Which company was the predecessor of Total, Chevron, and ExxonMobil?

• A. Standard Oil
• B. Shell
• C. BP
• D. Conoco

Answer: (A)

This question centers on how a single early oil giant split into the major companies we know today. In 1911, Standard Oil was broken up by the courts into several independent firms. Two of those lines became Standard Oil of New Jersey (which later became Exxon) and Standard Oil of California (which became Chevron). A third line, Standard Oil of New York, became Mobil, and Mobil eventually merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil. So, Standard Oil is the historical predecessor that links to both ExxonMobil and Chevron. The other options come from different origins and aren’t direct descendants of Standard Oil.