CDT Records Management & Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the Federal Records Act, what is the primary obligation of federal agencies regarding records?
- Digitize all paper records within 5 years
- Make and preserve records documenting agency activities (Correct answer)
- Share all records with the public upon creation
- Transfer all records to NARA within 90 days
Correct answer: Make and preserve records documenting agency activities
The Federal Records Act requires agencies to make and preserve records that document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and transactions of the agency.
Question 2: Which retention trigger is most appropriate for contracts and agreements?
- Date of contract execution
- End of the fiscal year in which the contract was signed
- Expiration or termination of the contract (Correct answer)
- Date of final payment
Correct answer: Expiration or termination of the contract
Contract retention periods typically start from the expiration or termination of the agreement, not from the date it was signed.
Question 3: What does 'vital records' mean in the context of records management?
- Records required by state health departments
- Records essential to resume operations after a disaster (Correct answer)
- Records older than 25 years requiring preservation
- Records containing personally identifiable information
Correct answer: Records essential to resume operations after a disaster
Vital records are those essential to an organization's ability to resume or continue critical operations following a disaster or emergency.
Question 4: A company receives an IRS audit notice. Which action best reflects proper legal hold practice?
- Delete tax records older than 7 years immediately
- Suspend normal retention schedules for relevant financial records (Correct answer)
- Transfer all records to offsite storage
- Shred duplicate copies to reduce volume
Correct answer: Suspend normal retention schedules for relevant financial records
A legal hold requires suspending normal retention and destruction schedules for records relevant to anticipated or ongoing litigation or investigations.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a records management audit?
- To bill clients for records storage costs
- To assess compliance with the records management program and identify gaps (Correct answer)
- To transfer inactive records to a federal repository
- To convert all physical records to digital format
Correct answer: To assess compliance with the records management program and identify gaps
A records management audit evaluates whether the organization's records practices comply with policies, regulations, and the retention schedule.
Question 6: Which element must a records retention schedule include to be legally defensible?
- Names of employees responsible for each record type
- Legal citation or business justification for each retention period (Correct answer)
- Physical location of every record
- Cost of storing each record series
Correct answer: Legal citation or business justification for each retention period
A legally defensible retention schedule must document the regulatory or business basis for each retention period to withstand legal challenge.
Question 7: When classifying records, what distinguishes a 'record' from a 'non-record'?
- Records are always digital; non-records are always paper
- Records document official business transactions or decisions; non-records are transitory or convenience copies (Correct answer)
- Records are stored offsite; non-records remain onsite
- Records require executive signature; non-records do not
Correct answer: Records document official business transactions or decisions; non-records are transitory or convenience copies
Records document official activities, decisions, or transactions with ongoing value, while non-records (like drafts or convenience copies) have no continuing administrative, legal, or historical value.
CDT Records Management & Compliance 2
Under the Federal Records Act, what is the primary obligation of federal agencies regarding records?