Operations Research Questions and Answers





Operations Research solved MCQ Questions :

Operations Research is a multidisciplinary field that uses analytical and mathematical methods to help organizations make better decisions. This section focus on all topics of the Operations Research subject. Here you can get important mcq questions on Operations Research with answers. These questions will help you to prepare for interviews, entrance exams, online tests, and semester exams. These Operations Research multiple choice questions are for both freshers and experienced candidates.

Operations Research MCQ Chapter Wise :

Here you will find a list of important questions and answers with detailed solution on operations research in MCQ quiz style for competitive exams and interviews. Here, You can practice these MCQs chapter-wise for FREE.

Below section consists of important multiple choice questions on operations research with answers -:

1. Operations Research approach is ______________.
a) multi-disciplinary
b) scientific
c) intuitive
d) collect essential data

Answer: a

2. A feasible solution to a linear programming problem ______________.
a) must satisfy all the constraints of the problem simultaneously
b) need not satisfy all of the constraints, only some of them
c) must be a corner point of the feasible region.
d) must optimize the value of the objective function

Answer: a

3. If any value in XB column of final simplex table is negative, then the solution is ______________.
a) infeasible
b) infeasible
c) bounded
d) no solution

Answer: b

4. For any primal problem and its dual______________.
a) optimal value of objective function is same
b) dual will have an optimal solution iff primal does too
c) primal will have an optimal solution iff dual does too
d) both primal and dual cannot be infeasible

Answer: c

5. The difference between total float and head event slack is ______________
a) free float
b) independent float
c) interference float
d) linear float

Answer: a

6. An optimal assignment requires that the maximum number of lines which can be drawn through squares with zero opportunity cost should be equal to the number of ______________.
a) rows or columns
b) rows and columns.
c) rows+columns- 1
d) rows-columns.

Answer: a

7. To proceed with the Modified Distribution method algorithm for solving an transportation problem, the number of dummy allocations need to be added are______________.
a) n
b) n-1
c) 2n-1
d) n-2

Answer: b

8. Select the correct statement
a) EOQ is that quantity at which price paid by the buyer is minimum
b) If annual demand doubles with all other parameters remaining constant, the Economic Order Quantity is doubled
c) Total ordering cost equals holding cost
d) Stock out cost is never permitted

Answer: c

9. Service mechanism in a queuing system is characterized by ______________.
a) customers behavior
b) servers behavior
c) customers in the system
d) server in the system

Answer: b

10. The objective of network analysis is to______________.
a) minimize total project duration
b) minimize toal project cost
c) minimize production delays, interruption and conflicts
d) maximize total project duration

Answer: a

11. In an Linear Programming Problem functions to be maximized or minimized are called ______________.
a) constraints
b) objective function
c) basic solution
d) feasible solution

Answer: b

12. If the primal problem has n constraints and m variables then the number of constraints in the dual problem is ______________.
a) mn
b) m+n
c) m-n
d) m/n

Answer: a

13. The non basic variables are called ______________.
a) shadow cost
b) opportunity cost
c) slack variable
d) surplus variable

Answer: a

14. Key element is also known as ______________.
a) slack
b) surplus
c) artificial
d) pivot

Answer: d

15. The solution to a transportation problem with m-sources and n-destinations is feasible if the numbers of allocations are ______________.
a) m+n
b) mn
c) m-n
d) m+n-1

Answer: d

16. The allocation cells in the transportation table will be called ______________ cell
a) occupied
b) unoccupied
c) no
d) finite

Answer: a

17. To resolve degeneracy at the initial solution, a very small quantity is allocated in ______________ cell
a) occupied
b) unoccupied
c) no
d) finite

Answer: b

18. The assignment algorithm was developed by ______________ method.
a) HUNGARIAN
b) VOGELS
c) MODI
d) TRAVELING SALES MAN

Answer: a

19. An assignment problem is a particular case of ______________.
a) transportation Problem
b) assignment Problem
c) travelling salesman problem
d) replacement Problem

Answer: a

20. The coefficient of slack\surplus variables in the objective function are always assumed to be ______________.
a) 0
b) 1
c) M
d) -M

Answer: a

21. Using ______________ method, we can never have an unbounded solution
a) Simplex
b) Dual simplex
c) Big M
d) Modi

Answer: b

22. The customers of high priority are given service over the low priority customers is ______________.
a) Pre emptive
b) FIFO
c) LIFO
d) SIRO

Answer: a

23. A queuing system is said to be a ______________ when its operating characteristic are independent upon time
a) pure birth model
b) pure death model
c) transient state
d) steady state

Answer: d

24. An activity which does not consume neither any resource nor time is known as ______________.
a) predecessor activity
b) successor activity
c) dummy activity
d) activity

