Chapter 1 Micro Questions

People and organizations have to make choices about how to allocate time and money because a. government requires it b. corporations control our lives c. time and money are both scarce d. religious values conflict with economics e. there are unlimited resources

C

Society's resources include a. land and labor b. labor and machinery c. land, labor, and capital d. land, capital, and money e. labor, capital, and money

C

Normative economics deals with a. how the economy actually works b. how a change in government budgets affects the price level c. how prices are determined in specific markets d. value judgments e. the historical growth of an economy

D

Normative economics deals with a. social norms and customs that influence economic behavior b. norms of behavior that can be taken as facts c. statements of fact d. statements about the value of a proposed policy e. government rules and regulations that drag down the economy

D

Physical capital differs from raw materials in the sense that raw materials a. have a longer useful life in production b. are considered human capital c. cannot be used to produce goods and services d. are used up in production e. are not a resource used in production

D

Which of the following is the study of economic policy recommendations? a. positive economics b. law and economics c. microeconomics d. development economics e. normative economics

E

Which of the following would be strictly a microeconomic topic? a. a general rise in interest rates b. a drop in inflation c. an increase in total production in the United States d. a drop in the nation's unemployment rate e. an increase in the price of the Ford Taurus

E

A physician's knowledge and skills are referred to by economists as a. human capital b. labor c. physical capital d. entrepreneurship e. intellectual raw materials

A

An economist claims that "the evidence suggests that high rates of inflation are associated with slow long-term economic growth." This is an example of a. positive economics b. normative economics c. negative economics d. a simplifying assumption e. microeconomic analysis

A

Economists disagree about many things. When those disagreements are about which model best explains the economy, these disagreements are primarily over "positive" statements. a. True b. False

A

If the president of Chile commented that "the crime rate in Chile is currently too high," this would be an example of a normative statement. a. True b. False

A

In every economic system, scarcity imposes limitations on a. households, business firms, governments, and the nation as a whole b. households and business firms, but not the governments c. local and state governments, but not the federal government d. households and governments, but not business firms e. business firms, governments, and the nation as a whole

A

A statement of fact that can be verified by observation is a. an abstraction b. a positive statement c. a normative statement d. a philosophical conundrum e. the basis of an assumption

B

A statement of opinion about which model best explains the economy is a. an abstraction b. a positive statement c. a normative statement d. a philosophical conundrum e. empirically verifiable

B

The statement "The unemployment rate in the U.S. is 5 percent" is a. a statement of opinion b. a positive statement that can be falsified c. lacking proper microeconomic foundations d. a statistical anomaly e. a philosophical difference of opinions regarding the nature and significance of statistical inference

B

Which of the following disciplines is not a social science? a. psychology b. mathematics c. economics d. political science e. sociology

B

Which of the following explains why individuals must make choices? a. competition among firms b. scarcity of resources c. inflation d. changes in the money supply e. conflict between positive and normative economic statements

B

A newspaper headline announces that "more college graduates than ever are in the labor force." This is an example of a. microeconomic analysis b. an abstraction c. a value judgment d. a positive statement e. macroeconomic analysis

D

Society has to establish priorities among its goals because of a. lazy politicians b. manipulative politicians c. uneducated voters d. a scarcity of resources e. too many bosses and not enough workers

D

No society can provide its citizens with everything that they want because of a. greedy politicians b. lazy workers c. an educational system that does not provide hands on experience d. firms that strive to maximize profits e. a scarcity of resources

E

Positive economics deals with a. theories about improving people's self-esteem b. practical ways of improving people's self-esteem by making money c. opinions that affirm economists' theories d. statements about the way things ought to be e. statements of fact

E

Senior citizens deserve an income that will allow them to live in comfort for their remaining years." This is a. neither a normative nor a positive statement b. both a positive and a normative statement c. strictly a macroeconomic issue d. a positive statement e. a normative statement

E

The study of economics would be superfluous if _____ did not exist. a. demand b. Capital c. Corporations d. profit e. scarcity

