question
Silvio's Pizzas is a small pizzeria. The firm's production function is shown in the table above. Suppose that Silvio's costs include only the cost of renting ovens, which is $100 per oven per week, the labor cost, $280 per worker per week, and the opportunity cost of Silvio's entrepreneurship, $1,000 per week. When Silvio's uses 2 ovens and hires the 3rd worker, the marginal product of labor is [ ] the average product of labor, therefore the average product of labor [ ].
answer
less than; decreases
question
When a firm is experiencing economies of scale
answer
the LRAC curve slopes downward.
question
Electric utility companies have built larger electric generating stations and, as a result, the long-run average cost of producing each kilowatt hour decreased. This is an example of
answer
economies of scale.
question
Silvio's Pizza is a small pizzeria. The firm's production function is shown in the table above. Suppose that Silvio's costs include only the cost of renting ovens, which is $100 per oven per week, the labor cost, $280 per worker per week, and the opportunity cost of Silvio's entrepreneurship, $1,000 per week. Suppose Silvio's uses Plant 1 and hires 3 workers. What is the firm's average fixed cost?
answer
$11.00
question
In the short run
answer
no firm experiences economies of scale.
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Diseconomies of scale definitely means that as the firm increases its output, its
answer
long-run average total cost increases.
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The average total cost curves for plants A, B, C and D are shown in the above figure. It is possible that the long-run average cost curve runs through points
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d, e, and f.
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In the above figure, the long-run average cost curve exhibits diseconomies of scale
answer
between 20 and 25 units per hour.
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The average total cost curves for Plant 1, ATC0, and Plant 2, ATC1, are shown in the figure above. Over what range of output is it efficient to operate Plant 2?
answer
greater than 25
question
Consider a firm, using capital (K) and labor (L) in the production process, that wants to expand production. Suppose MPK = 200 and MPL = 60. The cost of capital is r = 50. The firm would use more labor to expand production only if the wage rate is less than _____ dollars.
answer
15
question
A private psychiatrist's office is a business that will demonstrate ______________, as it will face increasing average costs in the long run.
answer
diseconomies of scale
question
An economy is on its production possibilities frontier. If the economy faces diminishing marginal returns, what will happen to the opportunity cost as the production of one of the categories of goods increases?
answer
The opportunity cost will increase as it takes more to produce the good.
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In the long run, the total cost function will be:
answer
Upward sloping.
question
An efficient Nebraska corn farm decides to hire more workers and use fewer harvesting machines after learning of:
I. An increase in corn commodity prices.
II. A decrease in fuel prices.
III. An increase in worker productivity.
IV. An increase in harvesting machine maintenance costs.
I. An increase in corn commodity prices.
II. A decrease in fuel prices.
III. An increase in worker productivity.
IV. An increase in harvesting machine maintenance costs.
answer
III and IV
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In the long run, if a firm is on the downward-sloping portion of its LRAC curve, the firm is currently experiencing ______.
answer
economies of scale.
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If the firm were to choose a permanent output level of Q = 6,000, the lowest average cost would be achieved with the ______.
answer
medium factory.
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The table shows the average costs of production for various quantities, given three different amounts of capital. Each factory illustrates a(n) _____ average cost curve.
answer
U-shaped
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Given the following facts, what should the firm do in the short run? In the long run?Fixed costs are $50,000. Total costs are $90,000. Total revenues are $45,000.
answer
Continue to produce in the short run; leave the industry in the long run.
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Suppose a company with a single large factory expands to multiple locations. This would require the firm to hire more mid-level management positions and establish an HR department. This firm is likely experiencing ________ with this expansion.
answer
diseconomies of scale
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If the firm were to choose a permanent output level of Q = 4,000, the lowest average cost would be achieved with the _______.
answer
small factory.
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In the long run, if a firm is operating with economies of scale, it is on the ______ portion of its LRAC.
answer
downward-sloping
question
A firm is producing where the Marginal Product of Labor is 18 and the Marginal Product of Capital is 10. The price of labor is $3 and the cost of capital is $2.
They cannot adjust their capital, so are they in the short run or the long run?