Answer: c

25. The difference between total and free float is ______________.
a) total
b) free
c) independent
d) interference

Answer: d

26. The number of time estimates involved in Program Evaluation Review Technique problem is ______________.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

Answer: c

27. The assignment problem is always a ______________matrix.
a) circle
b) square
c) rectangle
d) triangle

Answer: b

28. The slack variables indicate ______________.
a) excess resource available.
b) shortage of resource
c) nil resource
d) idle resource

Answer: d

29. If the net evaluation corresponding to any non -basic variable is zero, it is an indication of the existence of an ______________.
a) initial basic feasible solution
b) optimum basic feasible solution
c) optimum solution.
d) alternate optimum solution.

Answer: d

30. Mathematical model of linear programming problem is important because ______________.
a) it helps in converting the verbal description and numerical data into mathematical expression
b) decision makers prefer to work with formal models
c) it captures the relevant relationship among decision factors
d) it enables the use of algebraic technique

Answer: a

31. While solving a linear programming problem infeasibility may be removed by ______________.
a) adding another constraint
b) adding another variable
c) removing a constraint
d) removing a variable

Answer: c

32. The right hand side constant of a constraint in a primal problem appears in the corresponding dual as______________.
a) a coefficient in the objective function
b) a right hand side constant of a function
c) an input output coefficient a left hand side constraint
d) coefficient variable

Answer: a

33. During iteration while moving from one solution to the next, degeneracy may occur when______________
a) the closed path indicates a diagonal move
b) two or more occupied cells are on the closed path but neither of them represents a corner of the path.
c) two or more occupied cells on the closed path with minus sign are tied for lowest circled value.
d) the closed path indicates a rectangle move.

Answer: c

34. Maximization assignment problem is transformed into a minimization problem by______________.
a) adding each entry in a column from the maximum value in that column
b) subtracting each entry in a column from the maximum value in that column
c) subtracting each entry in the table from the maximum value in that table
d) adding each entry in the table from the maximum value in that table

Answer: c

35. Priority queue discipline may be classified as______________.
a) pre-emptive or non-pre-emptive
b) limited
c) unlimited
d) finite

Answer: c

36. Replace an item when______________.
a) average cost upto date is equal to the current maintenance cost
b) average cost upto date is greater than the current maintenance cost
c) average cost upto date is less than the current maintenance cost.
d) next year running cost in more than average cost of nth year

Answer: a

37. In time cost trade off function analysis______________.
a) cost decreases linearly as time increases
b) cost increases linearly as time decreases
c) cost at normal time is zero
d) cost increases linearly as time increases

Answer: a

38. The transportation problem deals with the transportation of ______________.
a) a single product from a source to several destinations
b) a single product from several sources to several destinations
c) a single product from several sources to a destination
d) a multi -product from several sources to several destinations

Answer: a

39. The minimum number of lines covering all zeros in a reduced cost matrix of order n can be ______________.
a) at the most n
b) at the least n
c) n-1
d) n+1

Answer: a

40. For a 2.5% increase in order quantity (under fundamental EOQ problem) the total relevant cost would ______________
a) increase by 2.5%.
b) decrease by 2.5%
c) increase by 0.25%.
d) decrease by 0.25%.

Answer: a

41. An n-tuple of real numbers which satisfies the constraints of Linear Programming Problem is called ______________
a) solution
b) basic solution
c) basic feasible solution
d) feasible solution

Answer: a

42. Chose the correct statement: A degenerate solution is one that______________.
a) gives an optimum solution to the Linear Programming Problem
b) gives zero value to one or more of the basic variables
c) yields more than one way to achieve the objective
d) makes use of all available resources

Answer: b

43. At any iteration of the usual simplex method, if there is at least one basic variable in the basis at zero level and all the index numbers are non-negative, the current solution is ______________.
a) basic solution
b) non basic solution
c) degenerate
d) non degenerate

Answer: c

44. The model in which only arrivals are counted and no departure takes place are called ______________.
a) pure birth model
b) pure death model
c) birth death model
d) death birth model

Answer: a

45. ______________ of a queuing system is the state where the probability of the number of customers in the system depends upon time
a) pure birth model
b) pure death model
c) transient state
d) steady state

Answer: d

46. The initial event which has all outgoing arrows with no incoming arrow is numbered ______________.
a) 0
b) 1
c) -1
d) 2

Answer: a

47. In a network diagram an event is denoted by the symbol ______________.
a) arrow
b) straight line
c) curve
d) circle

Answer: d

48. An ______________ represent the start or completion of some activity and as such it consumes no time
a) activity
b) event
c) slack
d) path

Answer: b

49. ______________ is used for non-repetitive jobs
a) Queue
b) Replacement
c) CPM
d) PERT

Answer: c

50. The assignment problem will have alternate solutions when the total opportunity cost matrix has ______________
a) atleast one zero in each row and column
b) when all rows have two zeros
c) when there is a tie between zero opportunity cost cells
d) if two diagonal elements are zeros.

