ECO100Y5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Demand Curve, Economic Equilibrium, Inferior Good
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1. Characteristics of competitive markets
The model of competitive markets relies on these three core assumptions:
1. | There must be many buyers and sellers a few players can't dominate the market. |
2. | Firms must produce identical products buyers must regard all sellers' products as equivalent. |
3. | Firms and resources must be fully mobile, allowing free entry into and exit from the industry. |
The first two conditions imply that all consumers and firms are price takers. While the third is not necessary for price-taking behavior, assume for this problem that a market cannot maintain competition in the long run without free entry.
Identify whether or not each of the following scenarios describes a competitive market, along with the correct explanation of why or why not.
Scenario |
Competitive? |
---|---|
The government has granted the U.S. Postal Service the exclusive right to deliver mail. | ________________ |
Several stores in the mall sell hooded sweatshirts. Each store's sweatshirts reflect the style of that particular store. Additionally, some makers use higher-quality cotton than others, which is reflected in the apparel's prices. | |
Two taxi companies serve most of the market in a big city. Consumers don't care about which taxi company they take if they decide it's worth taking a taxi, they flag down the nearest one. | _________________ |
There are dozens of pasta producers that sell pasta to hundreds of Italian restaurants nationwide. The restaurant owners buy from the cheapest pasta producer available to |
1
The following table shows the market demand schedule and supply schedule for notebooks.
Price ($/unit) |
Quantity Demanded (units) |
Quantity Supplied (units) |
1 |
20 |
4 |
2 |
16 |
6 |
3 |
14 |
10 |
4 |
12 |
12 |
5 |
10 |
14 |
6 |
7 |
17 |
7 |
4 |
20 |
8 |
2 |
22 |
9 |
1 |
25 |
Refer to the table above. Assume that the market for notebooks is in equilibrium.
1. Which of the following is likely to happen if there is an increase in the school enrollment rate, everything else remaining unchanged?
A. Both the equilibrium price and quantity of notebooks decrease.
B. The equilibrium price and quantity remain unchanged.
C. Both the equilibrium price and quantity of notebooks increase.
D. The equilibrium price increases, but the equilibrium quantity of notebooks decreases.
2. A shortage occurs in a market when:
A.price is lower than the equilibrium price.
B. price is higher than the equilibrium price.
C. supply exceeds demand.
D. the marginal utility of consumption is negligible.
3. A change in the quantity demanded of a good is:
A. the outcome of a change in income.
B. the outcome of a change in tastes and preferences.
C. represented by a shift to a new demand curve.
D. represented by a movement along the demand curve.
4. The following table shows the demand schedules of three consumers of wine. Assume that these three buyers constitute the entire market.
PRICE ($/Bottle) |
Sandra's Demand (Bottles) |
David's Demand (Bottles) |
Mary's Demand (Bottles) |
â$8 |
2 |
10 |
|
â$6 |
14 |
15 |
18 |
â$4 |
23 |
24 |
|
â$2 |
24 |
27 |
28 |
Refer to the table above. If the market price of wine is $8/bottle, and the market demand for wine is 19 bottles, David's consumption of wine is:
A. 12 bottles.
B. 9 bottles.
C. 4 bottles.
D. 7 bottles.
5. Which of the following factors will NOT cause a shift in the demand for a good?
A. A change in the number of consumers
B. A change in the market price of the good
C. A change in tastes and preferences
D. A change in consumer incomes
6. Are all markets perfectly competitive?
A. No, there are other market types where firms have considerable power to control the price.
B. Yes, any economic system with a market structure is by definition perfectly competitive.
C. No, there are also command and control markets that are run by a central government.
D. No, in other types of markets, sellers offer identical goods and simply accept the market price.
7. Assume that a seller in a perfectly competitive market charges more than the equilibrium price. It is likely that this seller will:
A. increase his profit.
B. lose only a few buyers.
C. increase his sales.
D. lose almost all of his buyers.
8. The willingness to pay for a commodity:
A. increases as the consumption of the commodity increases.
B. is always less than the market price of the commodity.
C. decreases as the consumption of the commodity increases.
D. is always greater than the market price of the commodity.
9. Which of the following is likely to lead to a right shift in the supply curve of cotton?
A. An increase in labor productivity due to training programs
B. A rise in labor costs due to wage demands by labor unions
C. An increase in the price of cotton
D. A decrease in the price of cotton
10. The buyers of a good will want to purchase it as long as their willingness to pay for the good is:
A. equal to zero.
B. greater than or equal to the price.
C. greater than zero.
D. less than the price.