Chapter 2 ECON 212
the agricultural nation of Luckidom is attempting to answer the three fundamental economic questions. Develop the three questions as they relate to this nation. a. 1. Should we produce more wheat and fewer soybeans? 2. Should we farm with equipment or by hand? 3. Do the farmers or the governors receive a higher salary? b. 1. Should we farm with equipment or by hand? 2. Do the farmers or the governors receive a higher salary? 3. Should we grow near the riverbed or by the coast? c. 1. Do the farmers or the governors receive a higher salary? 2. Should we grow near the riverbed or by the coast? 3. Should we produce more wheat and fewer soybeans? d. 1. Should we grow near the riverbed or by the coast? 2. Should we produce more wheat and fewer soybeans? 3. Should we farm with equipment or by hand?
a. 1. Should we produce more wheat and fewer soybeans? 2. Should we farm with equipment or by hand? 3. Do the farmers or the governors receive a higher salary?
the question "Should more capital goods be produced instead of consumer goods?" is an example of which fundamental economic question? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce questio d. The For Whom to Produce question
a. The What to Produce question
which fundamental economic question requires society to decide the mix and quantity of goods and services it will produce? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce question d. The For Whom to Produce question
a. The What to Produce question
the opportunity cost to a city for using local tax revenues to construct a new park is the: a. best alternative foregone by building the park b. dollar cost of constructing the new park c. dollar cost of the old park d. increased taxes necessary to pay for maintenance of the new park
a. best alternative foregone by building the park
in economics, investment refers to the process of accumulating: a. capital goods b. consumer goods c. money d. stocks and bonds
a. capital goods
on a production possibilities curve diagram, greater entrepreneurship: a. causes the curve to shift outward b. keeps the economy on the curve c. prevents movement along the curve d. keeps the economy at the corners of the curve
a. causes the curve to shift outward
which of the following most accurately summarizes the implications of an economy's production possibilities curve? a. if all the resources of an economy are being used efficiently, more of one good can be produced only if less of another good is produced b. if all the resources of an economy are being used efficiently, it is generally possible to produce more of one good without having to sacrifice the production of other goods c. over time, it is generally impossible for a country to expand its production of goods d. an economy will automatically move toward a point that lies outside of the production possibilities constraint unless proper government policy constrains production
a. if all the resources of an economy are being used efficiently, more of one good can be produced only if less of another good is produced
if an economy is operating at a point inside the production possibilities curve, a. its resources are not being used efficiently b. opportunity costs are decreasing as more of one good is traded for the other good c. technology has improved d. there is full employment of all resources
a. its resources are not being used efficiently
while waiting in line to buy one cheeseburger for $1.50 and a medium drink for $1.00, Sally notices that she could get a value meal that contains both the cheeseburger and medium drink and also a medium order of fries for $2.75. She thinks to herself, "Is it worth the extra 25 cents to get the medium fries?" To an economist, Sally's decision is an example of: a. marginal analysis b. basing decisions on total, rather than marginal, value c. an unintended consequence d. the fallacy of composition
a. marginal analysis
because of the problem of scarcity, the choice to produce: a. more of one good requires producing less of another good b. some of any good requires producing none of any other good c. more of every good is feasible d. less of one good requires producing more of every other good
a. more of one good requires producing less of another good
the highest valued alternative that must be given up in order to choose an option is called the: a. opportunity cost b. utility cost c. scarcity expense d. accounting cost
a. opportunity cost.
the production possibilities curve shows that: a. some of one good must be given up to get more of another good in an economy that is operating efficiently b. no output combination is impossible c. an economy that is operating efficiently can have more of one good without giving up some of another good d. scarcity can be eliminated
a. some of one good must be given up to get more of another good in an economy that is operating efficiently
in economics, the term marginal refers to: a. the change or difference from a current situation b. man-made resources as opposed to natural resources c. the satisfaction a consumer receives from a good d. holding everything else constant in the analysis
a. the change or difference from a current situation
the production possibility curve is bowed outward from the origin because of: a. the law of increasing opportunity costs b. the finite nature of the resource base c. inefficiency d. unemployment
a. the law of increasing opportunity costs
after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the United States began devoting substantial resources toward the War on Terrorism, homeland security, and relief efforts. As long as our resources were being used efficiently, the production possibilities curve would suggest that: a. we will have to give up the production of other goods that could have been produced with these resources b. we will be able to produce the same amount of other goods as before c. the military spending will result in an outward shift in the production possibilities curve but that the relief effort will result in an offsetting inward shift d. we will be unable to devote the resources necessary toward these efforts unless there is an improvement in technology
a. we will have to give up the production of other goods that could have been produced with these resources
which of the following is not one of the three fundamental economic questions? a. where to produce? b. for whom to produce? c. how to produce? d. what to produce?
