2002 Economics Paper 1
2002 Economics Paper 1
2002 Economics Paper 1
ECONOMICS PAPER 1
香港考試局 保留版權
Hong Kong Examinations Authority
All Rights Reserved 2002
2002-CE-ECON 1–1
Section A (40 marks)
1. Some job vacancies publications are distributed to people free of charge in MTR
stations. Explain whether these publications are free goods in society.
(3 marks)
With the aid of a diagram, explain under what condition the price of gasoline
would increase. (7 marks)
3.
Firm A Firm B
Number of workers employed 100 120
Number of working hours per worker 500 800
Output (units) 100 000 144 000
Calculate the average labour productivity of each firm and state TWO reasons
why the two productivities are different. (4 marks)
6. In Hong Kong, Mr Lee withdrew $300 000 from his savings account in Bank A.
He deposited 50% of this amount with a deposit-taking company and remitted
through a bank another 20% of this amount overseas. He put the rest of the
money in his safety box in Bank B.
What is the immediate effect of the above transactions on Hong Kong’s money
supply M1 and M3 ? Explain your answer. (6 marks)
9. The following table shows the maximum amount of toys and computers that
Country A and Country B can produce in a year with ALL of their resources
respectively.
Explain whether we can conclude from the above table that Country A has
END OF SECTION A
(a) The public deposits $10 million of cash into the banking system.
(i) Suppose the banks do not hold excess reserves. Calculate the
maximum possible change in the money supply. Explain your
answer. (5 marks)
(ii) Give TWO possible reasons why the actual change in the money
supply could be less than the maximum possible change. (4 marks)
(b) Suppose the banks decrease their interest rates on home mortgage loans.
With the aid of a diagram, explain how this would affect the total
expenditure on the purchase of private housing. (6 marks)
(c) Suppose some large banks reduce their deposit interest rates while some
small banks increase their deposit interest rates.
Use the concept of opportunity cost to explain how this would affect the
flow of deposits between the above two types of banks. (4 marks)
(d) Bank A runs its business in Hong Kong. Tom is a consultant from Japan
who will work for Bank A for nine months. Afterwards he will return to
Japan.
Explain whether Tom’s salary for these nine months should be included in
the calculation of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product and gross national
product. (4 marks)
$million
Private consumption expenditure 400
Net investment expenditure 180
Government consumption expenditure 250
Exports 500
Imports 650
Depreciation 150
Indirect business tax 50
Interest 200
(b) There are student places not yet filled in Miss Wong’s tutorial school. The
school decides to launch an advertising campaign to recruit more students
and to keep the tuition fee unchanged.
(c) Students in the tutorial school with good academic achievements are
awarded coupons. These coupons can be used to purchase books in some
specified bookstores. Explain whether these coupons are ‘money’.
(3 marks)
(d) The tutorial school also publishes textbooks for sale to the public. Give
FOUR possible motives of such an expansion. (4 marks)
(a) (i) Given the linked exchange rate system in Hong Kong, explain whether
the HK dollar appreciates or depreciates against the British pound as a
result of the above change in the exchange rate. (2 marks)
(ii) Suppose the price of books imported from Britain remains unchanged in
British pound and the demand for these books is inelastic.
(b) In order to cut expenses, Mr Wong reduces the monthly salaries of the staff
working in the bookstore.
(i) Give ONE advantage and ONE disadvantage to Mr Wong of paying his
staff by time rate over piece rate. (4 marks)
(ii) Explain whether the real income of his staff would necessarily fall
during deflation. (5 marks)
(5 marks)
END OF PAPER
Numerical Answers
Economics 1