Review Questions Chapter 1

1) The three fundamental questions that any economy must address are: 1) _______
A) How much will be saved; what will be produced; and how can these goods and services be fairly distributed?
B) What goods and services to produce; how will these goods and services be produced; and who receives them?
C) What will be the prices of goods and services; how will these goods and services be produced; and who will receive
them?
D) Who gets jobs; what wages do workers earn; and who owns what property?
2) Economics does not study correct or incorrect behaviors but rather it assumes that economic agents behave ________,
meaning they make the best decisions given their knowledge of the costs and benefits.
2) _______
A) rationally

B) selfishly

C) equitably

D) emotionally

3) Suppose the U.S. government encouraged new medical school graduates to take over existing practices from doctors
wishing to retire by paying both the new and retiring doctors $100,000. These doctors would be exemplifying the
economic idea that
3) _______
A) people respond to economic incentives.
B) people are rational.
C) equity is more important than efficiency.
D) optimal decisions are made at the margin.
4) The term ________ in economics refers to a group of buyers and sellers of a product and the arrangement by which they
come together to trade. 4) _______
A) market

B) trade-off

C) cooperative D) collective

5) Which of the following statements is false?

5) _______
A) A direct relationship has a positive slope value.
B) A straight line has a slope of zero.
C) An inverse relationship has a negative slope value.
D) A curved line has slope values that change at every point.
6) By definition, economics is the study of
6) _______
A) how to make money in a market economy.
B) how to make money in the stock market.
C) the choices people make to attain their goals, given their scarce resources.
D) supply and demand.
7) Which of the following is not an example of an economic trade-off that a firm has to make?
A) whether it is to outsource the production of a good or service
B) whether or not consumers will buy its products
C) whether it should produce more of its product
D) whether it is cheaper to produce with more machines or with more workers
8) Economists assume that rational people do all of the following except 8) _______
A) use all available information as they act to achieve their goals.
B) weigh the benefits and costs of all possible alternative actions.
C) undertake activities that benefit others and hurt themselves.
D) respond to economic incentives.

7) _______

9) The highest valued alternative that must be given up to engage in an activity is the definition of
A) marginal benefit.
B) opportunity cost.
C) economic equity.
D) marginal cost.

9) _______

10) Suppose that some teachers have decided that economic and financial uncertainty have made the prospect of retiring
more risky, and therefore carry a higher cost than not retiring. By using all available information as they act to achieve
their goals, these teachers are exemplifying the economic idea that
10) ______
A) optimal decisions are made at the margin.
B) equity is more important than efficiency.
C) people respond to economic incentives.
D) people are rational.
11) All of the following are part of an economic model except
A) hypotheses. B) data. C) assumptions. D) opinions.

11) ______

12) The economic analysis of minimum wage involves both normative and positive analysis. Consider the following
consequences of a minimum wage:
a. The minimum wage law causes unemployment.
b. A minimum wage law benefits some groups and hurts others.
c. In some cities such as San Francisco and New York, it would be impossible for low-skilled workers to live in the city
without minimum wage laws.
d. The gains to winners of a minimum wage law should be valued more highly than the losses to losers because the
latter primarily comprises businesses.
Which of the consequences above are positive statements and which are normative statements?

12) ______

A) Only a is a positive statement, b, c and d are normative statements.

B) a and c are positive statements, b and d are normative statements.
C) a, b, and c are positive statements and d is a normative statement.
D) a and b are positive statements, c and d are normative statement.
13) Economists assume that individuals 13) ______
A) are rational and respond to incentives.
B) behave in unpredictable ways.
C) will never take actions to help others.
D) prefer to live in a society that values fairness above all else.
14) Which of the following statements about economic resources is true? 14) ______
A) Economic resources are used only by businesses.
B) Economic resources are also called factors of production.
C) All economic resources are man-made.
D) Economic resources include financial capital and money.
15) The decision about what goods and services will be produced made in a market economy is made by 15) ______
A) lawmakers in the government voting on what will be produced.
B) consumers and firms choosing which goods and services to buy or produce.
C) consumers dictating to firms what they need most.
D) workers deciding to produce only what the boss says must be produced.
E) producers deciding what society wants most.

16) Consider the following economic agents:

