question
The __________ the opportunity cost of doing something, the ___________ likely it will be done.
answer
higher, less
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An arrangement that allows buyers and sellers to exchange things is called
answer
a market
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The principle that the cost of something is equal to what is sacrificed to get it is known as the
answer
principle of opportunity cost
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Increasing opportunity cost while moving along a production possibility frontier is due to
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the fact that resources are not equally productive in alternative uses
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To think at the margin means to consider
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how a small change in one variable affects another variable
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The "coincidence of wants" problem associated with barter refers to the fact that
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for exchange to occur each transactor must have a product which the other transactor wants
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Customarily, economists classify resources into these major groups
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land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship
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When economists assume that people are rational and respond to incentives, they mean
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people act in their own self-interest
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The above graph depicts the mythical country of Sandwichia's production possibility frontier. Sandwichia would have to experience significant technological progress or massive saving and investment before it could feasibly choose to produce at
answer
point e
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From above graph, the opportunity cost of producing an extra jar of jelly in Sandwichia is highest at
answer
point b
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Which of the following might be considered to be a characteristic of a planned economy?
answer
there is no incentive for people to work hard
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The opportunity cost of going to college
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includes wages you lose by going to school instead of working
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Does voluntary exchange create wealth (value)?
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yes, trade generally permits the trading partners to gain more of what they value; this is why they agree to the terms of the exchange
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Which of the following will most likely occur under a system of clearly defined and enforced private property rights?
answer
resource owners will gain by discovering and employing their resources in ways that are highly valued by others
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Economic capital refers to
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buildings, machinery, and equipment
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The 3 key economic questions include all of the following EXCEPT
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"where should these products be produced?"
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The additionalterm-15 cost resulting from a small increase in some activity is called the
answer
marginal cost
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Because resources are limited
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people must make choices
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If an economy is operating at a point inside the production possibilities curve,
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its resources are being wasted
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A response to a price change would be described as a:
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movement along an existing demand curve
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The general relationship of economic freedom and the share of income of the poorest 10% of a country's citizens is
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consistent -- the poorest 1-% receive the same share of income regardless of the level of economic freedom
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When there is a change in the quantity demanded it means that
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the quantity a consumer is willingly to buy changes when the price changes
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If two countries are producing the same two products it is mutually beneficial if the countries specialize then trade. How is it determined who specializes in the production of which product?
answer
by the lowest opportunity cost of production, comparative advantage
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Specialization and trade exploit differences in productivity of workers and
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make everyone better off
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A change in quantity supplied of a product is the result of a change in
answer
the price of the product
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Consider two individuals, Celia and Sondra, who produce bracelets and pendants. The above table shows how much of each good Celia and Sondra can produce in one hour. Celia's opportunity cost of one bracelet is
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1/5 of a pendant
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When a market is in equilibrium,
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there is no shortage and no surplus at the equilibrium price
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The Law of Demand can be explained as
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the higher the price, the smaller the quantity demanded, ceteris paribus
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When producers are willing to sell more than consumers are willing to buy,
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there is a surplus of the product in the market
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According to the law of increasing opportunity costs,
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the risk involved in producing a good increases as more of the good is produced
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The money payment made to owners of land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurial ability are
answer
rent, wages, interest, and profits respectively
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Which of the following was NOT in the top 10 countries in terms of Economic Freedom according to the Heritage Foundation (as shown and discussed in class)
answer
United States
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In a market system, what provides individuals the information needed to make decisions?
answer
prices
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In a market economy, what provides potential investors with reliable information about the financial performance of a firm?
