ Identify correct cost driver
✔ ABC often shows lower cost for high-volume products
✔ Numerical questions are easy marks if steps are followed


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