Chemical Engineering Plant Economics MCQ Solved Paper for UPSC CSE

1. If the interest rate of 10% per period is compounded half yearly, the actual annual return on the principal will be __________ percent.
A. 10
B. 20
C. > 20
D. < 20
Answer : C

2. 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

3. An annuity is a series of equal payments occuring at equal time intervals, and this amount includes the sum of all payments plus interest, if allowed to accumulate at a definite rate of interest from the time of initial payment to the end of annuity term. Ordinary annuity is used in the calculation of the
A. Manufacturing cost
B. Depreciation by sinking fund method
C. Discrete compound interest
D. Cash ratio
Answer : B

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. Debt-equity ratio of a chemical company describes the lenders contribution for each rupee of owner's contribution i.e., debt-equity ratio = total debt/net worth
B. Return on investment (ROI) is the ratio of profit before interest & tax and capital employed (i.e. net worth + total debt)
C. Working capital = current assets + current liability
D. Turn over = opening stock + production closing stock
Answer : C

8. Cost incurred towards __________ in a chemical plant is a component of the utilities cost.
A. Water supply
B. Running a control laboratory
C. Property protection
D. Medical services
Answer : A

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Which of the following is not a component of the working capital for a chemical process plant?
A. Product inventory
B. In-process inventory
C. Minimum cash reserve
D. Storage facilities
Answer : D

13. __________ of depreciation calculation accounts for the interest on investment.
A. Straight line method
B. Declining balance
C. Both (A) and (B)
D. Neither (A) nor (B)
Answer : D

14. Construction expenses are roughly __________ percent of the total direct cost of the plant.
A. 2
B. 10
C. 30
D. 50
Answer : B

15. Profit is equal to revenue minus
A. Book value
B. Total cost
C. Operating cost
D. None of these
Answer : B

16. 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

17. The inventory of raw materials included in the working capital is usually about __________ months supply of raw materials valued at delivery prices.
A. One
B. Three
C. Six
D. Twelve
Answer : A

18. An investment of Rs. 100 lakhs is to be made for construction of a plant, which will take two years to start production. The annual profit from the operation of the plant is Rs. 20 lakhs. What will be the payback time?
A. 5 years
B. 7 years
C. 12 years
D. 10 years
Answer : B

19. Direct costs component of the fixed capital consists of
A. Contingencies
B. Onsite and offsite costs
C. Labour costs
D. Raw material costs
Answer : B

20. In which of the electric power generatin system, the operating cost is minimum?
A. Thermal
B. Nuclear
C. Hydroelectric
D. Fast breeder reactor
Answer : C

21. 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

22. Which of the following is not a component of the fixed capital for a chemical plant facility?
A. Raw materials inventory
B. Utilities plants
C. Process equipment
D. Emergency facilities
Answer : A

23. Chemical engineering plant cost index is used for finding the present cost of a particular chemical plant, if the cost of similar plant at some time in the past is known. The present cost of the plant = original cost × (index value at present/ index value at time original cost was obtained). The most major component of this cost index is
A. Fabricated equipment and machinery
B. Process instruments and control
C. Pumps and compressor
D. Electrical equipments and material
Answer : A

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. Scheduling provides information about the
A. Proper utilisation of machines
B. Means to minimise idle time for machines
C. Time of completion of job
D. Time of starting of job and also about how much work should be completed during a particular period
Answer : D

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. '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

30. 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

31. 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

32. For a given fluid, as the pipe diameter increases, the pumping cost
A. Decreases
B. Increases
C. Remains the same
D. May increase or decrease, depending upon whether the fluid is Newtonian or non-Newtonian
Answer : A

33. 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

34. 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

35. Generally, income taxes are based on the
A. Total income
B. Gross earning
C. Total product cost
D. Fixed cost
Answer : B

36. Total product cost of a chemical plant does not include the __________ cost.
A. Market survey
B. Operating labour, supervision and supplies
C. Overhead and utilities
D. Depreciation, property tax and insurance
Answer : A

37. Fixed charges for a chemical plant does not include the
A. Interest on borrowed money
B. Rent of land and buildings
C. Property tax, insurance and depreciation
D. Repair and maintenance charges
Answer : D

38. Pick out the wrong statement.
A. Gross margin = net income - net expenditure
B. Net sales realisation (NSR) = Gross sales - selling expenses
C. At breakeven point, NSR is more than the total production cost
D. Net profit = Gross margin - depreciation - interest
Answer : C

39. Optimum economic pipe diameter for fluid is determined by the
A. Viscosity of the fluid
B. Density of the fluid
C. Total cost considerations (pumping cost plus fixed cost of the pipe)
D. None of these
Answer : C

40. Accumulated sum at the end of 5 years, if Rs. 10000 is invested now at 10% interest per annum on a compound basis is Rs.
A. 15000
B. 16105
C. 18105
D. 12500
Answer : B

41. 'Utilities' in a chemical process plant includes compressed air, steam, water, electrical power, oxygen, acetylene, fuel gases etc. Utility costs for ordinary chemical process plants ranges roughly from __________ percent of the total product cost.
A. 1 to 5
B. 10 to 20
C. 25 to 35
D. 35 to 45
Answer : B

42. 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

43. __________ of depreciation calculation does not take into account the interest on investments.
A. Present worth method
B. Sinking fund method
C. Sum of the years-digits method
D. All (A), (B) and (C)
Answer : C

44. The __________ of a chemical company can be obtained directly from the balance sheet as the difference between current assets and current liabilities.
A. Cash ratio
B. Net working capital
C. Current ratio
D. Liquids assets
Answer : B

45. Depreciation
A. Costs (on annual basis) are constant when the straight line method is used for its determination
B. Is the unavoidable loss in the value of the plant, equipment and materials with lapse in time
C. Does figure in the calculation of income tax liability on cash flows from an investment
D. All (A), (B) and (C)
Answer : D

46. Effluent treatment cost in a chemical plant is categorised as the __________ cost.
A. Fixed
B. Overhead
C. Utilities
D. Capital
Answer : C

47. 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

48. Which of the following is not a component of depreciation cost?
A. Repairs and maintenance cost
B. Loss due to obsolescence of the equipment
C. Loss due to decrease in the demand of product
D. Loss due to accident/breakdown in the machinery
Answer : A

49. 'Six-tenth factor' rule is used for estimating the
A. Equipment installation cost
B. Equipment cost by scaling
C. Cost of piping
D. Utilities cost
Answer : B

50. Which of the following is not a current asset of a chemical company?
A. Inventories
B. Marketable securities
C. Chemical equipments
D. None of these
Answer : C