ECON 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Opportunity Cost, Comparative Advantage, Absolute Advantage

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2 Aug 2015

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Chapter 2: the economic problem: scarcity and choice. This chapter explores the questions of what, how, and for whom to produce. Scarcity and choice in a one-person economy, scarcity and. Choice in an economy of two or more, production possibility. Frontier, the economic problem: economic systems and the role of government. Market, mixed systems, markets, and governments: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, definitions. Capital- things that are produced and then used in the production of other goods and services. Factors of production- the inputs into the process of production. Production- the process that transforms scarce resources into useful goods and services. Resources or factors of production - anything provided by nature or previous generations that can be used directly or indirectly to satisfy human wants. Outputs- goods and services of value to households: scarcity and choice in a one-person economy (think cast.

Related Questions

Answer the following questions. True or False
1. Withdrawals include investment, government expenditures, and exports.
2. If the price in a market is increased below that at the midpoint along the demand curve, total revenue to the firm will decrease.
3. Decisions made by individuals as to what and how much of each other productive resources to supply and of what goods and services to buy is more characteristic of a market economy than a command economy such as the former Soviet Union's Communist economy.
4. The study of recessions and inflation is considered to be a topic in microeconomics rather than macroeconomics.
5. In a supply and demand graph for a market, the vertical axis or Y axis measures the price and the horizontal or x-axis measures the quantity demanded or supplied.
6. Withdrawals or leakages in the circular flow of economic activity include investment, government purchases of goods and services, and exports.
7. The law of demand results in nearly all demand curve graphically sloping downward into the right.
8. If a price of a good is $10 per unit and that causes the market for the good to have a surplus, scarcity does not exist in that market.
9. A point inside the production possibility curve / Frontier (closer to the origin) represents the efficient use of a country's productive resources.
10. So long as there is some opportunity costs associated with obtaining a good or service, no matter the price, scarcity is present.

whitebutterfly93

Part I. Multiple Choice Questions. Please circle the right answer (one mark each)

1. Which of the following are economic goods?

a. Atlantic Ocean sea water.

b. Iowa farm land.

c. California coast line.

d. All of the above.

e. All of the above, except a.

2. The three fundamental questions of economic organization are:

a. closely related to the concept of scarcity.

b. not nearly as important today as they were at the dawn of civilization.

c. what, how, and why.

d. land, labor, and capital.

e. all of the above.

3. Which of the following statements applies to a mixed economy?

a. There is confusion and a lack of organization.

b. The allocation of resources changes from production period to production period.

c. There are no real examples of truly mixed economies.

d. Mixed economies include aspects of both market and command economies.

e. None of the above statements apply.

4. Capital is:

a. the same as money.

b. the headquarters of economic planning.

c. both an input and an output.

d. all of the above.

e. none of the above.

5. Land, labor, and capital are:

a. available only in finite amounts.

b. used to produce outputs.

c. the primary factors of production.

d. combined with technology in the production process.

e. all of the above.

6. Which of the statements below does not apply to the production-possibility frontier, or PPF?

a. The PPF is closely related to the concept of scarcity.

b. Quantities of inputs are measured along the axes of the PPF.

c. The PPF may shift over time.

d. Movements along the PPF may occur as the allocation of resources changes.

e. Technology may change the shape of the PPF.

7. Which of the statements below is a reason why an economy might produce a level of output that is beneath its production-possibility frontier?

a. The available resources are not equally suited to the production of both outputs.

b. The available body of technological knowledge is not being fully utilized.

c. Society prefers one product over the other.

d. In reality, economies produce thousands of goods not just two.

e. There are no frontiers left anymore.

8. In order to shift the PPF out (above and to the right), an economy would have to:

a. somehow increase its stock of inputs.

b. remove some incompetent bureaucrats from their jobs.

c. eliminate the sources of significant abuse of monopoly power.

d. all of the above.

e. none of the above.

9. Sana notices that no matter how many paper cups she buys, she always pays the same price per cup. This means that the supply curve which confronts her is:

a. perfectly inelastic.

b. perfectly elastic.

c. unit-elastic.

d. elastic, but not necessarily perfectly elastic.

e. none of these things, necessarily

10. A perfectly inelastic supply curve would be shown in the ordinary supply-and-demand graph as a:

a. vertical line.

b. horizontal line.

c. straight line, but neither horizontal nor vertical.

d. curved line.

e. any of the above.

A bowed out PPF reflects which of the following ideas?

i.increasing opportunity cost

ii. resources are not equally productive in all activities

iii. prices of goods increase over time

		I only
		I and iii
		ii and iii
		I and ii

1 point

QUESTION 2

With no international trade, a country ________ consume at a point outside of its PPF; with international trade, a country ________ consume at a point outside of its PPF.

		can; cannot
		cannot; can
		cannot; cannot
		can; can

1 point

QUESTION 3

If the production possibilities frontier between two goods is a straight line, then the

		the line does not qualify as a production possibilities frontier because the unattainable production points are too close to the inefficient production points.
		opportunity cost is not a ratio.
		increasing opportunity costs.
		resources are equally productive in both goods.

1 point

QUESTION 4

As an economy produces more of one of the goods on a bowed out production possibilities frontier, what happens to the opportunity cost of producing the good?

		It might increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on how much people value the additional units of the good.
		It decreases.
		It increases.
		It remains constant.

1 point

QUESTION 5

"Comparative advantage" is defined as a situation in which one person can produce

		more of a good than another person.
		a good for a lower dollar cost than another person.
		a good for a lower opportunity cost than another person.
		more of all goods than another person.

