question
If Tanya sells 200 glasses of fruit punch at $0.50 each, her total revenues are
answer
$100
question
An example of an explicit cost of production would be
answer
lease payments for the land on which a firm's factory stands
question
Which of the following expressions is correct?
answer
accounting profit = total revenue - explicit costs
question
Suppose a certain firm is able to produce 165 units of output per day when 15 workers are hired. The firm is able to produce 176 units of output per day when 16 workers are hired, holding other inputs fixed. The marginal product of the 16th worker is
answer
11 units of output
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Which of the following statements best captures the nature of the underlying production function?
answer
Output increases at a decreasing rate with additional units of input
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Fixed costs can be defined as costs that
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are incurred even if nothing is produced
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Suppose that a firm has only one variable input, labor, and firm output is zero when labor is zero. When the firm hires 6 workers the firm produces 90 units of output. Fixed costs of production are $6 and the variable cost per unit of labor is $10. The marginal product of the seventh unit of labor is 4. Given this information, what is the average total cost of production when the firm hires 7 workers?
answer
81 cents
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When marginal cost exceeds average total cost
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average total cost must be rising
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The average fixed cost curve
answer
always declines with increased levels of output
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Economies of scale occur when
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long-run average total costs fall as output increases
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When a firm experiences diseconomies of scale
answer
long-run average total cost increases as output increases
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When a firm's long-run average total costs do not vary as output increases, the firm exhibits
answer
constant returns to scale
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Suppose that in a competitive market the equilibrium price is $2.50. What is marginal revenue for the last unit sold by the typical firm in this market?
answer
exactly $2.50
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The intersection of a firm's marginal revenue and marginal cost curves determines the level of output at which
answer
profit is maximized
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Mrs. Smith operates a business in a competitive market. The current market price is $8.10. At her profit-maximizing level of production, the average variable cost is $8.00, and the average total cost is $8.25. Mrs. Smith should
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continue to operate in the short run but shut down in the long run
question
A market is competitive if
(i) firms have the flexibility to price their own product.
(ii) each buyer is small compared to the market.
(iii) each seller is small compared to the market.
(i) firms have the flexibility to price their own product.
(ii) each buyer is small compared to the market.
(iii) each seller is small compared to the market.
answer
(ii) and (iii) only
question
Which of the following would be an example of an implicit cost?
(i) forgone investment opportunities
(ii) wages of workers
(iii) raw materials costs
(i) forgone investment opportunities
(ii) wages of workers
(iii) raw materials costs
answer
(i) only
question
Zach withdrew $400,000 out of his personal savings account and used it to start his new cookie business. The bank account pays 3 percent interest per year. During the first year of his business, Zach sold 6,000 boxes of cookies for $2.50 per box. Also during the first year, the cookie business made monetary outlays of $9,000. You may assume that there is no opportunity cost to Zach's time.
Refer to Scenario 13-11. Zach's accounting profit for the year was
Refer to Scenario 13-11. Zach's accounting profit for the year was
answer
$6,000
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Zach withdrew $400,000 out of his personal savings account and used it to start his new cookie business. The bank account pays 3 percent interest per year. During the first year of his business, Zach sold 6,000 boxes of cookies for $2.50 per box. Also during the first year, the cookie business made monetary outlays of $9,000. You may assume that there is no opportunity cost to Zach's time.
Refer to Scenario 13-11. Zach's economic profit for the year was
Refer to Scenario 13-11. Zach's economic profit for the year was
answer
$-6,000
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Which of the following statements is correct?
answer
Only for competitive firms does average revenue equal marginal revenue.
question
In the short run, a firm operating in a competitive industry will produce the quantity of output where price equals marginal cost as long as the
answer
price is greater than average variable cost
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In the short run, a firm operating in a competitive industry will shut down if price is
answer
less than average variable cost
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A difference between explicit and implicit costs is that
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implicit costs do not require a direct monetary outlay by the firm, whereas explicit costs do
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In a competitive market the current price is $7, and the typical firm in the market has ATC = $7.50 and AVC = $7.15.
answer
In the short run firms will shut down, and in the long run firms will leave the market
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Jose's restaurant operates in a perfectly competitive market. At the point where marginal cost equals marginal revenue, ATC = $20, AVC = $15, and the price per unit is $10. In this situation
answer
Jose's restaurant should shut down immediately.
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A sunk cost is one that
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was paid in the past and will not change regardless of the present decision
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In the short-run, a firm's supply curve is equal to the
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marginal cost curve above its average variable cost curve
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A certain firm manufactures and sells computer chips. Last year it sold 2 million chips at a price of $10 per chip. For last year, the firm's
answer
total revenue was $20 million
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When new firms have an incentive to enter a competitive market, their entry will
answer
drive down profits of existing firms in the market
question
In a perfectly competitive market, the process of entry and exit will end when
(i) accounting profits are zero.
