ABA Audit & Attestation Services 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of audit opinion is issued when financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects in accordance with GAAP?
- Qualified opinion
- Unmodified opinion (Correct answer)
- Adverse opinion
- Disclaimer of opinion
Correct answer: Unmodified opinion
An unmodified (clean) opinion means the auditor found no material misstatements and the statements conform to GAAP.
Question 2: An auditor discovers that the client's management has intentionally misstated inventory values. This situation most likely requires the auditor to:
- Issue a qualified opinion
- Issue an adverse opinion
- Withdraw from the engagement (Correct answer)
- Increase substantive testing only
Correct answer: Withdraw from the engagement
Intentional misstatement by management (fraud) impairs the auditor-client relationship and typically requires withdrawal from the engagement.
Question 3: Under attestation standards, a practitioner performing an agreed-upon procedures engagement reports findings to:
- The general public
- The SEC only
- Specified parties who agreed to the procedures (Correct answer)
- All known creditors
Correct answer: Specified parties who agreed to the procedures
Agreed-upon procedures reports are restricted to the specified parties who agreed to and are responsible for the sufficiency of the procedures.
Question 4: Which sampling method gives every item in the population an equal chance of being selected?
- Systematic sampling
- Haphazard sampling
- Simple random sampling (Correct answer)
- Block sampling
Correct answer: Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling ensures each item has an equal and independent probability of selection, making it statistically representative.
Question 5: Analytical procedures used during the planning phase of an audit are primarily intended to:
- Detect all material misstatements
- Identify unusual relationships that may indicate risk areas (Correct answer)
- Replace substantive tests for low-risk accounts
- Satisfy documentation requirements
Correct answer: Identify unusual relationships that may indicate risk areas
Planning-stage analytical procedures help identify areas with higher risk of misstatement so the auditor can allocate resources effectively.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'audit risk'?
- The risk that the auditor will lose their license
- The risk that a material misstatement exists and the auditor fails to detect it (Correct answer)
- The risk that internal controls will fail
- The risk that management will commit fraud
Correct answer: The risk that a material misstatement exists and the auditor fails to detect it
Audit risk is the risk that the auditor expresses an inappropriate opinion when financial statements are materially misstated.
Question 7: When an auditor lacks independence, what report should be issued for a compilation engagement?
- A qualified compilation report
- No report can be issued under any circumstance
- A compilation report with a paragraph disclosing the lack of independence (Correct answer)
- An adverse opinion
Correct answer: A compilation report with a paragraph disclosing the lack of independence
SSARS allows a compilation report to be issued when the accountant lacks independence, provided the lack of independence is disclosed in the report.
Which type of audit opinion is issued when financial statements are presented fairly in all material respects in accordance with GAAP?