a. where to produce?
which of the following sayings best reflects the concept of opportunity cost? a. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." b. "There is no such thing as a free lunch." c. "I have a baker's dozen." d. "There's no business like show business."
b. "There is no such thing as a free lunch."
a farmer is deciding whether or not to add fertilizer to his or her crops. If the farmer adds 1 pound of fertilizer per acre, the value of the resulting crops rises from $80 to $100 per acre. According to marginal analysis, the farmer should add fertilizer if it costs less than: a. $12.50 per pound b. $20 per pound c. $80 per pound d. $100 per pound
b. $20 per pound
a nation can accelerate its economic growth by: a. reducing the number of immigrants allowed into the country b. adding to its stock of capital c. printing more money d. imposing tariffs and quotas on imported goods
b. adding to its stock of capital
why does the opportunity cost of your college education include money you could have earned working instead of going to college? a. because most people who don't go to college work instead b. because the best alternative use of your time is working c. because people should be productive members of society d. because working a full time job takes as much time as going to college
b. because the best alternative use of your time is working
while waiting in line to buy two tacos at 80 cents each and a medium drink for 90 cents, Jordan notices that the restaurant has a value meal containing three tacos and a medium drink all for $3. Jordan should purchase the value meal if a. his marginal cost exceeds his marginal benefit b. his marginal benefit of the third taco is greater than 50 cents c. his value of the third taco is less than 50 cents d. he has $3 in his wallet
b. his marginal benefit of the third taco is greater than 50 cents
given the possible strategies listed below, design the best plan for increasing the country's future standard of living. i. build new factories ii. print money iii. develop new production technology iv. sacrifice consumer goods for capital formation iv. tighten immigration policy v. produce only enough capital goods to replenish depreciation. a. i, ii, and iii only b. i, iii, and iv only c. ii, iv, and v only d. i, ii, iii, iv, and v
b. i, iii, and iv only
the process through which an economy's production possibilities curve shifts outward is: a. full-employment management b. investment c. resource renewal d. out-resourcing
b. investment
along a production possibilities curve showing capital and consumption goods production, which of the following pairs are being held fixed? a. unemployment and capital goods production b. number of resources and technology c. composition of the economy's output and number of resources d. capital and consumption goods production
b. number of resources and technology
economic growth may be represented by a(n): a. leftward shift of a production possibilities curve b. outward shift of a production possibilities curve c. movement along a production possibilities curve d. production possibilities curve that remains fixed
b. outward shift of a production possibilities curve
according to marginal analysis, you should choose to do something if the extra benefit: a. is positive b. outweighs the extra cost c. exceeds the benefits of the previous time spent on the activity d. will change the outcome
b. outweighs the extra cost
a production possibility graph slopes down because of: a. the law of increasing costs b. scarcity c. inefficiency d. unemployment
b. scarcity
suppose a 50-seat bus is about to depart from Boston to New York with five empty seats. The total cost to the bus company of the trip is $1,000 and no services, food, or beverages are provided to passengers. Use marginal analysis to develop conditions under which the bus company would be willing to sell tickets for the five remaining seats. a. the bus company would be willing to sell the five remaining tickets at a price of at least $20 each to cover the cost per seat of those passengers b. the bus company would be willing to sell the five remaining tickets at any price over $0 because there is no additional cost of five more passengers c. the bus company would not be willing to sell the five remaining tickets because it already covered the cost of the trip with the revenue from the 45 passengers on board d. the bus company would be willing to sell the five remaining tickets at a price of at least $25 each because they need to make a profit on each passenger
b. the bus company would be willing to sell the five remaining tickets at any price over $0 because there is no additional cost of five more passengers
if an economy is producing at full employment, it means that: a. there are idle resources in this economy b. the economy is producing along its production possibilities curve c. the economy is producing at a point that is to the left of the production possibilities curve d. the economy is producing at a point that is to the right of the production possibilities curve
b. the economy is producing along its production possibilities curve