(ii) economic profits are zero.
(iii) price equals minimum marginal cost.
(iv) price equals minimum average total cost.
(i) accounting profits are zero.
(ii) economic profits are zero.
(iii) price equals minimum marginal cost.
(iv) price equals minimum average total cost.
answer
(ii) and (iv) only
question
Profit is defined as
answer
total revenue minus total cost
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In a competitive market with free entry and exit, if all firms have the same cost structure, then
answer
all firms will operate at their efficient scale in the long run
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Timmy's Trophies operates in a perfectly competitive market. If trophies sell for $20 each and average total cost per trophy is $15 at the profit-maximizing output level, then in the long run
answer
more firms will enter the market.
question
A long-run supply curve is flatter than a short-run supply curve because
answer
firms can enter and exit a market more easily in the long run than in the short run
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Carol owns a running shoe store that operates in a perfectly competitive market. If running shoes sell for $120 per pair and the average total cost per pair of shoes is $125 at the profit-maximizing output level, then in the long run
answer
some firms will exit from the market
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A price ceiling is binding when it is set
answer
below the equilibrium price, causing a shortage
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In the housing market, supply and demand are
answer
more elastic in the long run than in the short run, and so rent control leads to a larger shortage of apartments in the long run than in the short run
question
A tax imposed on the buyers of a good will raise the
answer
price paid by buyers and lower the equilibrium quantity
question
Consumer surplus is
answer
the amount a buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it
question
All else equal, what happens to consumer surplus if the price of a good increases?
answer
Consumer surplus decreases
question
Total surplus is equal to
answer
value to buyers - cost to sellers
question
The amount of deadweight loss from a tax depends upon the
answer
a.price elasticity of demand.
b.price elasticity of supply.
c.amount of the tax per unit.
*d.All of the above are correct.
b.price elasticity of supply.
c.amount of the tax per unit.
*d.All of the above are correct.
question
If the size of a tax increases, tax revenue
answer
may increase, decrease, or remain the same
question
The price elasticities of supply and demand affect
answer
both the size of the deadweight loss from a tax and the tax incidence
question
Buyers of a product will bear the larger part of the tax burden, and sellers will bear a smaller part of the tax burden, when the
answer
supply of the product is more elastic than the demand for the product
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Suppose the tax on liquor is increased so that the tax goes from being a "medium" tax to being a "large" tax. As a result, it is likely that
answer
tax revenue decreases, and the deadweight loss increases
question
A decrease in the size of a tax is most likely to increase tax revenue in a market with
answer
elastic demand and elastic supply
question
The Laffer curve illustrates that
answer
tax revenue first rises, then falls as a tax increases.
question
Suppose the government has imposed a price ceiling on cellular phones. Which of the following events could transform the price ceiling from one that is binding to one that is not binding?
answer
A technological advance makes cellular phone production less expensive
question
When a tax is placed on the sellers of energy drinks, the
answer
burden of the tax will be shared by the buyers and the sellers, but the division of the burden is not always equal.
question
Deadweight loss measures the loss
answer
in a market to buyers and sellers that is not offset by an increase in government revenue
question
Welfare economics is the study of how
answer
the allocation of resources affects economic well-being
question
Which of the following statements is true for markets in which the demand curve slopes downward and the supply curve slopes upward?
answer
As the size of the tax increases, tax revenue rises initially, but it eventually begins to fall; deadweight loss continually rises.
question
Which of the following statements is correct concerning the burden of a tax imposed on take-out food?
answer
Buyers and sellers share the burden of the tax
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Which of the following statements is correct regarding a tax on a good and the resulting deadweight loss?
answer
The greater are the price elasticities of supply and demand, the greater is the deadweight loss.
question
Get Smart University is contemplating an increase in tuition to enhance revenue. If GSU feels that raising tuition would enhance revenue, it is
answer
assuming that the demand for university education is inelastic.
question
Which of the following will cause a decrease in consumer surplus?
answer
the imposition of a binding price floor in the market
question
The marginal seller is the seller who
answer
would leave the market first if the price were any lower
question
When a tax is levied on a good
answer
a. government collects revenues which might justify the loss in total welfare.
b. there is a decrease in the quantity of the good bought and sold in the market.
c. a wedge is placed between the price buyers pay and the price sellers effectively receive.
*d. All of the above are correct.
b. there is a decrease in the quantity of the good bought and sold in the market.
c. a wedge is placed between the price buyers pay and the price sellers effectively receive.
