20. Which of the following is not an advantage of sending an internal control questionnaire prior to an audit engagement?
A. The engagement client can use the questionnaire for self-evaluation prior to the auditors visit.
B. The questionnaire will help the engagement client understand the scope of the engagement.
C. Preparing the questionnaire will help the auditor plan the scope of the engagement and organize the information to be gathered.
D. The engagement client will respond only to the questions asked, without volunteering additional information.
Answer (D) is correct.
REQUIRED: The item not an advantage of sending an internal control questionnaire prior to an audit engagement.
DISCUSSION: An internal control questionnaire consists of a series of questions about the organization's controls designed to prevent or detect errors or fraud. Answers to the questions help the internal auditor to identify specific controls relevant to specific assertions and to design tests of controls to evaluate the effectiveness of their design and operation. However, the information obtained is limited to that elicited by the questions asked.
Answer (A) is incorrect. Answering the questionnaire will help the engagement client identify areas where procedures are weak or not properly documented.
Answer (B) is incorrect. The questionnaire will communicate the areas that the auditor plans to evaluate.
Answer (C) is incorrect. The auditor can use the preparation of the questionnaire to organize the information to be gathered.