1 point

QUESTION 6

When a production possibilities frontier is bowed outward, as more of one good is produced, its opportunity cost

		increases.
		decreases.
		might increase, decrease, or remain constant depending on how much people value the additional units of the good.
		remains constant.

1 point

QUESTION 7

A bowed out production possibility frontier shows that the

		opportunity cost relationship is linear.
		the opportunity cost of a good is constant as more of the good is produced.
		the opportunity cost of a good increase as more of the good is produced.
		the opportunity cost of a good decrease as more of the good is produced.

1 point

QUESTION 8

Which of the following statements is correct?

		The production possibilities frontier shows that there are no limits to production.
		Any point on or within the PPF is production efficient.
		If capital is idle, the economy is producing at its full potential.
		A tradeoff is a limit that forces an exchange or a substitution of one thing for something else.

1 point

QUESTION 9

A major earthquake occurs in the central part of the United States. What impact would this have on the nation's production possibilities frontier and why?

		A tradeoff would occur to replace the resources and goods destroyed.
		It would shift inward because some of the nation's resources, such as capital and labor, would be destroyed.
		It would shift outward because unemployment would be reduced.
		Nothing would happen because the nation would still have the same capabilities.

1 point

QUESTION 10

When a nation is producing on its production possibilities frontier, if more resources are used to produce one good, then the production of other goods

		must increase.
		must decrease.
		must remain the same.
		must change but they might increase or decrease.

1 point

QUESTION 11

Moving along a country's PPF, a reasonable opportunity costs increase is that

		unemployment increases as a country produce more and more of one good.
		unemployment decreases as a country produces more and more of one good.
		some resources are better suited for producing one good rather than the other.
		technology declines as a country produce more and more of one good.

1 point

QUESTION 12

A reason the production possibilities frontier exists is

		scarcity of resources and unlimited technology.
		unemployment.
		scarcity of resources.
		unlimited resources and technology.

1 point

QUESTION 13

Moving from one point to another on a production possibilities frontier implies

		increasing the production of one good and decreasing the production of another.
		increasing the production of both goods.
		decreasing the production of both goods.
		holding the production levels of both goods constant.

1 point

QUESTION 14

Specialization and trade make a country better off because with trade the country can consume at a point

		outside its production possibilities frontier.
		on its trading partner's production possibilities frontier.
		inside its production possibilities frontier.
		on its production possibilities frontier.

1 point

QUESTION 15

The production possibilities frontier is the

		the boundary between the combinations of goods and services that can be produced and the combinations that cannot be produced when technology is changing.
		the minimum output that can be produced when resources are used inefficiently.
		the boundary between the combinations of goods and services that can be produced and the combinations that cannot be produced, given the available factors of production and the state of technology.
		maximum output that can be produced at an opportunity cost of zero.

1 point

QUESTION 16

The opportunity cost of economic growth is ________ and the benefit of economic growth is ________.

		decreased current consumption; decreased future consumption
		decreased current consumption; increased future consumption
		increased current consumption; increased future consumption
		increased current consumption; decreased future consumption

1 point

QUESTION 17

In terms of a nation's production possibilities frontier, what impact does international trade have?

		International trade shifts the nation's production possibilities frontier outward.
		International trade shifts the production possibilities frontier outward for the goods that are exported and inward for the goods that are imported.
		International trade shifts the nation's production possibilities frontier inward.
		International trade allows the nation to consume at a point outside its production possibilities frontier.

1 point

QUESTION 18

The production possibilities frontier illustrates the

		goods and services that people want.
		limits to people's wants.
		resources the economy possesses, but not it is the level of technology.
		maximum combinations of goods and services that can be produced.

1 point

QUESTION 19

As we move along the production possibilities frontier,

		the possibilities of tradeoffs diminish.
		the production of one good increases as the production of the other good decreases.
		more of both goods can be produced.
		a tradeoff is not possible because nations need all goods.

1 point

QUESTION 20

What is the opportunity cost of economic growth?

		Eliminate scarcity
		Land.
		Capital goods.
		Consumption of goods.

1 point

QUESTION 21

Which of the following statements is correct?

i.As the economy grows, the opportunity costs of economic growth decrease.

ii. Economic growth has no opportunity cost.

iii. The opportunity cost of economic growth is current consumption forgone.

		ii only
		iii only
		I only
		I and iii

1 point

QUESTION 22

Does economic growth depend upon which of the following?

i. Increasing the quantity of labor.

ii. Lowering the prices of goods and services.

iii. Advancing technology.

		ii only.
		I only.
		I and iii.
		iii only.

1 point

QUESTION 23

When drawing a production possibilities frontier, which of the following is held constant?

		the amount of money in the economy
		the prices of goods and services
		the quantity of the goods and services that are produced
		the available factors of production and the state of technology

1 point

QUESTION 24

To increase its economic growth, a nation should

		encourage spending on goods and services.
		increase in current consumption.
		encourage education because that increases the quality of labor.
		limit the number of people in college because they produce nothing.

1 point

QUESTION 25

The opportunity cost of one more slice of pizza in terms of sodas is the

		some pizza slices we have to give up to get one extra soda.
		the total number of sodas that we have divided by the total number of pizza slices that we have.
		the total number of pizza slices that we have divided by the total number of sodas that we have.
		the number of sodas we have to give up to get one extra pizza slice.

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ECON 2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Opportunity Cost, Comparative Advantage, Absolute Advantage

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