ECON 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Normal Good, Complementary Good, Price Controls

1)The law of demand states that as the price of a good rise, _____.

A. buyers purchase more of the good because the price of a substitute has risen.

B. buyers purchase less of the good because their real income decreases with an increase in price.

C. buyers purchase more of the good because they expect prices to be even higher in the future

D. buyers purchase less of the good because they expect prices to fall in the future.

2) A movement along a demand curve can be attributed to a change in:

A. the quantity demanded of a good.

B. the demand for a good.

C. the substitution effect of consuming a good.

D. the opportunity cost of producing a good.

3) If we say that demand for a good has increased, we mean that there has been:

A. a leftward shift of the demand curve.

B. a rightward shift of the demand curve.

C. a leftward movement along the demand curve.

D. a rightward movement along the demand curve.

4) Which of the following will cause the demand curve for a normal good to shift to the right?

A. An increase in the price of a complementary good.

B. A decrease in income.

C. A decrease in the price of the good.

D. An increase in the price of a substitute good.

5)Which of the following best defines supply?

A. The amount of a good that is produced at the least possible cost, other things constant

B. The amount of a good that producers are willing and able to sell at each possible price, other things constant.

C. The amount of a good that consumers want to buy at different income levels

D. The amount of a good that producers want to sell at a fixed price

6)The market supply curve of a particular product indicates the total quantities:

A. that are actually sold during a given time period.

B. that sellers are willing to offer for sale at a fixed price.

C. that buyers are willing to purchase at alternative prices.

D. that sellers are willing and able to offer at alternative prices.

7)When quantity demanded of a good exceeds the quantity supplied at the prevailing market price, _____.

A. the demand curve shifts rightward until the surplus is eliminated

B. the market is in equilibrium.

C. the price of the good will tend to increase.

D. the price of the good will decrease

8)A shortage of textbooks is most likely to cause:

A. an increase in the price of textbooks.

B. a decrease in the supply of textbooks.

C. a decrease in the price of paper.

D. an increase in the cost of printing.

9)The most important characteristic of the equilibrium price is that it:

A. maximizes the quantity demanded.

B. clears the market, leaving neither a surplus nor a shortage.

C. minimizes the quantity demanded.

D. guarantees that producers earn the profit.

10)If both demand and supply increases in a market that is initially in equilibrium, the price will:

A. increase only if demand increases more than supply.

B. increase only if supply increases more than demand.

C. remain unchanged while quantity will increase.

D. remain unchanged while quantity will decrease.

_____ 1. Suppose you make silver jewelry. If the price of silver falls, we would expect you to:

a. be willing and able to produce less jewelry than before at each possible price.

b. be willing and able to produce more jewelry than before at each possible price.

c. face greater demand for your jewelry.

d. face a weaker demand for your jewelry.

_____ 2. If suppliers expect the price of their product to fall in the future, then they will:

a. increase supply (supply curve shifts out) now.

b. decrease supply (supply curve shifts in) now.

c. increase supply in the future, but not now.

d. decrease supply in the future, but not now.

_____ 3. Consider the market for portable air conditioners, initially in equilibrium. When a heatwave strikes, the equilibrium price:

a. increases and equilibrium quantity decreases.

b. decreases, and the equilibrium quantity increases.

c. and quantity both increase.

d. and quantity both decrease.

_____ 4. Buyers can buy all they want to buy and sellers can sell all they want to sell at:

a. prices at and above the equilibrium price.

b. prices at and below the equilibrium price.

c. prices above and below the equilibrium price, but not at the equilibrium price.

d. the equilibrium price, but not at prices above or below the equilibrium price.

_____ 5. The law of supply and demand states that:

a. demand and supply curves shift out as time goes by.

b. the price of a goodwill rise in response to excess demand for that good.

c. when the supply curve for good shifts, the demand curve for that good shifts in response.

d. the equilibrium price of goodwill be rising more often than it will be falling.

_____ 6. If Doritos and Cheetos are substitutes, a rise in the price of Cheetos will cause:

a. the equilibrium quantity of Doritos to fall and the price of Doritos to rise.

b. the equilibrium quantity and price of Doritos to rise.

c. the equilibrium quantity and price of Doritos to fall.

d. the equilibrium quantity of Doritos to rise and the price of Doritos to fall.

_____ 7. New production technology is perfected that allows auto manufacturers to build an automobile using half the labor hours formerly needed. As a result:

a. the equilibrium quantity of automobiles increases and the price decreases.

b. the equilibrium quantity and price of automobiles increase.

c. the equilibrium quantity and price of automobiles decreases.

d. there is likely no change in the number of automobiles produced.