in Europe during the 14th century, the Black Plague killed 24 million people or close to 37 percent of the population. How would this affect the production possibilities curves for the countries of Europe at that time? a. the production possibilities curves for these countries would have shifted outward b. the production possibilities curves for these countries would have shifted inward c. the production possibilities curves for these countries would have been unaffected d. this would have been illustrated by a movement along the production possibilities curves for these countries, but it would not have shifted them
b. the production possibilities curves for these countries would have shifted inward
while waiting in line to buy a cheeseburger for $2 and a drink for 75 cents, Aaron notices that the restaurant has a value meal containing a cheeseburger, drink, and French fries for $3. For Aaron, the marginal cost of purchasing the French fries: a. would be zero b. would be 25 cents c. would be 50 cents d. cannot be determined because the information about the price of the French fries is not provided
b. would be 25 cents
three of the four following questions are indicative of the three fundamental economic questions. Leaving out the irrelevant question, rearrange the three relevant questions in the order an economy must answer them. - Should electricity be produced from oil, solar, or nuclear power? - Should corn be produced in the North or in the South? - Who drives a Mercedes? - Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? a. 1. Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? 2. Should corn be produced in the North or in the South? 3. Should electricity be produced from oil, solar, or nuclear power? b. 1. Who drives a Mercedes? 2. Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? 3. Should corn be produced in the North or in the South? c. 1. Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? 2. Should electricity be produced from oil, solar, or nuclear power? 3. Who drives a Mercedes? d. 1. Should electricity be produced from oil, solar, or nuclear power? 2. Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? 3. Should corn be produced in the North or in the South?
c. 1. Should more hybrid cars and fewer SUVs be produced? 2. Should electricity be produced from oil, solar, or nuclear power? 3. Who drives a Mercedes?
Mikki decides to work five hours the night before her economics exam. She earns an extra $75, but her exam score is 10 points lower than it would have been had she stayed home and studied. Her opportunity cost is the: a. five hours she worked b. $75 she earned c. 10 points she lost on her exam d. time she could have spent watching television
c. 10 points she lost on her exam
if an economy could produce 0 capital goods and 200 consumption goods, or 10 capital goods and 180 consumption goods with full employment, construct two additional full employment production options that would exhibit the law of increasing opportunity costs. a. 20 capital goods and 160 consumption goods; 30 capital goods and 140 consumption goods b. 0 capital goods and 220 consumption goods; 10 capital goods and 210 consumption goods c. 20 capital goods and 140 consumption goods; 30 capital goods and 80 consumption goods d. 40 capital goods and 140 consumption goods; 50 capital goods and 120 consumption goods
c. 20 capital goods and 140 consumption goods; 30 capital goods and 80 consumption goods
the question "Should bank withdrawals be conducted by tellers or ATMs?" is an example of which fundamental economic question? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce question d. The For Whom to Produce question
c. The How to Produce question
which fundamental economic question requires society to choose the technological and resource mix used to produce goods? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce question d. The For Whom to Produce question
c. The How to Produce question
which of the following is an example of an organization using marginal analysis? a. a hotel manager calculating the average cost per guest for the past year b. a farmer hoping for rain c. a government official considering what effect an increase in military goods production will have on the production of consumer goods d. a business calculating economic profits
c. a government official considering what effect an increase in military goods production will have on the production of consumer goods
the production possibilities curve for the nation of Economagic shifts to the left. This could have been caused by: a. an increase in Economagic's labor supply b. innovation in the production of goods in Economagic c. a war that destroyed some of Economagic's resource base d. unemployment among Economagic's workers
c. a war that destroyed some of Economagic's resource base
the law of increasing opportunity costs causes the production possibilities curve to: a. be a straight line b. slope upwards c. have a bowed-out shape d. shift inward
c. have a bowed-out shape
a local restaurant offers an "all you can eat" Sunday brunch for $12. Susan eats four servings, but leaves half of a fifth helping uneaten. Why? a. her marginal value of a serving of brunch has fallen below $12 b. her marginal value of a serving has fallen below $2.36 ($12 divided by 5 servings) c. her marginal value of food has fallen to zero d. the total value she places on brunch today exactly equals $12
c. her marginal value of food has fallen to zero
the law of increasing costs indicates that the opportunity cost of producing a good: a. is proportional to the production of the good b. is constant to the production of the good c. increases as more of the good is produced d. decreases as more of the good is produced
