Free CFA Quantitative Methods Practice Questions & Answers
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Question 931
A bond’s yield rises because investors expect higher inflation. Which component changed?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation premium
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Higher expected inflation → higher inflation premium. Why the others are wrong: A unrelated. C credit unchanged. D liquidity unchanged.
Question 932
Which premium is most likely to vary with the issuer’s financial health?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Default risk premium
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Weaker financial health → higher probability of default → higher default premium. Why the others are wrong: A macroeconomic. C economy-wide. D maturity-driven.
Question 933
A bond with a short maturity but high credit risk will have a high:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Default risk premium
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Short maturity → low maturity premium Why the others are wrong: A short maturity → low. C inflation unrelated. D constant across borrowers.
Question 934
Which of the following is included in the nominal interest rate but not in the real risk-free rate?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation premium
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Nominal rate = real risk-free rate + inflation premium + other premiums. Why the others are wrong: A, C, D are all part of the real risk-free rate.
Question 935
The nominal risk-free interest rate is best described as:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — The sum of the real risk-free rate and the inflation premium
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Nominal risk-free rate ≈ real risk-free rate + inflation premium. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Inflation is added, not subtracted. C: Nominal risk-free excludes default and liquidity risk. D: T-bill rates are annualized, not the actual 90-day return.
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Explanation: ✔ Why correct: The exact Fisher equation is multiplicative. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Incorrect sign. C: They are not multiplied. D: Division is unrelated.
Question 937
Why is the nominal risk-free rate often approximated as Real + Inflation?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Because the multiplicative formula is unnecessary when rates are low
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: When rates are small, the cross-term is negligible. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Inflation is rarely zero. C: Real and inflation rates differ. D: Nominal rates include inflation.
Question 938
The interest rate on a 90-day U.S. Treasury bill represents:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — A nominal risk-free rate quoted on an annualized basis
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: T-bill yields are annualized nominal risk-free rates. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Inflation is included, so it’s nominal. C: Treasuries have no default risk. D: The quoted rate is not the 90-day return.
Question 939
Which of the following is NOT part of the nominal risk-free rate?
Short-term government debt is often used to estimate the nominal risk-free rate because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — It is highly liquid and default-free
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: T-bills are default-free and extremely liquid. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Opposite of true. C: Risk-free excludes risk premia. D: Short-term debt reflects short-term expectations.
Question 941
The nominal risk-free rate fluctuates primarily because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation expectations and real rates change over time
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Both real rates and inflation expectations vary. ✘ Why others wrong: A: They do change. C: Government debt remains default-free. D: T-bills remain liquid.
Question 942
Which component is included in all interest rates, regardless of risk?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Real risk-free rate
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: All interest rates start with the real risk-free rate. ✘ Why others wrong: A, B, D: These depend on the security.
Question 943
The inflation premium reflects:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Expected changes in purchasing power
The nominal risk-free rate excludes all of the following EXCEPT:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Inflation expectations
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Inflation is included in nominal rates. ✘ Why others wrong: A, B, D: These are excluded.
Question 946
The real risk-free rate reflects:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Time preference for current vs future consumption
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: It is the pure time-value-of-money rate. ✘ Why others wrong: B, C, D: These are risk premia.
Question 947
The nominal risk-free rate is typically estimated using:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Short-term government securities
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Short-term government debt is default-free and liquid. ✘ Why others wrong: A, B, D: These include risk premia.
Question 948
The difference between nominal and real risk-free rates is primarily due to:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation expectations
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Inflation premium is the difference. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: Not part of risk-free rates.
Question 949
The nominal risk-free rate is quoted in annual terms because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Market convention standardizes rates for comparison
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Annualization allows comparison across maturities. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Inflation can be measured at any frequency. C: Debt matures at many intervals. D: Real rates can be quoted in any period.
Question 950
Which of the following causes all interest rates to fluctuate over time?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Changing economic fundamentals
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Real rates and risk premia change with economic conditions. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: These are not constant.
Question 951
The nominal risk-free rate includes compensation for:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation only
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Only inflation is included; all other risks are excluded. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: These include risks not present in risk-free assets.
Question 952
The multiplicative formula for nominal rates is preferred when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Rates are high
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: At high rates, the cross-term becomes significant. ✘ Why others wrong: B: Zero rates make both formulas identical. C: Negative inflation doesn’t change the math. D: Real rate stability is irrelevant.
Question 953
The nominal risk-free rate is most sensitive to changes in:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Expected inflation
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Inflation expectations directly affect nominal rates. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: These affect risky assets, not risk-free rates.
Question 954
Which of the following statements is most accurate?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Interest rates fluctuate because real rates and risk premia change over time
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Real rates and risk premia vary with economic fundamentals. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Risk premia differ by asset. B: They do change. D: Nominal rates always fluctuate.
Question 955
Financial assets are commonly compared based on which two characteristics?
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Return and risk
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Return and risk are the two fundamental dimensions used to compare financial assets.
Question 956
Financial assets typically generate returns through:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Periodic income and/or price changes
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Assets may provide income (dividends/interest) and/or capital gains/losses.
Question 957
A non-dividend-paying stock provides return to investors through:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Price appreciation only
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: If no dividends are paid, all return comes from price movement.
Question 958
A holding period return (HPR) is defined as the return earned:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Over a single specified period
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: HPR is the return for one specific period (day, month, year, etc.).
Question 959
The arithmetic mean return assumes:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — The amount invested at the beginning of each period is the same
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Arithmetic mean treats each period as if the same amount is invested.
Question 960
The geometric mean return is most appropriate when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Returns compound over time
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Geometric mean accounts for compounding effects.
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