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The supply curve for the monopolist
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does not exist.
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A monopolist faces a
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downward-sloping demand curve.
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When a monopolist reduces the quantity of output it produces and sells, the
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price of its output increases.
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When the market for a good is a natural monopoly, this results in
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dominance by a single producer of the good.
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A perfectly competitive firm produces where
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marginal cost equals price, while a monopolist produces where price exceeds marginal cost.
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The output effect describes the situation when a monopolist sells more output and, all else equal, total revenue
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increases.
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Which of the following is not an example of a barrier to entry?
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An entrepreneur opens a cupcake bakery.
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A monopolist maximizes profits by
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producing an output level where marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
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If a monopoly market were to be transformed into a competitive market, the result would be that
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All of the above would be: market output would increase, the market would be efficient once the market reached the competitive output, the deadweight loss from the monopoly would be eliminated
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A profit-maximizing monopolist charges a price of $12. The intersection of the marginal revenue and marginal cost curves occurs where output is 10 units and marginal cost is $6. Average total cost for 10 units of output is $5. What is the monopolist's profit?
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$70
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A competitive firm
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is a price taker, whereas a monopolist is a price maker.
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Suppose that the DeBeers company faces very little competition from other firms in the wholesale diamond market. Why isn't the price of wholesale diamonds $10,000 per carat?
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because the company would sell so few diamonds that it would earn higher profits by selling at a lower price
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The process of buying a good in one market at a low price and selling the good in another market for a higher price in order to profit from the price difference is known as
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arbitrage.
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What do economists call the business practice of selling the same good at difference prices to different customers?
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price discrimination
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A monopoly
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can set the price it charges for its output but faces a downward-sloping demand curve so it cannot earn unlimited profits.
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If the government regulates the price that a natural monopolist can charge to be equal to the firm's average total cost, the firm will
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earn zero profits.
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The price effect describes the situation when a monopolist lowers the price of output and, all else equal, total revenue
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decreases.
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What is the shape of the monopolist's marginal revenue curve?
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a downward-sloping line that lies below the demand curve
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Marginal revenue for a monopolist is computed as
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change in total revenue per one unit increase in quantity sold.
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The amount that producers receive for a good minus their costs of producing it equals
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producer surplus.
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How does a competitive market compare to a monopoly that engages in perfect price discrimination?
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In both cases, total social welfare is the same.
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Price discrimination is the business practice of
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selling the same good at different prices to different customers.
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A monopolist's profits with price discrimination will be
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higher than if the firm charged just one price because the firm will capture more consumer surplus.
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Which of the following is an example of public ownership of a monopoly?
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U.S. Postal Service
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Splitting up a monopoly is often justified on the grounds that
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competition is inherently efficient.
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Which of the following statements is not correct?
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Part of the deadweight loss associated with monopoly is measured by the monopolist's economic profit.
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The social cost of a monopoly is equal to its
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deadweight loss.
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A profit-maximizing monopolist will produce the level of output at which
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marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost.
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In a competitive market, a firm's supply curve dictates the amount it will supply. In a monopoly market the
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decision about how much to supply is impossible to separate from the demand curve it faces.
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The deadweight loss associated with a monopoly occurs because the monopolist
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produces an output level less than the socially optimal level.
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One problem with regulating a monopolist on the basis of cost is that
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it does not provide an incentive for the monopolist to reduce its cost.
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Drug companies are allowed to be monopolists in the drugs they discover in order to
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encourage research.
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Price discrimination
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is an attempt by a monopoly to increases its profit by selling the same good to different customers at different prices.
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Suppose most people regard emeralds, rubies, and sapphires as close substitutes for diamonds. Then DeBeers, a large diamond company, has
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less market power than it would otherwise have.
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When a firm operates under conditions of monopoly, its price is
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constrained by demand.
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When a monopolist increases the amount of output that it produces and sells, average revenue
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decreases, and marginal revenue decreases.
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Suppose a monopolist chooses the price and production level that maximizes its profit. From that point, to increase society's economic welfare, output would need to be increased as long as
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average revenue exceeds marginal cost.
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Which of the following is a characteristic of a natural monopoly?
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All of the above are correct.
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Deadweight loss
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measures monopoly inefficiency.
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A monopoly chooses to supply the market with a quantity of a product that is determined by the intersection of the
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marginal revenue and marginal cost curves.
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The fundamental source of monopoly power is
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barriers to entry.
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When a single firm can supply a product to an entire market at a lower cost than could two or more firms, the industry is called a
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natural monopoly.
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Which of the following is not a characteristic of a monopoly?
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one buyer
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Which of the following is a characteristic of a monopoly market?
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A product with no close substitutes.
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Because a monopolist must lower its price in order to sell another unit of output,
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marginal revenue is less than price.
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The economic inefficiency of a monopolist can be measured by the
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deadweight loss.
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If government regulation sets the maximum price for a natural monopoly equal to its marginal cost, then the natural monopolist will
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earn economic losses.
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When we compare economic welfare in a monopoly market to a competitive market, the profits earned by the monopolist represent
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a transfer of benefits from the buyer to the seller.
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When a monopoly increases its output and sales,
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the output effect works to increase total revenue, and the price effect works to decrease total revenue.
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Which of the following would be most likely to have monopoly power?
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a local cable TV provider