They cannot adjust their capital, so are they in the short run or the long run?
answer
Short run
question
At Wisconsin's snowy Lambeau Field, a football stadium, snow removal is currently done by a mix of workers (equipped with shovels and paid minimum wage) and automated self-operating snowblower machines, which require no labor. The stadium is currently using the optimal combination of both snowblowers and workers. If Wisconsin's minimum wage rises, and nothing else changes, what should the stadium do?
answer
Utilize more machines and fewer workers.
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If a production process faces diminishing marginal returns, which of the following is most likely?
answer
Marginal costs are increasing.
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Given the following data, what should the firm do?Current production = 1,000
Current price = $10
Marginal cost = $10
Total costs = $15,000
Fixed cost = $6,000
Current price = $10
Marginal cost = $10
Total costs = $15,000
Fixed cost = $6,000
answer
Continue to produce in the short run, but close down in the long run.
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Rising average product as inputs increase means that which of the following is happening to costs?
answer
Average costs alone are falling.
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Which of the following would be likely in a market with firms experiencing economies of scale?
answer
Most of the firms will tend to be large.
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Consider a firm, using capital (K) and labor (L) in the production process, that wants to expand production. Suppose MPK = 200 and MPL = 50. The cost of capital is r = 80, and the wage rate is w = 10. Should this firm employ more labor or more capital?
answer
Labor
question
A car manufacturing plant in Michigan employs the optimal combination of both unionized and non-unionized labor. The plant agrees to a new union contract that stipulates higher wages. As the plant re-adjusts its inputs, marginal product of non-unionized workers will:
answer
Decrease.
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If the firm were to choose a permanent output level of Q = 8,000, the lowest average cost would be achieved with the _______.
answer
large factory.
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A small shirt factory in Taiwan doubles its labor inputs and experiences a tripling in output. A large catering kitchen in Tokyo increases its inputs by 30% and experiences a 50% increase in production. Which of the following is true?
answer
Both firms enjoy economies of scale.
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The key difference between the short-run and long-run model of the firm is that:
answer
We assume at least one fixed input in the short run and all variable inputs in the longe run.
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Suppose in the long run a firm's labor costs decrease. What will happen regarding the LRAC?
answer
The entire LRAC function will shift downward.
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Use the numbers to build the firm's LRAC function. In other words, assuming that at any level of output, the firm uses the proper factory size to get the lowest average cost of production. As this firm grows from 2,000 to 8,000 units, it will be experiencing:
answer
Economies of scale.
question
Use the numbers to build the firm's LRAC function. In other words, assuming that at any level of output, the firm uses the proper factory size to get the lowest average cost of production. As this firm grows from 8,000 to 10,000 units, it will be experiencing:
answer
Constant returns to scale.
question
A firm is producing where the Marginal Product of Labor is 18 and the Marginal Product of Capital is 10. The price of labor is $3 and the cost of capital is $2.
The firm is planning their future inputs and can now adjust both labor and capital. How should they adjust inputs?
The firm is planning their future inputs and can now adjust both labor and capital. How should they adjust inputs?
answer
Increase labor and decrease capital
question
In the typical short run model of the firm, we generally assume that labor is_______ and capital is________.
answer
variable; fixed
question
Mimi wants to see if she should buy another oven for her restaurant. How might she use marginal analysis to make a decision?
answer
Examine the price of the oven and the marginal product of the oven.
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In order to maximize profits at any level of output, the firm must:
answer
Minimize production costs.
question
Suppose that as a firm grows, it first experiences economies of scale, then constant returns to scale, then diseconomies of scale. The LRAC for this firm will be ______.
answer
shaped like a wide U.