E

The term capital, as used by economists, refers to a. money b. the physical space in which production occurs c. the time allocated to producing goods and services d. financial securities such as stocks and bonds e. that is not used up during the production process

E

Which of the following is most closely associated with positive economics? a. determining the impact of government spending on the actual level of total employment b. determining the best level of immigration into the country c. determining whether too many luxury goods are being produced d. determining whether the government should reduce poverty e. determining whether the government should alter income taxes in order to increase total employment

A

Microeconomics a. addresses scarcity from a global perspective b. examines how individuals, households, and firms make economic decisions c. is purely theoretical and has little value in explaining real-world phenomena d. focuses on what is happening in the economy as a whole e. answers the fundamental economic questions of how, when, where, and why

B

Economics is a. exclusively the study of the markets for stocks and bonds b. the study of choice under conditions of scarcity c. exclusively the study of business firms d. fundamentally the same as sociology e. applicable only when scarcity is not a problem

B

Economists disagree about whether increasing the minimum wage is a good idea, because they put different weight on the importance that the negative impacts have relative to the positive impacts. As such, the disagreements are usually over a. normative issues b. positive issues c. the mathematical calculations in an economic model d. whether microeconomics or macroeconomics is more important e. whether economic theory is useful in explaining the behavior of actors in the economy

A

If two economists completely agree about the magnitude of employment effects of a proposed change in government policy, but disagree about whether the change is a good idea. The difference in opinion a. must be normative in nature b. is both positive and normative in nature c. is more likely to be normative than positive d. is more likely to be positive than normative e. would be neither positive nor normative in nature

A

Macroeconomics focuses on the economy as a whole. a. True b. False

A

Macroeconomics studies the determination of a. total output, total employment, the general price level, and the general level of interest rates b. total output and the general level of interest rates only c. total employment and the general level of prices only d. the interaction of individual economic actors in specific markets and industries e. the levels of employment and prices in specific markets and industries

A

Microeconomics analyzes individual parts of the economy rather than broad economic aggregates. a. True b. False

A

Positive economic statements are usually easier to refute with data than normative economic statements are. a. True b. False

A

Suppose that the Council of Economic Advisers tells the President that "the unemployment rate is 4 percent." The President responds, "That rate is still too high." The President's statement is a. a normative statement b. a positive statement c. empirically verifiable by checking economic data d. an indisputable statistical fact e. an incorrect positive statement

A

Suppose that the following headlines appeared in a newspaper. Which would most clearly represent a macroeconomic issue? a. "Central Bank Raises Interest Rates" b. "Auto Dealership to Cut Prices" c. "Fanny's Freeze Dried Prunes to Lay Off 50 Workers" d. "United Workers Union to Strike April 15" e. "Brazilian Coffee Bean Crop Falls by 10 Percent"

A

Suppose two economists disagree about who would be helped or hurt by certain legislation. These disagreements a. are positive in nature b. are minor and rarely lead to different policies or conclusions c. are normative in nature d. occur as the result of a mistake made by an economist e. occur because economic models are more complex, and subject to error, than the real world

A

Suppose you start your own company making T-shirts that commemorate campus sporting events. An example of the resource capital would be a. the factory you created in a building you are leasing b. your time and effort used to produce T-shirts c. the entire campus, since the demand for T-shirts is obtained from campus students d. the athletic facilities, since the athletic teams generate sporting events advertised on the T-shirts e. your creative designs used to commemorate different sporting events

A

The basic problem addressed in economics is a. scarce resources and unlimited wants b. scarce wants and unlimited resources c. cost minimization d. how to manage a financial portfolio e. unlimited time and unlimited potential

A

The core problem faced by all economic systems is that a. scarcity forces each of us to make choices b. the government must intervene to allocate scarce resources c. of matching people's wants with their needs d. of allocating unlimited resources e. it needs to maximize each household's material standard of living

A

The economic behavior of government is constrained by a. limited budgets b. the absence of prices on most government output c. moral philosophy of the community d. low voter participation rates e. political self interest

A

The knowledge that students gain while in college is referred to by economists as human capital. a. True b. False