c. increases as more of the good is produced
with time, which one of the following strategies would most likely result in an outward shift in the production possibilities curve of an economy? a. passage of legislation reducing the workweek to 30 hours b. instituting a tax policy encouraging consumption at the expense of investment c. instituting a tax policy encouraging investment at the expense of consumption d. an increase in the marginal income tax rate, which would reduce the work effort of individuals
c. instituting a tax policy encouraging investment at the expense of consumption
when the production possibilities curve is bowed out, resources are: a. equally well-suited to production of both goods b. not being used efficiently c. not equally suited to the production of both types of goods d. increasing as more of one good is produced
c. not equally suited to the production of both types of goods
the amount of a good that must be given up to produce another good is the concept of: a. scarcity b. specialization c. opportunity cost d. efficiency
c. opportunity cost
using a production possibilities curve, a technological advance that increases the amount of output for the same amount of inputs would be illustrated as a(n): a. flattening of the curve b. movement from one point to another point along the curve c. outward shift of the curve d. movement from a point on the curve to a point inside the curve
c. outward shift of the curve
when an economy's resources are not fully employed, then it must be true that the: a. production point is located outside and to the right of the production possibilities curve b. production point is located along the production possibilities curve c. production point is located inside and to the left of the production possibilities curve d. production possibilities curve shifts to the left
c. production point is located inside and to the left of the production possibilities curve
answering the For Whom to Produce question means that: a. society is determining the size of the economic pie b. scarcity no longer restricts production c. society must have a method to decide who will be rich and who will be poor d. an economy is selecting among its resources for production
c. society must have a method to decide who will be rich and who will be poor
Bill has $10 to spend on a Superman, Batman, or an X-Men T-shirt. Bill buys the Superman T-shirt and the Batman shirt was a close second choice. What is the opportunity cost? a. the amount he spent, $10 b. nothing, since he got his preferred choice c. the Batman T-shirt d. the X-Men T-shirt
c. the Batman T-shirt
the opportunity cost of watching television is: a. all of the alternative programs that appear on other stations b. zero because there is no money expenditure involved c. the alternative use of the time foregone by watching the program d. zero if it benefits you
c. the alternative use of the time foregone by watching the program
technological innovations will cause: a. the production possibilities curve to stay the same b. the production possibilities curve to shift to the left c. the production possibilities curve to shift to the right d. an economy to operate below its production possibilities curve
c. the production possibilities curve to shift to the right
the opportunity cost of an action is: a. the monetary payment the action required b. the total time spent by all parties in carrying out the action c. the value of the best opportunity that must be sacrificed in order to take the action d. the cost of all alternative actions that could have been taken, added together
c. the value of the best opportunity that must be sacrificed in order to take the action
a point outside the production possibilities curve represents a combination of goods that is: a. inefficient b. efficient c. unattainable d. attainable
c. unattainable
a production possibilities curve shows the: a. dollar costs of producing two different goods b. amounts of labor and capital needed to produce one good c. various combinations of goods that can be produced d. prices of different goods that are produced in an economy
c. various combinations of goods that can be produced
three basic decisions must be made by all economies. What are they? a. how much will be produced, when it will be produced, and how much it will cost b. what the price of each good will be, who will produce each good, and who will consume each good c. what will be produced, how goods will be produced, and for whom goods will be produced d. how the opportunity cost principle will be applied, if and how the law of comparative advantage will be utilized, and whether the production possibilities constraint will apply
c. what will be produced, how goods will be produced, and for whom goods will be produced
the production possibilities curve for the nation of Economania shifts to the right. This could have been caused by: a. a decrease in Economania's capital stock b. technological innovation in the production of Economania goods c. high unemployment in Economania the previous time period d. Economania producing all consumer goods in the previous period
d. Economania producing all consumer goods in the previous period
the question "Should children receive free lunch at school?" is an example of which fundamental economic question? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce question d. The For Whom to Produce question