Answer: c

51. In the basic EOQ model, if the lead time increases from 2 to 4 days, the EOQ will ______________
a) double increase
b) remain constant
c) but not double
d) decrease by a factor of two

Answer: b

52. When the sum of gains of one player is equal to the sum of losses to another player in a game, this situation is known as ______________.
a) two-person game
b) two-person zero-sum game
c) zero-sum game
d) non-zero-sum game

Answer: c

53. In the network, one activity may connect any ______________ nodes
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

Answer: b

54. Graphical method is also known as ______________.
a) Simplex Method
b) Dual Simplex Method
c) Big-M Method
d) Search-Approach Method

Answer: d

55. If the given Linear Programming Problem is in its standard form then primal-dual pair is ______________.
a) symmetric
b) un symmetric
c) square
d) triangle

Answer: b

56. The method used to solve Linear Programming Problem without use of the artificial variable is called ______________.
a) Simplex Method
b) Big-M Method
c) Dual Simplex Method
d) Graphical Mehtod

Answer: c

57. When the total demand is equal to supply then the transportation problem is said to be ______________
a) balanced
b) unbalanced
c) maximization
d) minimization

Answer: a

58. For finding an optimum solution in transportation problem ______________ method is used.
a) Simplex
b) Big-M
c) Modi
d) Hungarian

Answer: c

59. Linear Programming Problem is a technique of finding the ______________.
a) optimal value
b) approximate value
c) initial value
d) infeasible value

Answer: a

60. Any solution to a Linear Programming Problem which also satisfies the non- negative notifications of the problem has ______________.
a) solution
b) basic solution
c) basic feasible solution
d) feasible solution

Answer: d

61. Customers arrive at a box office window, being manned ny single individual, according to Poisson input process with mean rate of 20 per hour, while the mean service time is 2 minutes. Which of the following is not true for this system?
a) E(n) = 2 customers
b) E(m) = 4/3 customers
c) E(v) = 6 minutes
d) E(w) = 16 minutes

Answer: a

62. A game is said to be strictly determinable if______________.
a) maximin value equal to minimax value
b) maximin value is less than or equal to minimax value
c) maximin value is greater than or equal to minimax value
d) maximin value is not equal to minimax value

Answer: a

63. The irreducible minimum duration of the project is called ______________.
a) critical time
b) normal time
c) cost slope
d) crash duration

Answer: d

64. The cost of a slack variable is ______________.
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) -1

Answer: a

65. Linear Programming Problem that can be solved by graphical method has ______________.
a) linear constraints
b) quadratic constraints
c) non linear constraints
d) bi-quadratic constraints

Answer: a

66. If one or more variable vanish then a basic solution to the system is called ______________.
a) non feasible region
b) feasible region
c) degenerate solution
d) basic solution

Answer: c

67. ______________ method is an alternative method of solving a Linear Programming Problem involving artificial variables
a) Simplex Method
b) Big-M Method
c) Dual Simplex Method
d) Graphical Mehtod

Answer: b

68. The server utilization factor is also known as ______________
a) erlang distribution
b) poisson distribution
c) exponential distribution
d) traffic intensity

Answer: d

69. In a transportation table, an ordered set of______________ or more cells is said to form a loop
a) 2
b) 3
c) 4
d) 5

Answer: c

70. A Linear Programming Problem have ______________ optimal solution
a) 1
b) 2
c) more than 1
d) more than 2

Answer: c

71. The region common to all the constraints including the non-negativity restrictions is called the ______________.
a) solution space
b) unique solution
c) optimum solution
d) infeasible solution

Answer: a

72. A activity in a network diagram is said to be ______________ if the delay in its start will further delay the project completion time.
a) forward pass
b) backward pass
c) critical.
d) non-critical.

Answer: c

73. Operation research approach is typically based on the use of ______________.
a) physical model.
b) mathematical model.
c) iconic model.
d) descriptive model.