A

The price that a firm's only competitor charges would be a a. topic in microeconomics b. topic in finance c. macroeconomic topic d. topic in public finance e. normative issue

A

When economists disagree about whether legislation is a good idea, even when they agree about its impacts, the disagreements are usually over a. normative issues b. positive issues c. the mathematical calculations in an economic model d. whether microeconomics or macroeconomics is more important e. whether economic theory is useful in explaining the behavior of actors in the economy

A

Microeconomics is the study of a. government decisions b. the federal government's budget c. the economic behavior of entire nations d. the economic behavior of individual decision makers e. the overall economy

D

Which of the following explains why economists may disagree over normative issues? a. They have different beliefs and values. b. They examine the same data to draw their conclusions. c. They need to disagree in order to publish their research findings. d. They often employ different statistical techniques when examining data. e. Some work only on microeconomic issues, while others focus exclusively on macroeconomic issues.

A

Microeconomics is the branch of economics that concerns a. the overall health of the economy b. the behavior of individual households, firms, and governments c. the overall level of trade between nations d. local governments only e. the general level of output

B

Positive economics deals with a. value judgments b. how the economy does work c. how the economy should work d. how the federal government should operate e. what the price level should be

B

Society's core economic problem is a. the role of government in the economy b. a scarcity of land, labor, and machinery to produce goods and services c. the federal budget deficit d. an unequal distribution of income e. low living standards

B

The Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget each produce deficit forecasts for a fiscal year. They use models that are mostly similar but have notable differences. As such, the disagreements are likely usually over a. normative issues b. positive issues c. the mathematical calculations in an economic model d. whether microeconomics or macroeconomics is more important e. whether economic theory is useful in explaining the behavior of actors in the economy

B

The statement that "IBM's stock closed at $85" is a. a normative statement b. a positive statement c. a macroeconomic observation d. financial manipulation e. a sign that the market may be undervalued

B

The statement that "at 10 percent, the interest rate is too high for families to buy the home they deserve," is a(n) a. positive statement b. normative statement c. morally ambiguous philosophical position d. affront to the American dream e. value judgment

B

Which of the following is a positive statement? a. Driving speeds should be lowered so that fewer accidents will occur. b. When per capita income falls, fewer meals are consumed at restaurants. c. The minimum wage is too low; college students deserve a raise. d. Cigarette sales should be made illegal in order to reduce the incidence of cancer. e. Social Security is a good program for U.S. workers.

B

Which of the following would be a concern of normative economics? a. measuring the actual distribution of income in the economy b. recommending a change in government policy to make the distribution of income more equitable c. determining the impact of higher income taxes on the distribution of income d. determining the impact of a lower federal budget deficit on the distribution of income e. measuring the change in the nation's income distribution since 1960

B

Land, labor, and money are the three categories of economic resources. a. True b. False

B (land, labor and capital)

Microeconomic topics include the overall unemployment rate in the United States and the rate of inflation. a. True b. False

B (macroeconomics)

How retail gasoline stations behave in a local market is an example of a macroeconomic issue. a. True b. False

B (microeconomic)

Macroeconomics focuses on the behavior of economic agents such as the consumer, a business firm, or a specific market. a. True b. False

B (microeconomics)

The basic problem of economics arises when there are unlimited resources available to fulfill society's limited wants. A. True B. False

B (scarcity of resources)

"The Consumer Price Index increased by 4.2 percent in the first quarter of this year." What type of statement is this? a. normative b. negative c. positive d. subjective e. biased

C

A statement of opinion about which policy is best for America is a. an abstraction b. a positive statement c. a normative statement d. a philosophical conundrum e. empirically verifiable

C

All the problems studied in economics arise from a. the unequal distribution of income b. overpopulation c. the scarcity of resources d. inappropriate government action e. war

C

An entrepreneur is best described as a. someone that is hired to work in a firm b. someone who creates human capital c. someone with the ability to combine other resources in a productive enterprise d. anyone who owns productive enterprise e. anyone who produces long-lived physical capital