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A pool-cleaning firm employs cleaning machines and cleaning workers. If local wages fall and robots become more effective, the firm should employ:
answer
One cannot tell.
question
A restaurant employs 10 workers and has one oven. The firm hires an 11th worker. The week after, it hires a 12th worker. The marginal product of the 12th worker is less than the 11th worker because of _______.
answer
diminishing returns.
question
Suppose a firm wants to do marginal analysis to see if it should employ more capital or more labor in order to increase output. The firm knows the prices of the inputs. Is this enough information to answer the question at hand?
answer
No, the firm also needs to know the marginal productivities of each of the inputs.
question
Diminishing returns is most relevant when:
answer
None of the these.
question
Economies of scale occurs when long-run average costs are [ ] and diseconomies of scale occurs when long-run average costs are [ ].
answer
decreasing/ increasing
question
Consider a firm, using capital (K) and labor (L) in the production process, that wants to expand production. Suppose MPK = 400. The cost of capital is r = 80, and the wage rate is w = 10. The firm would use more labor to expand production only if the marginal product of labor is greater than _____.
answer
50
question
Consider the concepts of economies of scale and diseconomies of scale. What is meant by the word "scale" in these concepts?
answer
The size of the firm.
question
Suppose in the long run a firm decides to grow in size and increase output. What will happen regarding the LRAC?
answer
The firm will move from one point to another point, from left to right, on the same LRAC.
question
If Steve's Apple Orchard, Inc. is a perfectly competitive firm, the demand for Steve's apples has
answer
infinite elasticity.
question
A market is perfectly competitive if
answer
there are many firms in it, each selling an identical product.
question
Marginal revenue is defined as
answer
the change in total revenue that results from one-unit increase in the quantity sold.
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A perfectly competitive firm has a total revenue curve that is
answer
upward sloping with a constant slope.
question
Which of the following is NOT an assumption of perfect competition?
answer
Firms compete by making their product different from products produced by other firms.
question
The goal of a perfectly competitive firm is to maximize its
answer
economic profit.
question
The market demand for wheat is ________ and the demand for wheat produced by an individual farm is ________.
answer
not perfectly elastic; perfectly elastic
question
The economic profit of a perfectly competitive firm
answer
is less than its total revenue.
question
For a perfectly competitive firm, the shutdown point is the
answer
amount of output at which price equals minimum average variable cost.
question
For a perfectly competitive firm, as its output increases its marginal revenue ________ and its marginal cost ________.
answer
does not change; changes
question
Bob's Lawn Care Services is a perfectly competitive firm that currently mows 22 lawns a week. Bob's marginal cost exceeds the price he charges. Bob can increase his profit if he
answer
mows fewer than 22 lawns a week.
question
As long as it does not shut down, a profit-maximizing perfectly competitive firm will.
answer
produce so that marginal revenue equals marginal cost.
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If the price exceeds the average variable cost, by producing the level of output such that marginal revenue equals marginal cost, the firm ensures that it will
answer
earn the largest profit possible.
question
The donut market is perfectly competitive. The figure shows the costs of a typical donut producer. In the short run, the donut producer's supply curve is the curve running from point ________ to point E.
answer
B
question
In the above figure, if the price is $8 per unit, how many units will a profit maximizing perfectly competitive firm produce?
answer
20
question
The above table shows the per day total cost for Kiley's Baseball Glove Company. Each glove is priced at $50 and Kiley's Baseball Glove Company is a perfectly competitive firm. At which of the following amounts of output is the economic profit maximized for Kiley's Baseball Glove Company?
answer
5
question
Giuseppe's Pizza is a perfectly competitive firm. The firm's costs are shown in the table above. If the market price is $15, how much economic profit does the firm make?
answer
$0
question
The figure above shows a perfectly competitive firm. The firm is operating; that is, the firm has not shut down. The firm is
answer
incurring a economic loss of $200.
question
The figure illustrates the short-run costs of Paul's Picture Frames Inc. The picture frame market is perfectly competitive and the market price is $30 a frame. Paul produces ________ frames each week, makes ________ of total revenue, and makes zero ________ profit.
answer
300; $9,000; economic
question
The figure above shows the marginal revenue and costs of a perfectly competitive firm. The firm's profit is maximized when the firm produces
answer
170 units of output.
question
The figure above shows the marginal revenue and costs of a perfectly competitive firm. The marginal cost of the last unit produced is
answer
$16 per unit.
question
In the short run, an increase in demand for a good that is sold in a perfectly competitive market
answer
increases the economic profits of existing firms in the market.
