Q.1 What are the objectives of preparing financial statements?
ANSWER: The following are the objectives of preparing financial statements.
1. To ascertain profit earned or loss incurred by a business during an accounting period. This is estimated by preparing Trading and Profit and Loss Account.
2. To ascertain the true financial position of a business. This is reflected by the Balance Sheet.
3. To enable comparison of current year’s performance with that of the previous year’s, i.e., intra-firm comparisons. Also, to compare own performance with that of the other firms in the same industry, i.e., inter-firm comparisons.
4. To assess the solvency and credit worthiness of the business
5. To provide various provisions and reserves to meet unforeseen future conditions and to toughen the financial position of the business
6. To provide vital information to facilitate various users of accounting information in decision making process.
Q.2 What is the purpose of preparing trading and profit and loss account?
ANSWER: The purposes of preparing Trading Account are:
1. To calculate gross profit earned or gross loss incurred during an accounting period
2. To estimate the cost of goods sold
3. To record direct expenses (i.e., expenses incurred on the purchases and manufacturing of goods)
4. To measure the adequacy and reasonability of direct expenses incurred by comparing purchases with direct expenses incurred
5. To compare the realised efficiency and performance with the desired or proposed targets
The purposes of preparing Profit and Loss Account are:
1. To calculate net profit or net loss
2. To ascertain net profit ratio and to compare this year’s net profit ratio with that of the desired and proposed target in order to assess the efficiency and effectiveness
3. To measure the adequacy and reasonability of indirect expenses incurred by ascertaining ratio between indirect expenses and net profit
4. To compare current year’s actual performance with desired and planned performance
5. To provide various provisions and reserves to meet unforeseen future conditions and to toughen the financial position of the business
Q.3 Explain the concept of cost of goods sold?
ANSWER: Cost of goods sold (COGS) is the cost of merchandise that is sold to the customers. It includes cost of raw materials purchased, direct expenses incurred, value of opening stock, i.e., the value of the last year’s unsold stock and excludes closing stock if any, i.e., the value of current year’s unsold stock. The formula to calculate COGS is:
Cost of Goods Sold = Opening Stock + Purchases + Direct Expenses − Closing Stock
Q.4 What is a balance sheet? What are its characteristics
ANSWER: Balance Sheet is a statement prepared to ascertain values of assets and liabilities of a business on a particular date. It is called Balance Sheet as it contain balances of real and personal accounts, which are not closed on a particular date.
Characteristics of Balance Sheet
1. It is a statement of assets and liabilities.
2. The total of Assets side must be equal to Liabilities sides.
3. It is prepared at a particular date.
4. It helps in ascertaining the financial position of the business.
Q.5 Distinguish between capital and revenue expenditure and state whether the following statements are items of capital or revenue expenditure
(a) Expenditure incurred on repairs and whitewashing at the time of purchase of an old building in order to make it usable.
(b) Expenditure incurred to provide one more exit in a cinema hall in compliance with a government order.
(c) Registration fees paid at the time of purchase of a building
(d) Expenditure incurred in the maintenance of a tea garden which will produce tea after four years.
(e) Depreciation charged on a plant.
(f) The expenditure incurred in erecting a platform on which a machine will be fixed.
(g) Advertising expenditure, the benefits of which will last for four years.
| Basis of Difference | Capital Expenditure | Revenue Expenditure |
| Meaning | It is incurred to increase the earning capacity of a business. | It is incurred to maintain the earning capacity of a business. |
| Purpose | It is incurred to acquire fixed assets to carry out operations. | It is incurred to conduct day to day activities. |
| Benefits | The benefits of such expenditures can be availed for more than one year. | The benefits of such expenditures can only be availed for one year. |
| Nature | It is non-recurring by nature. | It is generally recurring in nature. |
| Shown | Capital expenditure is shown in the assets side of the Balance Sheet. | Revenue expenditure is shown in the debit side of the trading and Profit and Loss Account. |
(a) Capital expenditure
(b) Revenue expenditure
(c) Capital expenditure
(d) Capital expenditure
(e) Revenue expenditure
(f) Capital expenditure
(g) Deferred revenue expenditure
ANSWER: Operating profit is a profit earned though normal activities of a business. It is the excess of gross profit over operating expenses. In other words, it is the excess of operating revenue over operating cost. It is also termed as earning before interest and tax (EBTI). It does not include incomes and expenses that are not related to main course of the business.
It is calculated by following formulae:
Operating Profit = Gross Profit − Operating Expenses
Or,
Operating Profit = Sales − Operating Cost
Operating Profit = Sales − COGS − Operating Expenses
Operating expenses include office and administrative expenses, selling and distribution expenses, discount, bad debts, etc.
Answer: Every business firm wants to know its financial position at the end of an accounting period. In order to assess its financial position,
profit earned or loss incurred during an accounting period, the book value of its assets and liabilities is to be ascertained. In order to
serve this purpose, financial statements are prepared. Financial statements are the statements showing profitability and financial
position of a business at the end of the year. It includes:
Q.2 What are closing entries? Give four examples of closing entries.
Answer :The balances of all nominal accounts are transferred to the Trading and Profit and Loss Account. The entries required for such
transfers are termed as closing entries.
The examples of closing entries are given below.
Q.3 Discuss the need of preparing a balance sheet.
Answer :The needs to prepare a Balance Sheet are given below.
Q.4 What is meant by Grouping and Marshalling of assets and liabilities? Explain the ways in which a balance sheet may be
Answer : The rationale behind preparing financial statements is to present a summarised version of all
financial activities in such a manner that all users can interpret and understand the information
easily, appropriately and also take decisions accordingly.
Grouping of assets and liabilities: Grouping means showing similar assets and liabilities under
a single head. For example, all assets that can be used for more than a year are clubbed together
under the heading ‘fixed assets’, for example, building, furniture, machinery, etc.
Marshalling of asset and liabilities: When assets and liabilities are shown in a particular order
of liquidity or permanence, they are said to be marshalled.