C

Because households have limited incomes, they must a. rarely take vacations b. live below the poverty line c. allocate their spending carefully d. gamble in casinos frequently e. save for the future

C

Economics is a. the narrow study of how to make money in financial markets b. the broad study of how to allocate unlimited resources to satisfy limited uses c. the broad study of how to allocate limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants d. the narrow study of using stocks and bonds to their maximum potential e. the narrow study of how to be conservative in financial affairs

C

Economics is the study of choice under conditions of a. demand b. supply c. scarcity d. opportunity e. abundance

C

Macroeconomic models focus on the behavior of a. individual households, business firms, and government agencies b. individual nations in the foreign trade sector c. the entire economy d. large industrial sectors, such as manufacturing e. individual business firms and government agencies

C

Macroeconomics is the branch of economics that concerns a. the behavior of individual actors in the economy b. output in a specific industry c. the overall health of the economy d. the federal government only e. prices in a specific industry

C

Macroeconomics is the study of a. how wages are determined in a specific labor market b. how to use the fewest natural resources to produce public goods c. what is happening in the economy as a whole d. how consumers and producers interact in individual markets e. the price and the quantity exchanged in a market

C

Microeconomics deals with which of the following? a. the total output of an economy b. the measurement of a nation's inflation rate c. how producers and consumers interact in individual markets d. how tax policies influence economic growth e. whether wage growth will outpace inflation in the coming year

C

Suppose two economists agree about who would be helped or hurt by certain legislation, but disagree about whether the legislation would be a good idea. These disagreements a. are positive in nature b. are minor and rarely lead to different policies or conclusions c. are normative in nature d. occur as the result of a mistake made by an economist e. occur because economic models are more complex, and subject to error, than the real world

C

The inflation rate for the economy as a whole is a a. normative value judgment b. positive value judgment c. macroeconomic statistic d. microeconomic statistic e. critical assumption

C

The price of apples in Denver, Colorado is a. a normative value judgment b. an example of a factor of production c. a microeconomic variable d. a macroeconomic variable e. not the sort of thing that economists would try to explain

C

The study of how consumers and producers interact in individual markets is a. macroeconomics b. labor economics c. microeconomics d. econometrics e. development economics

C

The study of how firms interact in a market is a a. waste of time b. normative subject c. microeconomic topic d. topic in political science e. macroeconomic topic

C

What does economics have in common with sociology? a. Economics and sociology ask fundamentally the same questions. b. Economics and sociology use the same tools to analyze issues. c. Both are social sciences. d. What and how economists study is very similar to what and how sociologists study. e. Explaining something about society is only a secondary purpose in both areas.

C

Which of the following is the best example of physical capital used to produce a textbook? a. the expertise and writing ability of the author b. the ink used in the printing press c. the printing press d. the property on which the publisher's office is located e. the time spent by editors reviewing the textbook

C

All of the following are examples of constraints faced by decision makers, except one. Which is the exception? a. income for a consumer b. natural resources for a firm c. time for a laborer d. consumer wants e. wealth for a consumer

D

Due to a scarcity of resources, a. governments should decide what should be produced b. the government must decide how to allocate available resources c. some members of each society must live in poverty d. every society must choose among competing uses of available resources e. resource availability exceeds the possible uses for available resources

D

Due to society's overall scarcity of resources, a. only households are constrained by income b. only government agencies are constrained by limited budgets c. only business firms are constrained by the cost of buying their inputs d. households, business firms and government agencies all face constraints e. households and business firms face constraints, but government agencies do not

D

Economics is the study of a. how to start a business b. how to make money in stocks, bonds, and real estate c. choice under conditions of abundance d. choice under conditions of scarcity e. multinational business

D

Even though households may have unlimited wants, they have to allocate their spending carefully because they a. do not want their credit card bills to be too high b. worry about their taxes c. have limited intelligence d. have limited incomes e. basically want to become wealthy

D

If two economists disagree about the magnitude of employment effects of a proposed change in government policy, the difference in opinion a. must be positive in nature b. must be normative in nature c. is more likely to be normative than positive d. is more likely to be positive than normative e. would be neither positive nor normative in nature