a. the government
b. consumers
c. producers
Who, in a centrally planned economy, decides what goods and services will be produced with the scarce resources
available in that economy?
16) ______
A) producers
B) consumers
C) consumers and producers
D) the government
E) the government, consumers and producers
17) DeShawn's Detailing is a service that details cars at the customers' homes or places of work. DeShawn's cost for a basic
detailing package is $40, and he charges $75 for this service. For a total price of $90, DeShawn will also detail the car's
engine, a service that adds an additional $20 to the total cost of the package. What is the marginal cost of adding the
engine detailing to the basic detailing package? 17) ______
A) $20 B) $30
C) $60 D) $60 plus the value of his time
18) Economic models do all of the following except
18) ______
A) answer economic questions.
B) simplify some aspect of economic life.
C) make economic ideas explicit and concrete for use by decision makers.
D) portray reality in all its minute details.
19) Which of the following is a normative economic statement? 19) ______
A) The state of Texas is considering increasing funds for light-rail development to promote the use of public
transportation.
B) Rising global demand for coal has led to increases in the price of coal.
C) Pharmaceutical manufacturers should not be allowed to patent their products so prescription drugs would be more
affordable.
D) With rising mortgage rates and rising unemployment rates, the number of unsold homes has increased.
20) Economists assume that rational behavior is useful in explaining choices people make
A) even though people may not behave rationally all the time.
B) because irrational people do not make economic choices.
C) because individuals act rationally all the time in all circumstances.
D) even though people rarely, if ever, behave in a rational manner.
21) The extra cost associated with undertaking an activity is called
A) net loss.
B) opportunity cost.
C) marginal cost.
D) foregone cost.

20) ______

21) ______

22) How are the fundamental economic decisions determined in North Korea? 22) ______
A) The United Nations decides because North Korea is a developing economy.
B) The government decides because North Korea is a centrally planned economy.
C) These decisions are made by the country's elders who have had much experience in answering these questions.
D) Individuals, firms, and the government interact in a market to make these economic decisions.

23) A grocery store sells a bag of potatoes at a fixed price of $2.30. Which of the following is a term used by economists to
describe the money received from the sale of an additional bag of potatoes?
23) ______
A) pure profit
B) marginal costs
C) gross earnings
D) net benefit
E) marginal revenue
Scenario 1-1
Suppose a cell phone manufacturer currently sells 20,000 cell phones per week and makes a profit of $5,000 per week. A
manager at the plant observes, "Although the last 3,000 cell phones we produced and sold increased our revenue by
$6,000 and our costs by $6,700, we are still making an overall profit of $5,000 per week so I think we're on the right track.
We are producing the optimal number of cell phones."
24) Refer to Scenario 1-1. Using marginal analysis terminology, what is another economic term for the incremental
revenue received from the sale of the last 3,000 cell phones?
24) ______
A) gross profit B) gross earnings
C) sales revenue
D) marginal revenue
25) The idea that because of scarcity, producing more of one good or service means producing less of another good or
service refers to the economic concept of 25) ______
A) optimization.

B) equity.

C) efficiency.

D) trade-off.

26) Which of the following is a microeconomics question?

26) ______
A) What will the level of economic growth be in the entire economy?
B) What factors determine the price of carrots?
C) How much will be saved and how much will be produced in the entire economy?
D) What determines the average price level and inflation?
27) The revenue received from the sale of ________ of a product is a marginal benefit to the firm. 27) ______
A) no units
B) only profitable units
C) the total number of units
D) an additional unit
28) Which of the following questions or statements regarding medical school is normative?
28) ______
A) Medical students who enter specialized fields make a larger contribution to society than do student who enter primary
care.
B) What role does tuition play in a student's decision about whether to attend medical school?
C) Have tuition increases had a large effect or a small effect on the number of applications to medical school?
D) How do changes in expected future incomes affect the decisions of medical students about which specialty to choose?
29) Marginal analysis involves undertaking an activity 29) ______
A) only when its marginal benefits are positive.
B) only if its marginal costs are greater than its marginal benefits.
C) until its marginal costs start declining.
D) until its marginal benefits equal marginal costs.
Scenario 1-1

Suppose a cell phone manufacturer currently sells 20,000 cell phones per week and makes a profit of $5,000 per week. A
manager at the plant observes, "Although the last 3,000 cell phones we produced and sold increased our revenue by
$6,000 and our costs by $6,700, we are still making an overall profit of $5,000 per week so I think we're on the right track.
We are producing the optimal number of cell phones."
30) Refer to Scenario 1-1. Had the firm not produced and sold the last 3,000 cell phones, would its profit be higher or
lower, and if so by how much? 30) ______
A) Its profit will be $6,000 lower.
B) Its profit will be $700 lower.
C) Its profit will be $700 higher. D) Its profit will be $6,700 higher.
31) Society faces a trade-off in all of the following situations except
A) when some previously unemployed workers find jobs.
B) when deciding what goods and services will be produced.
C) when deciding how goods and services will be produced.
D) when deciding who will receive the goods and services produced.

