1000+ Chemical Engineering Plant Economics MCQ for UPSC IES [Solved]

1. Cost of instrumentation in a modern chemical plant ranges from __________ percent of the total plant cost.
A. 5 to 10
B. 20 to 30
C. 40 to 50
D. 60 to 70
Answer : B

2. A series of equal payments (e.g., deposit or cost) made at equal intervals of time is known as
A. Perpetuity
B. Capital charge factor
C. Annuity
D. Future worth
Answer : C

3. In financial accounting of a chemical plant, which of the following relationship is invalid?
A. Assets = equities
B. Assets = liabilities + net worth
C. Total income = costs + profits
D. Assets = capital
Answer : D

4. A machine has an initial value of Rs. 5000, service life of 5 years and final salvage value of Rs. 1000. The annual depreciation cost by straight line method is Rs.
A. 300
B. 600
C. 800
D. 1000
Answer : C

5. Following the six-tenth factor rule, if a loglog plot of capacity of the equipment vs. cost of the equipment is made, then a straight line is obtained, whose slope is equal to
A. 0.1
B. 0.6
C. 0.2
D. 0.8
Answer : B

6. Depreciation is __________ in profit with time.
A. Decrease
B. Increase
C. No change
D. None of these
Answer : A

7. Out of the following, the depreciation calculated by the __________ method is the maximum.
A. Diminishing balance
B. Straight line
C. Sum of the years digit
D. Sinking fund
Answer : A

8. Gross earning is equal to the total income minus
A. Total product cost
B. Fixed cost
C. Income tax
D. None of these
Answer : A

9. In an ordinary chemical plant, electrical installation cost may be about
A. 10-15% of purchased equipment cost
B. 3-10% of fixed capital investment
C. Either (A) or (B)
D. Neither (A) nor (B)
Answer : C

10. Pick out the correct statement.
A. Difference between income and expense is termed as gross revenue
B. Unamortised cost is the difference between the original cost of a property and all the depreciation charges made to date
C. Sum-of-the-years-digits methods of depreciation calculation accounts for the interest on the investment
D. Scrap value is the net amount of money obtainable from the sale of used property over and above any charges involved in its removal & sale
Answer : B

11. Personnel working in the market research group is responsible for the job of
A. Equipment selection
B. Product evaluation
C. Equipment design
D. Cost estimation
Answer : B

12. An investment of Rs. 1000 is carrying an interest of 10% compounded quarterly. The value of the investment at the end of five years will be
A. 1000 (1 + 0.1/4)²⁰
B. 1000 (1 + 0.1)²⁰
C. 1000 (1 + 0.1/4)⁵
D. 1000 (1 + 0.1/2)⁵
Answer : A

13. Which of the following is the costliest material of construction used in pressure vessel construction?
A. Low alloy steel
B. Lead
C. Titanium
D. High alloy steel
Answer : C

14. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. Gross revenue is that total amount of capital received as a result of the sale of goods or service
B. Net revenue is the total profit remaining after deducting all costs excluding taxes
C. The ratio of immediately available cash to the total current liabilities is known as the cash ratio
D. Consolidated income statement based on a given time period indicates surplus capital and shows the relationship among total income, costs & profit over the time interval
Answer : B

15. Operating profit of a chemical plant is equal to
A. Profit before interest and tax i.e., net profit + interest + tax
B. Profit after tax plus depreciation
C. Net profit + tax
D. Profit after tax
Answer : A

16. Relative cost of chemical process plants in India is about __________ percent more than the similar plants in U.S.A.
A. 15
B. 35
C. 55
D. 75
Answer : B

17. Annual depreciation costs are constant, when the __________ method of depreciation calculation is used.
A. Declining balance
B. Straight line
C. Sum of the years digit
D. None of these
Answer : B

18. The value of a property decreases __________ with time in straight line method of determining depreciation.
A. Linearly
B. Non-linearly
C. Exponentially
D. Logarithmically
Answer : A

19. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. Longer tubes are less expensive per unit heat transfer area as compared to shorter tubes
B. A cost index is merely a number for a given year showing the cost at that time relative to a certain base year
C. Turnover ratio of a chemical plant is the ratio of gross annual sales to the fixed capital investment
D. Plates with butt welded joints are less expensive compared to lap welded joints, because squaring of plates is not necessary
Answer : D

20. A balance sheet for an industrial concern shows
A. The financial condition at any given time
B. Only current assets
C. Only fixed assets
D. Only current and fixed assets
Answer : A

21. Which of the following is the costliest source of getting hydrogen on commercial scale for the manufacture of nitrogenous fertiliser?
A. Coal gasification
B. Steam reforming of naphtha
C. Electrolysis of water
D. Coke oven gas
Answer : C

22. Manufacturing cost in a chemical company does not include the
A. Fixed charges
B. Plant overheads
C. Direct products cost
D. Administrative expenses
Answer : D

23. In declining balance method of depreciation calculation, the
A. Value of the asset decreases linearly with time
B. Annual cost of depreciation is same every year
C. Annual depreciation is the fixed percentage of the property value at the beginning of the particular year
D. None of these
Answer : C

24. Which of the following does not come under the sales expenses for a product of a chemical plant?
A. Advertising
B. Warehousing
C. Legal fees
D. Customer service
Answer : C

25. Break-even point is the point of intersection of
A. Fixed cost and total cost
B. Total cost and sales revenue
C. Fixed cost and sales revenue
D. None of these
Answer : B