answer
accounting rules
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The law of supply indicates that
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producers will offer more of a product at high prices than they will at low prices
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The general relationship between economic freedom and per capita income is
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positive --- higher economic freedom leads to a higher per capita income
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If the actual price of t-shirts is $7, there is
answer
shortage of 8 t-shirts
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If the actual price of t-shirts is $10, we would expect that
answer
there will be no change since the market is in equilibrium
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In the figure above, the increase in demand results in
answer
higher rents and increase in the equilibrium quantity
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In the figure above, the demand curve shifts rightward from D0 to D1 so that D1 is the relevant demand curve. Suppose the government imposes a rent ceiling of $300 per month. In the short run there will be
answer
a shortage of 200,000 apartments
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If the equilibrium price of a good increases and the equilibrium quantity of the good decreases, we can conclude
answer
supply decreased
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The "law of demand" states that, with other things constant, changes in
answer
the quantity demanded of a good are inversely related to changes in its price
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The battery packs used in electric cars and hybrid automobiles are one of the largest cost components for manufacturing these cars. As the price of these batteries decline, we expect that the:
answer
supply curve for electric and hybrid autos will increase
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In order to have an effect, a price ceiling must be set
answer
below the equilibrium price
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When a market is in equilibrium,
answer
there is no shortage and no surplus at the equilibrium price
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Which of the following increases the supply curve for gasoline?
answer
a decrease in the price of a resource used to produce gasoline, such as crude oil
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Which of the following explains why supply curves slope upward?
answer
law of increasing opportunity cost
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A minimum wage set above the equilibrium wage rate for low-skilled workers
answer
creates unemployment among low-skilled workers
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Which of the following will NOT cause an increase in the demand curve for beer?
answer
a change in the price of beer
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The quantity demanded of a good or service is the amount that
answer
consumers plan to buy during a given time period at a given price
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From 1970 to 2017, the real price of eggs decreased. Which of the following would cause an unambiguous decrease in the real price of eggs?
answer
an increase in the supply for eggs and a decrease in the demand for eggs
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A legal price ceiling of $0 means
answer
the product is legal to give away but not to sell
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Which of the following increases the demand for an inferior good?
answer
a decrease in income
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The above figures show the market for hamburger meat. Which figure shows the effect of a nation-wide strike by butchers and meat-packers?
answer
Figure C
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An important determinant of the amount of grains harvested next year by Ethiopian farmers is the amount of seeds planted this year. Given that Western nations have guaranteed to donated five hundred tons of grain next year, this year the Ethiopian farmers will
answer
plant less seeds as the price of grain will be lower with the food aid
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Bacon and eggs are complements. If the price of bacon rises, the demand for eggs will
answer
decrease and the demand curve for eggs will shift leftward
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A supply curve is defined as the relationship between
answer
the price of a good and the quantity that producers are willing to sell
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A firm experiences diminishing marginal returns becaue
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at lease one factor of production is fixed and becomes constraining to production
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If the demand curve is a vertical line, it means that
answer
regardless of price, the quantity demanded is a constant amount
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Suppose that the elasticity of demand for a product is 2.0. What will happen to total revenue as a firm decreases the price?
answer
Total revenue will increase
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Average variable cost is defined as
answer
total variable cost divided by quantity
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Which of the following is not a benefit from the existence of firms?
answer
principle-agent relationships
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Suppose that Wilson Beer Brewer faces a linear demand curve and that the current price for its beer is set at a point where the price elasticity is 1.6. If Wilson Beer Brewer increases the product price,
answer
the demand becomes more elastic and total revenue decreases
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In the short run, the firm's total cost equals:
answer
fixed costs + variable costs
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The price elasticity of demand is calculated by
answer
the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price
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_____________ are costs that do not require a monetary payment.
answer
implicit costs
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The primary objective of a firm in a market economy is to
answer
maximize profits
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Which of the following is an example of something that economists would consider a cost but accountants would not?
answer
the interest income forgone by the firm's owner invested funds into the firm
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Marginal product in the short run:
answer
may initially increase, then eventually decrease
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The marginal product of the second worker is
answer
2 units
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When at least one factor of production is fixed, firms require more and more workers to produce each additional unit of output. This describes:
answer
diminishing marginal returns
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Which of the following factors would indicate less elastic demand?
answer
there are few substitutes
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If Juan purchases the same number of gallons of gasoline per week regardless of changes in gasoline price, Juan's demand for gasoline is:
answer
perfectly inelastic
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If the price elasticity of demand is 2, this means that a __________ increase in price causes a ________ decrease in quantity demanded.
