CPS Records Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The transfer of records from active storage to inactive storage is typically triggered by:
- Records being referenced more than 10 times in a month
- Reference activity dropping below a predetermined threshold (Correct answer)
- The creation of digital backup copies
- An annual management policy decision
Correct answer: Reference activity dropping below a predetermined threshold
Records are moved to inactive storage when reference frequency drops below a set threshold, indicating they are no longer needed for daily operations.
Question 2: Which filing system assigns a unique number to each record and requires a separate index for retrieval?
- Alphabetic system
- Geographic system
- Numeric system (Correct answer)
- Subject system
Correct answer: Numeric system
The numeric filing system assigns sequential numbers to records; since numbers do not indicate content, a separate index is required to locate specific files.
Question 3: Records that have reached the end of their retention period and are not subject to any legal hold should be:
- Transferred to an off-site storage facility
- Converted to microfilm for preservation
- Disposed of using an approved destruction method (Correct answer)
- Donated to a public archive
Correct answer: Disposed of using an approved destruction method
Records that have satisfied their retention requirements and have no legal holds should be properly destroyed to free storage space and reduce liability.
Question 4: Color coding in a filing system is primarily used to:
- Indicate the level of document confidentiality
- Speed retrieval and reduce misfiling errors (Correct answer)
- Separate records by department budget
- Denote the approximate age of records
Correct answer: Speed retrieval and reduce misfiling errors
Color-coded folders or labels allow for faster visual retrieval and make misfiled documents immediately apparent when colors appear out of sequence.
Question 5: An electronic document management system (EDMS) provides a key advantage over a paper-based system because it:
- Eliminates the need for any records retention policy
- Allows multiple users to access the same document simultaneously (Correct answer)
- Automatically destroys records after one year
- Requires all documents to be printed for legal compliance
Correct answer: Allows multiple users to access the same document simultaneously
An EDMS enables simultaneous multi-user access, dramatically improving collaboration since only one person can physically possess a paper document at a time.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of a records audit in an organization?
- To identify employees who access records too frequently
- To verify that records management policies are being followed correctly (Correct answer)
- To convert all paper records to digital format
- To create a master numerical index of all documents
Correct answer: To verify that records management policies are being followed correctly
A records audit evaluates whether records management policies and procedures are being properly implemented throughout the organization to ensure compliance.
Question 7: In records management, 'disposition' refers to:
- The physical arrangement of filing cabinets in an office
- The final action taken on a record at the end of its retention period (Correct answer)
- The process of indexing newly received records
- The method used to retrieve records from storage
Correct answer: The final action taken on a record at the end of its retention period
Disposition is the final action taken with a record once its retention period expires, which may include destruction, transfer to archives, or permanent preservation.
CPS Records Management 2
The transfer of records from active storage to inactive storage is typically triggered by: