ELABORATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADED A+
In the insurance business, risk can best be defined as:
A. sharing the possibility of a loss
B. uncertainty regarding the future
C. uncertainty regarding financial loss
D. uncertainty regarding when death will occur - ANSWER - C. The concept of
insurance developed from the need to minimize the adverse effects of risk associated
with the probability of financial loss.
Which of the following risks is insurable?
A. pure risks
B. gambling
C. speculative risks
D. investing - ANSWER - A. Only pure risks are insurable because they involve only the
chance of loss. They are pure in the sense that they do not mix both profits and losses.
Insurance is concerned with the economic problems created by pure risks.
Buying insurance is one of the most effective ways of
A. avoiding risk
B. transferring risk
,C. reducing risk
D. retaining risk - ANSWER - B. Buying insurance is one of the most effective ways of
transferring risk. Through the insurance contract, the burden of carrying the risk and
indemnifying the financial loss is transferred from the individual to the insurance
company.
Which of the following best describes the function of insurance?
A. it is a form of legalized gambling.
B. it spreads financial risk over a large group to minimize the loss to any one individual
C. it protects against living too long
D. it creates and protects risks - ANSWER - B. The function of insurance is to safeguard
against financial loss by having the losses of few paid by the contributions of many who
are exposed to the same risk.
All of the following are elements of an insurable risk EXCEPT
A. the loss must be due to chance
B. the loss must be predictable
C. the loss must be catastrophic
D. the loss must have a determinable value - ANSWER - C. One of the criteria for an
insurable risk is that it NOT be catastrophic. A principle of insurance holds that only a
small portion of a given group will experience loss at any one time. Risks that would
adversely affect large numbers of people or large amounts of property - wars or floods,
for example - are typically not insurable.
The amount of money an insurer sets aside to pay future claims is called
A. a premium
B. a reserve
C. a dividend
,D. an accumulated interest - ANSWER - B. Reserves can be defined as the amounts
that are set aside to fulfill the insurance company's obligation to pay future claims. The
reserve is compiled from past premium payments and interest.
Which of the following constitutes an insurable interest?
A. the policyowner must expect to benefit from the insured's death
B. the policyowner must expect to suffer a loss when the insured dies or becomes
disabled
C. the beneficiary, by definition, has an insurable interest in the insured
D. the insured must have a personal or business relationship with the beneficiary -
ANSWER - B. Insurable interest requires the policyowner to benefit from the insured's
continuing to live or enjoy good health or to suffer a loss when the insured dies or is
disabled.
Which of the following statements describes the parol evidence rule?
A. a written contract cannot be changed once it is signed
B. an oral contract cannot be modified by written evidence
C. a written contract cannot be changed by oral evidence
D. an oral contract takes precedence over any earlier written contract - ANSWER - C.
The parol evidence rule states that when parties put their agreement in writing, all
previous verbal statements come together in that writing, and a written contract cannot
be changed or modified by parol (oral) evidence.
Which of the following factors determines whether policy dividends will be paid on a
participating policy?
A. reserves and experience
B. expenses and claims costs
C. interest and benefits
, D. premiums and renewability - ANSWER - B. If expenses and claims costs are less
than expected, dividends are likely to be paid.
A licensed agent legally represents
A. the insurer
B. the applicant/insured
C. the state insurance department
D. himself or herself - ANSWER - A. An agent is an individual who has been authorized
by an insurer to be its representative to the public and to offer for sale its goods and
services.
All of the following statements regarding policy replacement are correct EXCEPT
A. replacement involves convincing a policyholder to lapse or terminate an existing
policy and to purchase another
B. interrupting one cash value insurance plan to begin another could cause serious
financial problems for the policyowner
C. even if the customer wants to replace his or her existing policy, an agent can effect a
policy replacement only by following the replacement regulations in the agent's state
D. premiums for the replacement policies are generally lower than premiums for the
existing policies they replace - ANSWER - D. The new policy will probably be at a
higher premium rate because it will be based on the insured's then-attained age.
With regard to insurable risks, which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A. only pure risks are insurable
B. an insurable risk must involve loss that is within the insured's control
C. insurers will not insure risks that are catastrophic in nature
D. an insurable risk must be measurable - ANSWER - B. To be insurable, a risk must
involve the chance of loss that is fortuitous and outside the insured's control.