Clerical Exams CLERICAL Record Keeping 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a misfiled document is discovered in a filing system, what is the correct procedure?
- Leave it where it is to avoid further confusion
- Re-file it in the correct location and add a cross-reference if needed (Correct answer)
- Report the error to management before taking any action
- Discard it and request a replacement copy
Correct answer: Re-file it in the correct location and add a cross-reference if needed
The correct action is to re-file the document in its proper location and create a cross-reference if the document could logically be filed under more than one category.
Question 2: In a numeric filing system, records are organized primarily by:
- The employee's last name alphabetically
- An assigned identification number (Correct answer)
- The department that created the document
- The date the document was received
Correct answer: An assigned identification number
A numeric filing system assigns each record or account a unique number and files documents in numerical sequence, offering confidentiality and easy expansion.
Question 3: What is the main advantage of using a cross-reference sheet in a filing system?
- It reduces the total number of files needed in the office
- It allows a record to be located under more than one possible heading (Correct answer)
- It speeds up the scanning and digitization process
- It serves as a backup copy of the original document
Correct answer: It allows a record to be located under more than one possible heading
A cross-reference sheet directs users to the correct file from an alternative heading, ensuring a document can be found regardless of which name or term a user searches under.
Question 4: When maintaining a petty cash log, which of the following is essential to record for each transaction?
- The personal reason the employee needed the cash
- The date, amount, purpose, and recipient of each disbursement (Correct answer)
- Only the total amount remaining in the fund at day's end
- The supervisor's home phone number for approval
Correct answer: The date, amount, purpose, and recipient of each disbursement
Each petty cash entry must include the date, amount spent, purpose of the expenditure, and who received the funds to provide a complete and auditable record.
Question 5: In records management terminology, an 'active record' is best described as:
- A record that has been recently purged from the system
- A record currently in frequent use and stored in accessible primary storage (Correct answer)
- A record that has been transferred to a remote archive
- A digital record that is backed up daily
Correct answer: A record currently in frequent use and stored in accessible primary storage
An active record is one that is currently being used or referenced regularly and is therefore kept in easily accessible primary storage locations.
Question 6: Under standard alphabetic filing rules, a company named 'The Grand Hotel' would be filed under which letter?
- T, for 'The'
- G, for 'Grand' (Correct answer)
- H, for 'Hotel'
- A, because articles are placed at the end
Correct answer: G, for 'Grand'
Standard filing rules direct that articles like 'The,' 'A,' and 'An' are disregarded when indexing, so 'The Grand Hotel' is filed under G for 'Grand.'
Question 7: What is the purpose of an 'out card' or 'out guide' in a physical filing system?
- To mark files that are scheduled for destruction
- To indicate that a file has been removed and show its current location or borrower (Correct answer)
- To separate active files from inactive ones
- To flag files that require supervisor review
Correct answer: To indicate that a file has been removed and show its current location or borrower
An out card is a placeholder inserted where a borrowed file was stored, indicating who took the file and when, so others know where to find it.
Clerical Exams CLERICAL Record Keeping 2
When a misfiled document is discovered in a filing system, what is the correct procedure?