31) ______

32) Suppose when the price of laptops fall, college students buy more laptops. This implies that 32) ______
A) there is a direct relationship between laptop prices and quantities purchased by college students.
B) there is a positive relationship between laptop prices and quantities purchased by college students.
C) there is a one-to-one relationship between laptop prices and quantities purchased by college students.
D) there is a negative relationship between laptop prices and quantities purchased by college students.
33) Making optimal decisions "at the margin" requires 33) ______
A) making decisions according to one's whims and fancies.
B) weighing the costs and benefits of a decision before deciding if it should be pursued.
C) making borderline decisions.
D) making consistently irrational decisions.
34) Which of the following statements is true about scarcity?
34) ______
A) Scarcity refers to the situation in which unlimited wants exceed limited resources.
B) Scarcity is only a problem when a country has too large a population.
C) Scarcity is not a problem for the wealthy.
D) Scarcity arises when there is a wide disparity in income distribution.
35) Soo Jin shares a one-bedroom apartment with her classmate. Her share of the rent is $700 per month. She is
considering moving to a studio apartment which she will not have to share with anyone. The studio apartment rents for
$950 per month. Recently, you ran into Soo Jin on campus and she tells you that she has moved into the studio apartment.
Soo Jin is as rational as any other person. As an economics major, you rightly conclude that
35) ______
A) Soo Jin figures that the benefit of having her own place (as opposed to sharing) is at least $950.
B) Soo Jin did not have a choice; her roommate was a slob.
C) The cost of having one's own space outweighs the benefits.
D) Soo Jin figures that the additional benefit of having her own place (as opposed to sharing) is at least $250.
36) Consider the following statements:
a. Car owners purchase more gasoline from a gas station that sells gasoline at a lower price than other rival gas stations
in the area.
b. Banks do not take steps to increase security since they believe it is less costly to allow some bank robberies than to
install expensive security monitoring equipment.
c. Firms produce more of a particular DVD when its selling price rises.

Which of the above statements demonstrates that economic agents respond to incentives?
A) a only.

B) b only.

C) c only.

D) a and b.

36) ______

E) a, b, and c.

37) Macroeconomics is the study of

37) ______
A) the economy as a whole.
B) how firms make choices.
C) how households make choices.
D) how households and firms make choices.
38) Economists reason that the optimal decision is to continue any activity up to the point where the
A) marginal benefit is greater than the marginal cost.
B) marginal benefit equals the marginal cost.
C) marginal cost is zero.
D) marginal benefit is zero.

38) ______

39) An economic ________ is a simplified version of some aspect of economic life used to analyze an economic issue.
39) ______
A) variable

B) market

C) trade-off

D) model

40) Which of the following is a positive economic statement?

40) ______
A) The standard of living in the United States should be higher.
B) If the price of iPhones falls, a larger quantity of iPhones will be purchased.
C) The U.S. government should not have bailed out U.S. auto manufacturers.
D) The government should revamp the health care system.
Table 1-1
Hours
Open
1
2
3
4
5
6

Total
Revenue
(dollars)
$50
75
95
110
120
125

Lydia runs a small nail salon in the town of New Hope. She is debating whether she should extend her hours of
operation. Lydia figures that her sales revenue will depend on the number of hours the nail salon is open as shown in the
table above. She would have to hire a worker for those hours at a wage rate of $10 per hour.
41) Refer to Table 1-1. What is Lydia's marginal benefit if she decides to stay open for two hours instead of one hour?
41) ______
A) $25 B) $50 C) $75 D) $125
42) Microeconomics is the study of
42) ______
A) topics such as unemployment, inflation, and economic growth.
B) how households and firms make choices.
C) the global economy.
D) the economy as a whole.

43) When production reflects consumer preferences, ________ occurs.

A) efficient central planning
B) allocative efficiency
C) equity
D) productive efficiency

43) ______

44) In economics, the term ________ means "additional" or "extra."

A) allocative
B) equity
C) marginal
D) optimal

44) ______

45) If the marginal cost of keeping a doctor's office open one additional hour per day is $200, then the doctor should keep
the office open for one extra hour
45) ______
A) until the marginal benefit she receives reaches zero.
B) only if the marginal benefit she receives is greater than $200 plus an acceptable profit margin.
C) as long as the marginal cost does not rise.
D) as long as the marginal benefit she receives is just equal to or greater than $200.
46) Automobile manufacturers produce a range of automobiles such as sports utility vehicles, luxury sedans, pickup
trucks and compact cars. What fundamental economic question are they addressing by making this range of products?
46) ______
A) Who to produce automobiles for?
B) What to produce?
C) How to produce goods that consumers want?
D) Why produce a variety of automobiles?
47) The basic economic problem of ________ has always existed and will continue to exist.
A) inflation
B) efficiency
C) scarcity
D) recession

47) ______

48) Arlene quits her $125,000-a-year job to take care of her ailing parents. What is the opportunity cost of her decision?
48) ______
A) It depends on the "going rate" for home-care providers.
B) the value she attributes to the satisfaction she receives from taking care of her parents
C) at least $125,000
D) zero, since she will no longer be earning a salary
49) Which of the following statements is true? 49) ______
A) Trade-offs do not apply when the consumers purchase a product for which there is excess supply, such as a stock
clearance sale.
B) Economics is a social science that studies the trade-offs we are forced to make because resources are unlimited.
C) Anytime you have to decide which action to take you are experiencing economic equity.
D) Every individual, no matter how rich or poor, is faced with making trade-offs.
50) In economics, choices must be made because we live in a world of
A) unemployment.
B) unlimited resources.
C) scarcity.
D) greed.

50) ______