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Scarcity in economics means:
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society is unable to produce all the goods and services we want with existing resources
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What are three primary questions all economic systems must address?
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what to produce; how to produce; and for whom to produce
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The problem of determining goods and services society should produce:
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exists because there are not enough resources to provide all the goods and services that people want to purchase
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Elbonia produced potatoes at the lowest possible cost per acre to its competitors, whereas Slobenia produces sugar beers at the lowest possible cost per acre even though both could produce potatoes and beets. This is an example of:
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comparative advantage
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The best measure of the opportunity cost of any choice is:
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whatever you have given up to make that choice, even if no monetary costs are involved.
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The study of the costs and benefits of doing more of an activity versus less is known as:
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marginal analysis
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If the price of gasoline falls and stays low for an extended period of time, we expect people to:
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buy larger and less fuel-efficient cars
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Which of the following best defines comparative advantage?
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an economy's ability to produce a particular good at a lower opportunity cost than its trading partners
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Which of the following would be a normative economic statement?
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government has grown too large and should be reduced
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Which of the following best defines absolute advantage?
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absolute advantage is the ability of an individual, company, region, or country to produce a greater quantity of a good or service with the same quantity of i puts per unit of time, or to produce the same quantity of a good or service per unit of time using a lesser quantity of inputs, than its competitors
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Adam owns Pins R Us, a pin factory in Pinstown, Pinsyltucky. Having read "Wealth of Nations" he decides that each worker will only perform one function in the pin making process during their respective shifts. Having pinned his success or failure on this decision, Adam discovers that the quantity of pins produced goes up substantially, compared to each worker making each pin from start to finish, thus increasing output while efficiently using inputs. Upon what economic principle would you pin Adams action?
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Specialization (division) of Labor
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Comparing accounting profit to economic profit, accounting profit can:
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be equal to or more than economic profit
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Assume a perfectly competitive firm is producing at a level of output where marginal revenue is greater than marginal cost. To maximize profits:
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the firm should increase output
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Diminishing marginal returns always involve:
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a fixed input
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If labor is the only variable input and the wage rate is constant, marginal cost reached its minimum when:
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marginal product reaches its maximum
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monopolistically competitive industries are characterized by:
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differentiated products, many firms, and easy entry and exit
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Compared to a monopolistically competitive industry, an olipogoly has:
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a higher Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, fewer firms, and more barriers to entry
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For a perfectly competitive firm in both the product market and the factor market, he demand curve for labor slopes downward due to:
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diminishing marginal returns
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For a monopsony, the marginal factor cost of labor curve lies above the supply curve at every quantity of labor due to:
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all workers receiving the same wage rate
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Assume an effective minimum wage is imposed on a monopsony labor market, and the minimum wage is set below the wage that would exist in a perfectly competitive market. Employment would:
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increase, but there would be a shortage of workers
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Assume a firm is operating a monopolist in the product market and as a perfect competitor in the factor market. The firms demand curve for labor will be:
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downward sloping due to diminishing marginal returns and decreasing marginal revenue
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According to marginal productivity theory, wage inequality in perfectly competitive markets can be attributed to:
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compensating differentials
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Efficiency wages are wages that:
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are above market equilibrium wages.
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The poverty rate is the percentage of the population that:
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earns less than the poverty threshold
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Which of the following conditions contributes to the resolution of externality problems as suggested by the Coase theorem?
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the legal rights of the parties involved are clearly defines
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When the production of a hood created negative externalities, which of the following leads to the socially optimal quantity of output?
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a Pigouvian tax ser equal to marginal cost
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Which of the following is an example of market failure?
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fishing in many waterways brings the quantity of fish below its socially optimal level
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Firms in the model of perfect competition will:
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increase output up to the point that the marginal revenue is equal to the marginal cost.
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Zoe's Bakery perales in a perfectly competitive industry. Suppose that when the market price is $5, the profit maximizing output level of pastries is 150 units, with average total cost of $4, and average variable cost of $3. From this we know Zoe's marginal cost is ____ and her short run profits are ___.
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$5; $150
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The profit maximizing level of output for a perfectly competitive firm in the short run occurs where:
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marginal cost equals the price
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The short run supply curve for a perfectly competitive firm id it's:
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marginal cost curve above its average variable cost curve
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The horizontal sin of individual firms' MC curves at and above the shut down price is the:
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short run industry supply curve
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A perfectly competitive industry is said to be efficient because the:
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average total cost of production of the industry's output is minimized
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The demand curve for a monopoly is:
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above the MR curve.
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Compared to perfect competition:
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monopoly produces fewer units at a higher price
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One successful government policy for dealing with a natural monopoly is to:
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impose a price ceiling to eliminate any economic profit
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The price in monopoly prevents some mutually beneficial trades from taking place. The value of these unrealized mutually beneficially trades id called:
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a deadweight loss
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Which of the following is true regarding monopolies?
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monopolies produce too little and charge too much from the standpoint of efficiency
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If the only two firms in an industry agree to fix the price at a given level, this is an example of:
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collusion
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A strategy that is the same regardless of the action of the other player in the game is said to be a:
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dominant strategy
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The study of behavior in situations of interdependence is known as:
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game theory
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When most cars sold in the United States were produced by the Big Three auto companies, General Motors would announce its prices for the new model year first and then the other companies would match it. This practice was an example of:
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price leadership
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If a firm under monopolistic competition is producing a quantity that generates MC <
MR, then the marginal decision rule tells us that profit:
MR, then the marginal decision rule tells us that profit:
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can be increased by decreasing production
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A good reason for a monopolistic competitor to engage in advertising would be:
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to create a greater perception of product differentiation in the minds of potential consumers.