_____ 8. The U.S. government announces that it will raise the interest rate on college student loans beginning in January of next year. The immediate market impact is:

a. the demand curve for student loans shifts out.

b. the supply curve for student loans shifts out.

c. we anticipate that more student loans will be completed next year than this year.

d. all of the above are correct.

_____ 9. What curve shift produces a fall in price and increase in quantity exchanged?

a. An inward shift in the demand curve.

b. An inward shift in the supply curve.

c. An outward shift in the supply curve.

d. An outward shift in the demand curve.

_____ 10. We note that fewer motorcycles were sold this year than last and that the price is also lower. What event could have caused this outcome?

a. A technological change that improved the fuel efficiency of motorcycles.

b. A rise in the wages paid to motorcycle manufacturing workers.

c. A motorcycle craze due to the popularity of Sons of Anarchy.

d. Increasing concerns about health impacts from breathing motorcycle exhaust.

_____ 11. The price that results in quantity supplied equaling quantity demanded is the optimal (best) price because it:

a. maximizes the combined welfare of buyers and sellers.

b. maximizes the cost of the seller.

c. minimizes the expenditure of buyers.

d. all of the above are correct.

_____ 12. Consumer surplus is the:

a. quantity of good consumers get without paying anything.

b. amount a consumer pays minus the amount the consumer is willing to pay.

c. amount a consumer is willing to pay minus the amount the consumer pays.

d. value of a good to a consumer.

_____ 13. In a market, the marginal buyer is the one:

a. whose willingness to pay is higher than all other buyers and potential buyers.

b. whose willingness to pay is lower than all other buyers and potential buyers.

c. who is willing to buy exactly one unit of the good.

d. who would be the first to leave the market if the price were any higher.

_____ 14. If a consumer is willing and able to pay $20 for a particular good and if she actually pays $16 for the good, then her consumer surplus is:

a. $4.

b. $16.

c. $20.

d. $36.

_____ 15. Suppose there is an early freeze in California that reduces the size of the orange crop. What happens to consumer surplus in the market for oranges?

a. Consumer surplus increases.

b. Consumer surplus decreases.

c. Consumer surplus is not affected by this change.

d. We would have to know whether the demand for oranges is elastic or inelastic.

_____ 16. Producer surplus is the area on a supply/demand graph:

a. under the supply curve.

b. between the supply and demand curves.

c. below the price line and above the supply curve.

d. under the demand curve and above the price line.

_____ 17. Economists typically measure economic efficiency using:

a. total producer and consumer surplus.

b. profits to firms.

c. the quantity supplied by sellers.

d. the price paid by buyers.

_____ 18. Which of the following statements is correct?

a. Efficiency and equality are both maximized when total surplus is maximized.

b. Efficiency deals with the size of the economic pie; equality with how fairly the pie is sliced.

c. Efficiency is more difficult to evaluate than equality.

d. Equality is judged on positive grounds; efficiency requires normative judgments.

_____ 19. The price elasticity of demand measures how much:

a. quantity demanded a response to changes in price.

b. quantity demanded a response to changes in income.

c. price responds to a change in demand.

d. Both a and c are correct

_____ 20. Goods with many close substitutes tend to have:

a. less elastic demands.

b. more elastic demands.

c. price elasticities of demand that are unit elastic.

d. income elasticities that are negative.

Short Answer Questions:

All of the following questions are based on the data shown here for coffee demand and supply at a fictional Columbus coffee shop called Go-bucks.

Price Quantity Quantity

per Cup Demanded Supplied

$1.60 1,700 1,220

$1.80 1,555 1,300

$2.00 1,400 1,400

$2.20 1,235 1,520

$2.40 1,060 1,660

$2.60 875 1,820

_____ 21. (6 points) Using the mid-point formula, calculate the price elasticity of demand as the price increases from $1.60 to $1.80.

_____ 22. (6 points) Repeat the calculation of the price elasticity of demand, this time for a price increase from $1.80 to $2.00.

_____ 23. (6 points) Repeat the calculation of the price elasticity of demand, this time for a price increase from $2.40 to $2.60.

24. (4 points) Over which price range is demand inelastic? Over which price range is demand elastic? Does this follow the trend noted in class?

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_____ 25. (6 points) Turning to the supply side, calculate the price elasticity of supply as the price increases from $2.20 to $2.40.

26. (2 points) How would you describe the price elasticity of supply over this range?

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1

The following table shows the market demand schedule and supply schedule for notebooks.

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.

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.