Under the cost principle, at what amount are assets recorded in the journal?
- Their estimated resale value
- The amount still owed on them
- Their value after one year of use
- What the business paid to acquire them
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Correct answer: D. What the business paid to acquire them
1. The cost principle requires assets to be recorded at what they cost the business.
2. This is the amount paid to acquire them, not a later or estimated value.
3. Resale value (A) and depreciated value (C) are not the recording basis.
4. The amount owed (D) relates to a liability, not the asset's recorded cost.
5. Therefore assets are recorded at acquisition cost.
_Source: Jonick, Principles of Financial Accounting (CC BY-SA 4.0), §1.5.1 "Assets", p.34_