d. The For Whom to Produce question
which fundamental economic question is most closely related to the issues of income distribution and poverty? a. The What to Produce question b. The Why to Produce question c. The How to Produce question d. The For Whom to Produce question
d. The For Whom to Produce question
which would be least likely to cause the production possibilities curve to shift to the right? a. an increase in the labor force b. improved methods of production c. an increase in the education and training of the labor force d. a decrease in unemployment
d. a decrease in unemployment
when deciding whether to buy a second car, marginal analysis indicates that the purchaser should compare the: a. benefits expected from two cars with the cost of both b. additional benefits expected from a second car with the cost of the two cars c. dollar cost of the two cars with the potential income that the cars will generate d. additional benefits of the second car with the additional cost of the second car
d. additional benefits of the second car with the additional cost of the second car
the opportunity cost of an activity means the: a. amount of money the activity costs b. expected gains minus the expected costs of engaging in the activity c. expected gains by engaging in the activity d. amount of other things that must be sacrificed in order to engage in the activity
d. amount of other things that must be sacrificed in order to engage in the activity
which of the following would be most likely to cause the production possibilities curve for computers and education to shift outward? a. a choice of more computers and less education b. a choice of more education and less computers c. a reduction in the labor force d. an increase in the quantity of resources
d. an increase in the quantity of resources
why must every nation answer the three fundamental economic questions? a. because of differences in the distribution of resources b. because some nations have better production technology c. because some nations are wealthy and others are poor d. because of the problem of scarcity
d. because of the problem of scarcity
a production possibilities curve has "good X" on the horizontal axis and "good Y" on the vertical axis. On this diagram, the opportunity cost of good X, in terms of good Y, is represented by the: a. distance to the curve from the horizontal axis b. distance to the curve from the vertical axis c. distance from the origin to the curve d. change in Y for each change in X along the curve
d. change in Y for each change in X along the curve
compare two economies A and B that start out with identical production possibilities curves. Economy A chooses an efficient point with 6 consumption goods and 3 capital goods, while economy B also chooses an efficient point, but with 4 consumption goods and 5 capital goods. In the future we can predict: a. economy A will operate inefficiently b. economy B will operate inefficiently c. economy A and economy B will grow equally fast d. economy B will grow faster than economy A
d. economy B will grow faster than economy A
a rational decision maker always chooses the option for which marginal benefit is: a. less than marginal cost b. equal to marginal cost c. unrelated to marginal cost d. more than marginal cost
d. more than marginal cost
which of the following is true? a. the production possibilities curve indicates that it will be impossible to expand total output with the passage of time b. as long as resources are scarce, output cannot be increased c. the size of the economic pie is fixed, and therefore, if one individual has more income, others must have less d. over time, the output of goods and services can be increased through human ingenuity and discovery of better ways of doing things
d. over time, the output of goods and services can be increased through human ingenuity and discovery of better ways of doing things
which of the following causes the production possibilities curve to shift to the right? a. a famine b. a war c. the depletion of oil reserves d. the development of a new technology that improves productivity
d. the development of a new technology that improves productivity
when the opportunity cost of producing carrots increases as more carrots are produced, then: a. no more carrots will be produced b. resources are equally suited to the production of carrots and to other goods c. the production possibilities curve is a straight line d. the law of increasing opportunity costs is present
d. the law of increasing opportunity costs is present
an analysis of production possibilities curves indicates that the reason why underdeveloped nations have difficulties increasing their economic growth rates is because: a. low population growth rates mean fewer workers to produce food and other necessities b. their production possibilities curves shift in when resources are increased c. the opportunity cost of shifting resources from consumption goods to capital goods is relatively low d. they must cut back their already meager consumption levels to increase capital production
d. they must cut back their already meager consumption levels to increase capital production
as production of a good increases, opportunity costs rise because: a. there will be more inefficiency b. people always prefer having more goods c. of inflationary pressures d. workers are not equally suited to all tasks
d. workers are not equally suited to all tasks
