CASOC's two parent companies were which of the following?

• A. Standard of California and Texaco
• B. Texaco
• C. Standard Oil and Texaco
• D. Standard of California and Exxon

Answer: (A)

CASOC stands for California-Arabian Standard Oil Company, created as a joint venture between Standard Oil of California (SOCAL) and Texaco to manage oil exploration and development in Saudi Arabia under the concession granted in the 1930s. Because it was formed by these two partners, the two parent companies are Standard Oil of California and Texaco. The other options either omit SOCAL, refer to a different Standard Oil entity, or name Exxon, which did not serve as a CASOC parent. This arrangement eventually evolved into what became Saudi Aramco.