*d. All of the above are correct.
question
The Laffer curve relates
answer
the tax rate to tax revenue raised by the tax
question
A result of welfare economics is that the equilibrium price of a product is considered to be the best price because it
answer
maximizes the combined welfare of buyers and sellers
question
Market economies are distinguished from other types of economies largely on the basis of
answer
the ways in which scarce resources are allocated.
question
When computing the opportunity cost of attending a Broadway show you should include
answer
the price you pay for the ticket and the value of your time
question
Which of the following statements about the circular-flow diagram is correct?
answer
The diagram leaves out details that are not essential for understanding the economic transactions that occur between households and firms.
question
A positive economic statement such as "Pollution taxes decrease the quantity of pollution generated by firms"
answer
would require data but not values in order to be evaluated
question
An example of an externality is the impact of
answer
pollution from a factory on the health of people in the vicinity of the factory
question
Any point on a country's production possibilities frontier represents a combination of two goods that an economy
answer
can produce using all available resources and technology.
question
Enid regularly buys fruits and vegetables at a grocery store. Santo regularly pays a lawn-care company to mow his lawn. If the flow of fruits and vegetables from the grocery store to Enid is represented by an arrow from Box C to Box B of this circular-flow diagram, then the money paid by Santo to the lawn-care company is represented by an arrow
answer
from Box B to Box C
question
Russell spends an hour studying instead of playing tennis. The opportunity cost to him of studying is
answer
the enjoyment and exercise he would have received had he played tennis.
question
An economy's production of two goods is efficient if
answer
it is impossible to produce more of one good without producing less of the other.
question
Rational people make decisions at the margin by
answer
comparing marginal costs and marginal benefits
question
Which of the following claims is consistent with the views of mainstream economists?
answer
If we increase the rate of inflation from 3 percent to 6 percent, then the rate of unemployment will temporarily fall.
question
For which of the following problems can well-designed public policy enhance economic efficiency?
answer
both externalities and market power
question
When the price of hot dogs changes, the demand curve for hot dogs
answer
does not shift because the price of hot dogs is measured on the vertical axis of the graph.
question
You wear either shorts or sweatpants every day. You notice that sweatpants have gone on sale, so your demand for
answer
shorts will decrease.
question
Which of the following transactions does not take place in the markets for factors of production in the circular-flow diagram?
answer
a woman buys corn for dinner
question
In the simple circular-flow diagram,
answer
a. households own the factors of production.
b. households buy all the goods and services that firms produce.
c. land, labor, and capital flow from households to firms.
*d. All of the above are correct.
b. households buy all the goods and services that firms produce.
c. land, labor, and capital flow from households to firms.
*d. All of the above are correct.
question
Tom is restoring a car and has already spent $3500 on the restoration. He expects to be able to sell the car for $5000. Tom discovers that he needs to do an additional $2000 of work to make the table worth $5000 to potential buyers. He could also sell the car now, without completing the additional work, for $2800. What should he do?
answer
He should complete the additional work and sell the car for $5000
question
The price elasticity of demand measures how much
answer
quantity demanded responds to a change in price
question
A certain production possibilities frontier shows production possibilities for two goods: wheat and shirts. Which of the following concepts cannot be illustrated by this model?
answer
the flow of dollars between sellers of wheat and shirts and buyers of wheat and shirts
question
Economists speaking like policy advisers make
answer
claims about how the world should be
question
A tradeoff exists between a clean environment and a higher level of income in that
answer
laws that reduce pollution raise costs of production and reduce incomes.
question
The primary determinant of a country's standard of living is
answer
the country's ability to produce goods and services.
question
In a competitive market, the quantity of a product produced and the price of the product are determined by
answer
all buyers and all sellers.
question
If the demand for donuts is elastic, then a decrease in the price of donuts will
answer
increase total revenue of donut sellers.
question
The price elasticity of supply measures how much
answer
the quantity supplied responds to changes in the price of the good
question
Efficiency means that
answer
society is getting the maximum benefits from its scarce resources
question
Economists use the word equality to describe a situation in which
answer
each member of society has the same income
question
When small changes in price lead to infinite changes in quantity demanded, demand is perfectly
answer
elastic, and the demand curve will be horizontal.
question
The greater the price elasticity of demand, the
answer
greater the responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price.
question
A university's football stadium is never more than half-full during football games. This indicates
answer
the ticket price is above the equilibrium price
question
The equilibrium of supply and demand in a market
answer
maximizes the total benefits received by buyers and sellers
question
In competitive markets, buyers
answer
and sellers are price takers
question
When the price of a good is $5, the quantity demanded is 100 units per month; when the price is $7, the quantity demanded is 80 units per month. Using the midpoint method, the price elasticity of demand is about
answer
0.67