answer
20%, 40%
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In the short run:
answer
firms are able to alter some, but not all, of their factors of production
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Curve A is the __________ curve.
answer
marginal cost
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A price taker is a buyer or a seller who
answer
takes the market price as given
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You notice that the price of butter falls and then rises. The best explanation for this is that
answer
demand for butter decreased causing price to fall, which induced other firms to exit the market causing supply to decrease, which caused the price to go back up
question
From the above graph, if price is P1 then a competitive industry will
answer
contract
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For a profit maximizing competitive firm
answer
price always equals marginal cost
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If a firm in a perfectly competitive market is currently producing the output where price = marginal cost = average total cost, the firm is
answer
earning a normal rate of return
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Marginal revenue is equal to
answer
the change in total revenue from selling one more unit of a good
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If the firm is incurring losses in the short run, then which of the following is true at its profit maximizing level of production?
answer
P < ATC
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If average total cost > average variable cost > price, a profit maximizing firm in a competitive market should
answer
shut down in the short run
question
In a competitive constant cost industry, an increase in price causes
answer
more firms to enter the industry
question
Marginal revenue is equal to price for a competitive firm because
answer
total revenue increases by the price of the good when an additional unit is sold
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A market where individual firms cannot affect the market price of their good is most likely
answer
a competitive market
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From the above graph, in a competitive market with a properly run profit maximizing firm, if the market price is $3 its profit is
answer
-$900
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From the above graph, in a competitive market, which listed prices will generate positive economic profits?
answer
$15
question
Suppose that Gigantic Company is increasing in size. As Gigantic Company grows, they are able to buy inputs in bulk, resulting in lower input prices. It is likely that continued growth will result in:
answer
economies of scale
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If a firm suffers an economic loss, its
answer
price is less than its average total cost
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A firm's marginal cost curve above the minimum of the average variable cost curve is also
answer
the firm's short-run supply curve
question
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a monopolistically competitive market?
answer
there are substantial barriers to entry
question
Market power is the power to
answer
control prices
question
A monopolist maximizes profits by setting the quantity where
answer
marginal revenue equal to marginal cost
question
Gasoline stations carrying the same fuel brand are able to charge different prices in San Francisco because
answer
gasoline stations are perfect price discriminators
question
Under the conditions of monopolistic competition
answer
economic profit is zero in the long run
question
You notice that the price of butter, a competitive product, falls and then rises. The best explanation for this is that
answer
demand for butter decreased causing price to fall, which induced other firms to exit the market causing supply to decrease, which caused the price to go back up
question
Price fixing is an arrangement whereby firms agree to
answer
coordinate their pricing decisions
question
Which of the following is NOT a barrier to entry for monopoly?
answer
a large number of existing firms in a market
question
The demand curve that a monopolist faces is
answer
the market demand curve
question
Cartels engage in price fixing in order to
answer
increase profits
question
The word "monopolistic" in the label "monopolistic competition" refers to the fact that:
answer
each firm produces a slightly different version of the product
question
Price discrimination is related to elasticity because
answer
the firm can increase revenues by charging customers with elastic demands, lower prices, and charging customers with inelastic demands higher prices
question
The more product differentiation in the market, the _______ the firm specific demand curve. The less product differentiation in the market, the ________ the firm specific demand curve.
answer
steeper, flatter
question
Oligopoly differs from monopoly and perfect competition in that
answer
all of the above
question
In order to practice price discrimination a firm must
answer
be able to divide consumers into groups with different demands for their product
question
Given that a monopolist is acting in a profit maximizing manner, the above illustrates a monopolist:
answer
suffer a loss
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The deadweight loss associated with the monopoly would be represented by the area
answer
ade
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The merits of a patent system is
answer
all of the above
question
When firms cooperate with each other rather than compete
answer
the firms will end up better off
question
At low levels of production, the firm
answer
all of the above
question
If the market price is $6.30, the firm will earn
answer
zero economic profits in the short run