26. Which of the following is not a mathematical method for evaluation of profitability of a chemical process plant?
A. Cash reserve
B. Rate of return on investment
C. Payout period
D. Discounted cash flow based on full life performance
Answer : A

27. A shareholder has __________ say in the affairs of company management compared to a debenture holder.
A. More
B. Less
C. Same
D. No
Answer : A

28. Equipment installation cost in a chemical process plant ranges from __________ percent of the purchased equipment cost.
A. 10 to 20
B. 35 to 45
C. 55 to 65
D. 70 to 80
Answer : B

29. Which of the following elements is not included in the scope of market analysis?
A. Competition from other manufactures
B. Product distribution
C. Opportunities
D. Economics
Answer : D

30. 'Lang factor' is defined as the ratio of the capital investment to the delivered cost of major equipments. The value of 'Lang factor' for fixed capital investment, for a solid-fluid processing chemical plant ranges from
A. 1.2 to 1.4
B. 2.5 to 2.7
C. 4.2 to 4.4
D. 6.2 to 6.4
Answer : C

31. The amount of compounded interest during 'n' interest periods is
A. p[(1+i)ⁿ - 1)]
B. p(1 + i)ⁿ
C. p(1 - i)ⁿ
D. p(1 + iⁿ)
Answer : A

32. In a chemical process plant, the total product cost comprises of manufacturing cost and the
A. General expenses
B. Overhead cost
C. R & D cost
D. None of these
Answer : A

33. In a manufacturing industry, breakeven point occurs, when the
A. Total annual rate of production equals the assigned value
B. Total annual product cost equals the total annual sales
C. Annual profit equals the expected value
D. Annual sales equals the fixed cost
Answer : B

34. Cost of piping in a fluid processing unit (e.g., distillation) of a chemical process plant is about __________ percent of the fixed capital investment.
A. 4
B. 13
C. 22
D. 34
Answer : B

35. __________ taxes are based on gross earnings.
A. Property
B. Excise
C. Income
D. Capital gain
Answer : C

36. Maximum production start up cost for making a chemical plant operational is about __________ percent of the fixed capital cost.
A. 1
B. 5
C. 10
D. 30
Answer : C

37. The economic life of a large chemical process plant as compared to a small chemical plant is
A. Only slightly more
B. Much more
C. Slightly less
D. Almost equal
Answer : B

38. A reactor having a salvage value of Rs. 10000 is estimated to have a service life of 10 years. The annual interest rate is 10%. The original cost of the reactor was Rs. 80000. The book value of the reactor after 5 years using sinking fund depreciation method will be Rs.
A. 40,096
B. 43,196
C. 53,196
D. 60,196
Answer : D

39. A present sum of Rs. 100 at the end of one year, with half yearly rate of interest at 10%, will be Rs.
A. 121
B. 110
C. 97
D. 91
Answer : A

40. Fixed capital investment of a chemical plant is the total amount of money needed to supply the necessary plant and manufacturing facilities plus the working capital for operation of the facilities. Which of the following components of fixed capital investment requires minimum percentage of it?
A. Electrical installation cost
B. Equipment installation cost
C. Cost for piping
D. Equipment insulation cost
Answer : D

41. The payback method for the measurement of return on investment
A. Gives a correct picture of profitability
B. Underemphasises liquidity
C. Does not measure the discounted rate of return
D. Takes into account the cash inflows after the recovery of investments
Answer : C

42. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. The annual depreciation rate for machinery and equipments in a chemical process plant is about 10% of the fixed capital investment
B. Annual depreciation rate of buildings in a chemical plant is about 3% of its initial cost
C. Insurance rates on annual basis in a chemical plant may be about 1% of the fixed capital investment
D. In a chemical industry, research and development cost amounts to about 15% of net sales realisation (NSR)
Answer : D

43. The total investment in a project is Rs. 10 lakhs and the annual profit is 1.5 lakhs. If the project life is 10 years, then the simple rate of return on investment is
A. 15%
B. 10%
C. 1.5%
D. 150%
Answer : C

44. The 'total capital investment' for a chemical process plant comprises of the fixed capital investment and the
A. Overhead cost
B. Working capital
C. Indirect production cost
D. Direct production cost
Answer : B

45. The ratio of working capital to total capital investment for most chemical plants (except for nonseasonal based products) is in the range of __________ percent.
A. 0.1 to 1
B. 1 to 2
C. 10 to 20
D. 50 to 60
Answer : C

46. Which of the following is the cheapest material of construction for the storage of sodium hydroxide upto a concentration of 75%?
A. Stainless steel
B. Plain carbon steel
C. Nickel
D. Copper
Answer : B

47. 'P' is the investment made on an equipment, 'S' is its salvage value and 'n is the life of the equipment in years. The depreciation for Rath year by the sum-of years digit method will be
A. (P - S)/n
B. 1 - (P/S)^1/m
C. (m/n) (P - S)
D. [2 (n - m + 1)/n(n + 1)]. (P - S)
Answer : D

48. Which of the following is not a component of working capital?
A. Raw materials is stock
B. Finished products in stock
C. Transportation facilities
D. Semi-finished products in the process
Answer : C

49. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. Net worth means paid up share capital and reserve & surplus (i.e. shareholders equity)
B. Return on equity = profit after tax/net worth
C. Working capital turnover ratio = sales/net working capital
D. Total cost of production is more than net sales realisation (NSR) at breakeven point
Answer : D

50. Which of the following methods of depreciation calculations results in book values greater than those obtained with straight line method?
A. Multiple straight line method
B. Sinking fund method
C. Declining balance method
D. Sum of the years digit method
Answer : B