Question 1

Which of the following is/are included in the cost of preventing poor quality?

Accepted Answer

Operator training is a preventive measure aimed at ensuring quality from the beginning of the production process, thus included in the cost of preventing poor quality. Final inspection and warranty charges are associated with failure costs, not prevention costs.

Question 2

The costs of controlling quality include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Prevention and appraisal costs are the two main categories of quality control costs. Prevention costs are incurred to prevent defects from occurring, while appraisal costs are associated with evaluating products or services to ensure they meet quality standards.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true regarding sample inspection?

Accepted Answer

One reason to sample inspect is because of human error. Acceptance sampling does not require 100% inspection as it only involves inspecting a representative sample of the lot. The sample should be taken randomly and not necessarily from the last parts produced. There is always some level of risk to both the consumer and producer in sample inspection.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is best regarding performance measures?
I. They are not necessary for performance improvement.
II. They should be appropriate and useful.
III. They should be simple and easy for users to understand.

Accepted Answer

Performance measures are important for performance improvement, so statement I is false. Statement II is correct in that measures should be appropriate and useful. Statement III is also correct in that measures should be simple and easy to understand for users. Therefore, the best choice is C, which includes statements II and III.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true if the standard deviation of a process is .02 and the average is 1?

Accepted Answer

Option A is true as per the empirical rule, approximately 68.3% of the output falls within one standard deviation of the mean in a normal distribution. Therefore, in this case, about 68.3% of the output will be within the range of 1 ± 0.02.
Option B is false as the specification limits are not mentioned in the question.
Option C is false as the upper control limit cannot be determined with only the mean and standard deviation of the process.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is correct regarding acceptance sampling?

Accepted Answer

Acceptance sampling involves making a decision on whether to accept or reject a batch of products based on a sample drawn from the batch. Sample inspection is not 100% accurate, hence option A is incorrect. The consumer's risk is the risk of accepting a lot with more than the acceptable number of defects while the producer's risk is the risk of rejecting a lot with less than the acceptable number of defects, hence option B and C are incorrect. The cost of the sampling plan must be balanced against the consumer's risk and producer's risk to ensure that the most appropriate sampling plan is selected. Therefore, option D is the correct statement. Option E is incorrect because the acceptance decision is based on the sampling plan that has been selected and not on whether the consumer's risk equals the producer's risk.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is best regarding process variation?
I. All variation is due to chance.
II. Random variation is inherent in the process.
III. Assignable variation is due to a specific cause.

Accepted Answer

II is true because there will always be random variation that cannot be controlled in any process. III is true because there are often identifiable causes for non-random, or assignable, variation that can be addressed and improved upon in the process. It is not accurate to say that all variation is due to chance (I), as some variation can be traced to specific causes.

Question 8

Which of the following can be used to describe the spread of the pattern of variability?

Accepted Answer

Range is a measure of the spread of variability which is calculated by subtracting the minimum value from the maximum value in a dataset. Therefore, it is the most appropriate choice to describe the spread of the pattern of variability. The other options (A, B, and D) are measures of central tendency or control limit, which are not directly related to variability.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is best?
I. The capability of a process is related to the product specification limits.
II. Quality does not depend on the process used.
III. Defects can only be produced by a shift in the mean.

Accepted Answer

Option I is true as the capability of a process can be measured by the ability of the process to meet the product specification limits. Option II is false as quality is directly dependent on the process used. Finally, option III is false as defects can be produced by other factors apart from a shift in the mean, such as an increase in variation or a bias in the measurement system.

Question 10

Which of the following statements regarding TQM is best?
I. TQM is organization wide and everyone's responsibility
II. Customer focus is not a requirement of TQM.
III. Only junior management is involved in TQM.

Accepted Answer

TQM (Total Quality Management) is organization wide and requires the involvement of everyone, from top management to front-line workers. One of the core principles of TQM is a strong focus on meeting customer needs and expectations, so customer focus is indeed a requirement of TQM. However, statement III is incorrect, as TQM involves all levels of management within an organization.

Question 11

The cost of failure to control quality includes which of the following?

Accepted Answer

All of the options (scrap, rework and spoilage, warranty charges, and returned materials) are examples of costs associated with failure to control quality. Therefore, choice A, B, and C are not the best answers on their own. The best answer is D.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is best if a process has a Cpk of between 1 and 1.33?

Accepted Answer

A Cpk value between 1 and 1.33 indicates that the process is marginal. Although it is capable of producing within the specification limits, it has a smaller margin for error compared to a process with a higher Cpk value. Therefore, the process needs to be closely monitored and improved to increase its capability.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is best if a process has a capability index (Cp) of 0.83?

Accepted Answer

A capability index (Cp) of 0.83 indicates that the process is not capable of meeting its specifications or requirements consistently, as a Cp value of less than 1.0 suggests that the process spread is wider than the specification limits.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is correct regarding control charts?
I. Specification limits are the same as control limits
II. If there is no assignable cause of variation the process is in control
III. A shift in the or average will show up on the X portion of the X and R chart

Accepted Answer

Statement I is incorrect because specification limits are different from control limits. Specification limits are the maximum and minimum values allowed by the customer or regulatory standards, while control limits are determined by the process variability. Statement II is true as a process is considered in control when all the variations are within the control limits and there are no assignable causes of variation present. Statement III is true as a shift in the process average will be reflected in the X-chart of the X and R chart. Therefore, choice C is the correct one.

Question 15

The purpose of process control is to:

Accepted Answer

Process control aims to identify when there is a high probability of an assignable cause for defects, allowing for corrective actions to be taken.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is best?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements is best?
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Question 17

Giving people the authority to make decisions and take action in their work areas is called which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Empowerment involves delegating authority to employees, allowing them to take decisions and action in their work areas. This helps in developing a sense of ownership and accountability among employees, leading to improved productivity and job satisfaction. Teamwork and organizational skills are important, but they are not the same as empowerment.

Question 18

The permissible limits of deviation from the desired amount is called which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Tolerance refers to the permissible limits of deviation from the desired amount. Spread refers to the range of values in a dataset. Control limits and process capability are related to statistical process control and assess the capability of a process to meet a desired specification.

Question 19

Random variation in a process can be caused by which of the following?

Accepted Answer

All of the above (people, machinery, materials) can contribute to random variation in a process. Human error or inconsistency, machine malfunctions or variations in calibration, and variability in the materials being used can all result in random variation.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT a basic concept of total quality management?

Accepted Answer

Competitive supplier bidding is not a basic concept of total quality management. While selecting the right supplier is an important part of managing quality, it is not a basic concept of TQM. The basic concepts of TQM are customer focus, continuous process improvement, performance measures, and involvement of the total workforce.

Quiz 16: Total Quality Management