D

In the United States, individuals are forced to make choices a. because time is scarce, though spending power is not b. because spending power is scarce, though time is not c. though neither time nor spending power are scarce d. because both time and spending power are scarce e. because living standards are low

D

Individuals must make choices because a. resources are scarce and wants are limited b. resources and wants are unlimited c. assets and wealth are distributed unevenly d. resources are scarce and wants are unlimited e. inflation usually outpaces income growth

D

Macroeconomics is the study of a. how the price of gasoline is determined b. large objects c. the economic behavior of individual decision makers d. the behavior of the economy as a whole e. the economic behavior of individual firms

D

Microeconomic models focus on the behavior of a. all households, businesses, and government sectors at the same time b. the household sector as a whole c. individual households and business firms d. individual households, business firms, and government agencies e. the business and government sectors

D

The distinction between positive and normative economics a. is that positive economics applies only to microeconomic problems b. is that normative economics applies only to microeconomic problems c. is the difference between an assumption and a conclusion d. helps us understand why economists sometimes disagree with one another e. explains why economics is not a social science

D

The main categories of resources are a. labor, money, capital, and inputs b. capital, land, raw materials, and entrepreneurship c. raw materials, money, labor, and capital d. land, capital, labor, natural resources, and entrepreneurship e. human capital, physical capital, labor, and natural resources

D

The overall performance of the economic system as a whole is the focus of a. international finance b. labor economics c. microeconomics d. macroeconomics e. public economics

D

The statement "The unemployment rate in the U.S. was 5 percent last month" is a. a value judgment b. an economic opinion c. a normative statement d. a positive statement e. totally beyond anything that should be permitted by modern society

D

The unemployment rate for the economy as a whole is a(n) a. normative value judgment b. positive value judgment c. microeconomic statistic d. macroeconomic statistic e. example of an economic model

D

Understanding the distinction between positive and normative economic statements is important because it a. enables us to derive better forecasts of macroeconomic aggregates such as GDP b. explains why economics is not a physical science c. is the primary distinction between macroeconomics and microeconomics d. provides a framework for understanding differences among economists e. enables us to see the rationale behind economic models

D

Which of the following is a normative statement? a. Fifteen percent of Americans go without health insurance in a year. b. The Consumer Price Index rose three-tenths of one percent in May. c. An increase in the minimum wage will increase teenage unemployment. d. Americans would be better served by single-payer health care system. e. The French trade deficit reached an all-time high last year.

D

Which of the following would be studied in macroeconomics? a. a drop in the price of personal computers b. an individual household's decision on how to allocate its spending power c. a rise in employment in movie theaters across the nation d. total output in the nation e. a local bank's increase in the interest rate offered on savings deposits

D

A microeconomist might study which of the following? a. how inflation changes over time for several countries b. how money supply aggregates are measured c. economic growth in less-developed countries in Africa d. the relationship between aggregate income and aggregate personal consumption e. why wages for females are lower than for males in a particular labor market

E

Because of economic scarcity a. there are not enough jobs for everyone b. people are afraid to become entrepreneurs c. the government interferes in the economy d. businesses cannot obtain the resources they need e. people and organizations have to allocate resources carefully

E

Economics is a. a discipline in the physical sciences b. a field that deals exclusively with normative issues c. a field that deals exclusively with positive issues d. only useful for examining behavior in capitalist economies e. a discipline that focuses on how choices are made in society

E

Economics is the study of a. scarcity under conditions of democracy b. choice within a system of free speech c. financial markets d. the role of government in a market system e. choice under conditions of scarcity

E

In examining consumer behavior, one of the constraints faced by consumers is a. happiness b. quantities consumed c. tastes and preferences d. entrepreneurial ability e. income

E

Which of the following is a characteristic of entrepreneurship? a. the ability to navigate bodies of water b. it is produced using physical capital c. it is used up quickly in the production process d. it is a pre-existing resource like land e. it is associated with risk taking and innovation

E