Question

Difficulty: MediumMeaning, Features, and Limitations of Single Entry System

Chief Okafor operates a trading business and maintains records only for cash transactions and personal accounts of debtors and creditors, omitting entries for operating expenses and fixed assets in his ledger. Which of the following is a major limitation resulting directly from this incomplete bookkeeping practice?

  1. An extraction of a trial balance to verify the arithmetical accuracy of the ledger is impossible.Answer
  2. B
    The business automatically loses its separate entity status, rendering the owner unable to keep personal money separate from business cash.
  3. C
    The business is legally prohibited from engaging in credit sales or credit purchases with external trade parties.
  4. D
    The net profit can only be computed by subtracting owner drawings directly from opening capital.

Answer

An extraction of a trial balance to verify the arithmetical accuracy of the ledger is impossible.
Under a single entry bookkeeping system, double entry rules are not strictly followed. Because nominal accounts (revenues and expenses) and real accounts are omitted, ledger accounts do not contain matching debit and credit entries. Consequently, a trial balance cannot be extracted to test the arithmetical accuracy of the books.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structural features of the single entry system in the scenario
The business maintains only cash records and personal accounts, omitting nominal accounts (expenses and revenues) and real accounts.
Single entry bookkeeping does not record the dual aspect (debit and credit) for every transaction.
2
Evaluate the impact of missing dual entries on trial balance extraction
Without dual recording for nominal and real accounts, there is no equality between total debits and total credits.
A trial balance can only be extracted when every transaction has equal debit and credit entries.

Key Concept

Limitations of Single Entry System - Trial Balance Infeasibility
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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