question
The figure above shows a perfectly competitive firm. The firm is operating; that is, it has not shut down. The firm produces
answer
10 units of output and incurs an economic loss.
question
Fast Copy is a perfectly competitive firm. The figure above shows Fast Copy's cost curves. If the market price is 4 cents per page, what is Fast Copy's economic profit?
answer
between $0.51 and $1.00 per hour
question
The above figure shows the cost curves for a perfectly competitive firm. If all firms in the market have the same cost curves and the price equals $16 per unit
answer
over time, the price will fall as new firms enter the market.
question
In the long-run equilibrium, perfectly competitive firms make zero economic profit because of
answer
the ability of firms to enter and exit.
question
In the long-run equilibrium in a perfectly competitive market, the economic profit of the firms is
answer
zero.
question
Homer's Holesome Donuts has determined that its profit-maximizing quantity is 10,000 donuts per year. Homer's earns $12,000 in revenue from the sale of those donuts. Homer's has two costs. First he pays $16,000 in annual rental payments for its five-year lease on its store. Second Homer incurs an additional cost of $5,000 for ingredients. Should Homer's exit the market in the long run?
answer
yes, because he is incurring an economic loss
question
In the long-run, if firms in a perfectly competitive market are incurring persistent economic losses, some firms will
answer
exit and the price will rise.
question
In the long run, perfectly competitive firms earn just enough revenue to
answer
pay all opportunity costs.
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In the long run, the economic profit of a firm in a perfectly competitive market
answer
will equal zero.
question
In a perfectly competitive market that is in long-run equilibrium, a rightward shift in the market demand curve results in
answer
none of the events listed above.
question
In the long run, perfectly competitive firms make zero economic profit (their owners earn a normal profit) because
answer
any economic profit would attract newcomers to the industry.
question
In a perfectly competitive market that is in long-run equilibrium, a permanent leftward shift in the market demand curve
answer
lowers the price at first but then raises it as firms leave the market.
question
In a perfectly competitive market, a permanent increase in demand initially brings a higher price, economic
answer
profit; and entry to the market.
question
Suppose a perfectly competitive market is in long-run equilibrium. If there is a permanent increase in demand,
answer
All of these answers are correct.
question
The industry that produces zangs is in long-run equilibrium. Then the demand for zangs increases permanently. As a result, firms in the industry will ________. Some firms will ________ the industry, and the industry supply curve will shift ________.
answer
make economic an profit; enter; rightward
question
The figure above shows a typical perfectly competitive corn farm, whose marginal cost curve is MC and average total cost curve is ATC. The market is initially in a long-run equilibrium, where the price is $3.00 per bushel. Then, the market demand for corn decreases and, in the short run, the price falls to $2.50 per bushel. In the new short-run equilibrium, the farm produces ________ bushels of corn and sells corn at ________ per bushel.
answer
250,000; $2.50
question
In a perfectly competitive market that is in long-run equilibrium, which of the following will NOT occur?
answer
Entrepreneurs want to enter this industry.
question
In the long-run equilibrium, perfectly competitive firms produce the level of output such that
answer
Both answers average total cost in minimized and marginal cost equals the price are correct.
question
The figure above shows the marginal revenue and long-run cost curves for a perfectly competitive firm. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
answer
The firm is producing at minimum long-run average cost.
question
In the long-run equilibrium, perfectly competitive firms produce where
answer
average total cost in minimized.
question
The figure above shows the marginal revenue and long-run cost curves for a perfectly competitive firm. All other firms in the industry have identical curves. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
answer
None of these is true.
question
In the long-run equilibrium for a perfectly competitive market
answer
All of these are correct.
question
In the long-run equilibrium in a perfectly competitive market, the firms produce at the ________ possible average total cost and the price equals the ________ possible average total cost.
answer
lowest; lowest
question
Consumer surplus ________.
answer
plus producer surplus is maximized when resources are used efficiently
question
If the donut industry is perfectly competitive and is in long-run equilibrium, then the price of a donut
answer
equals long-run average cost.