Answer: b

74. An Iso-profit line represents ______________.
a) a boundary of the feasible region
b) an infinite number of solution all of which yield the same cost
c) an infinite number of solutions all of which yield the same profit
d) an infinite number of optimal solutions

Answer: c

75. If an artificial variable is present in the basic variable column of optimal simplex table, then the problem has ______________ solution.
a) alternative
b) no solution
c) bounded
d) infeasible

Answer: d

76. The dummy source or destination in a transportation problem is added to ______________.
a) satisfy rim conditions
b) prevent solution from becoming degenerate
c) ensure that total cost does not exceed a limit
d) the solution not be degenerate

Answer: a

77. Which of the following methods is used to verify the optimality of the current solution of the transportation problem______________.
a) Least cost method
b) Vogel's Approximation method
c) Row minima method
d) Modified Distribution method

Answer: d

78. For a salesman who has to visit n cities, following are the ways of his tour plan ______________.
a) n!
b) (n+a)!
c) (n-a)!
d) n

Answer: c

79. Economic order quantity results in ______________
a) equalisation of carrying cost and procurement cost
b) favourable procurement price
c) reduced chances of stock outs
d) minimization of set up cost

Answer: a

80. The problem of replacement is felt when job performing units fail ______________.
a) suddenly and gradually
b) gradually
c) suddenly
d) neither gradually nor suddenly

Answer: a

81. Float analysis is useful for ______________.
a) total float
b) free float
c) independent float
d) variance of each float

Answer: b

82. The difference between free float and tail event slack is ______________
a) total float
b) independent float
c) interference float
d) slack

Answer: b

83. The assignment problem is a special case of transportation problem in which ______________.
a) number of origins are less than the number of destinations
b) number of origins are greater than the number of destinations
c) number of origins are greater than or equal to the number of destinations
d) number of origins equals the number of destinations

Answer: d

84. The average arrival rate in a single server queuing system is 10 customers per hour and average service rate is 15 customers per hour. The average time that a customer must wait before it is taken up for service shall be ______________minutes.
a) 6
b) 8
c) 10
d) 12

Answer: b

85. The time between the placement of an order and its delivery is called as ______________
a) buffer time
b) lead time
c) Economic Order Quantity
d) capital time

Answer: b

86. In Program Evaluation Review Technique the maximum time that is required to perform the activity under extremely bad conditions is known as ______________.
a) normal time
b) optimistic time
c) most likely time
d) pessimistic time

Answer: d

87. All of the following may be used to find the EOQ except ______________
a) optimal number of days supply to order
b) number of orders which minimize ordering costs optimal
c) number of rupees per order optimal
d) number of orders per year

Answer: d

88. A feasible solution of an Linear Programming Problem that optimizes the objective function is called ______________
a) basic feasible solution
b) optimum solution
c) feasible solution
d) solution

Answer: b

89. Charnes method of penalty is called ______________
a) Simplex Method
b) Dual Simplex Method
c) Big-M Method
d) Graphical Method

Answer: c

90. If the given Linear Programming Problem is in its canonical form then primal-dual pair is ______________
a) symmetric
b) un symmetric
c) square
d) non square

Answer: b

91. The total opportunity cost matrix is obtained by doing ______________.
a) row operation on row opportunity cost matrix
b) column operation on row opportunity cost matrix
c) column operation on column opportunity cost matrix
d) none of the above.

Answer: b

92. The simplex method is also called the ______________.
a) dual simplex method.
b) Modi method
c) simplex technique
d) Big-M method

Answer: c

93. A degenerate solution is one that ______________.
a) gives an optimum solution to the Linear Programming Problem
b) gives zero value to one or more of the basic variables
c) yields more than one way to achieve the objective
d) makes use of all the available resources

Answer: b

94. Graphical method of linear programming is useful when the number of decision variable are ______________.
a) 1
b) 2
c) 3
d) 4

Answer: b

95. In the optimal simplex table, Zj-Cj=0 value indicates ______________.
a) alternative solution
b) bounded solution
c) infeasible solution
d) unbounded solution

Answer: a

96. If primal linear programming problem has a finite solution, then dual linear programming problem should ______________.
a) have optimal solution
b) satisfy the Rim condition
c) have degenerate solution
d) have non-degenerate solution

Answer: b

97. While solving an assignment problem, an activity is assigned to a resource through a square with zero opportunity cost because the objective is to______________.
a) minimize total cost of assignment.
b) reduce the cost of assignment to zero
c) reduce the cost of that particular assignment to zero
d) reduce total cost of assignment

Answer: a

98. If the procurement cost used in the formula to compute EOQ is half of the actual procurement cost, the EOQ so obtained will be ______________
a) half of EOQ
b) one third of EOQ
c) one fourth of EOQ
d) 0.707 time EOQ

Answer: d

99. The calling population is assumed to be infinite when ______________.
a) capacity of the system is infinite
b) arrivals are independent of each other
c) service rate is faster than arrival rate
d) all customers arrive at once

Answer: b

100. If an activity has zero slack, it implies that______________.
a) the project is progressing well
b) it is a dummy activity
c) it lies on the critical path
d) it lies a non critical path

Answer: c