ECON 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Absolute Advantage, Economic Surplus, Opportunity Cost

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carminefly707

22 Jan 2017

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Division of labor: specializing in one section of life that you are good at. Comparative advantage = relative efficiency compared to others who produce same product. Markets allow us to specialize and trade, so specialize in one thing and trade all other goods we need. 2 goods: one is haircuts and one is car repairs. Tom has an absolute advantage (more productive at doing an activity) in doing haircuts and car repairs over jim, takes less time to do one haircut and one car repair. Comparative advantage= opportunity cost is lower performing a certain task than others. Opportunity cost for tom of producing one car repair is 1. 5 haircuts. Opportunity cost for jim of producing one car repair is 1 haircut. Jim has a comparative advantage in the production of car repairs, but tom has absolute advantage in general, more productive in general. Opportunity cost for tom of giving one haircut is 0. 67 car repairs.

Related Questions

(1) Implicit costs are the opportunity costs of using the resources of ---------------------------------------------

a. outsiders.

b. banks.

c. retained earnings.

d. owners.

(2) The Principle of Comparative Advantage implies that:

a. Two countries can benefit from trade only if one country is better at producing a good compared to another in absolute terms.

b. Two countries can benefit from specialization and trade even if one country is better at one good compared to another in absolute terms.

c. all countries should specialize in whatever they have a higher opportunity cost to producing.

d. all countries are better off when each produces all goods for themselves and they do not trade with each other.

(3) Points inside a production possibilities frontier represent

a. unemployment of resources

b. unattainable production combinations

c. efficient use of resources

d. supply exceeds demand

(4) In a free market --------------------------------

a. governments intervene

b. governments plan production

c. governments interfere

d. prices adjust to reconcile scarcity and desires

crimsonmarten898

Use the following information for the next seventeen questions:

Assume that it takes the US 150 units of labor to produce a table and 30 units of labor to produce a chair.

Assume it takes the Netherlands 100 units of labor to produce a table and 10 units of labor to produce a chair.

Assume that each country has 4800 units of labor and before trade, each country splits their labor evenly between chair and table production.

Assume that when the countries decide to trade, the country specializing in table production specializes in table production only.

Assume that when the countries decide to trade, the country that specializes in chair production uses 1000 units of labor for table production and the rest (3800 units) for chair production.

Assume that when the countries trade, there are a total of 15 tables traded at a rate of 7 chairs per table.

1. What is the opportunity cost for the US for the production of one chair in terms of number of tables?

Hint: enter a number only, do not write tables after the number and if the number is a fraction, enter it as a decimal

Example: if the answer is 8 tables, enter 8 or if the answer is 1/4 tables, enter 0.25.

2. What is the opportunity cost for the Netherlands for the production of one table in terms of number of chairs?

Hint: enter a number only, do not write chairs after the number and if the number is a fraction, enter it as a decimal

Example: if the answer is 8 chairs, enter 8 or if the answer is 1/4 chairs, enter 0.25.

3. Who has the comparative advantage in table production?

4. Who has the comparative advantage in chair production?

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

		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.
		the number of 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.

1 point

QUESTION 2

A production possibilities frontier shows

		how money can be allocated among two kinds of goods.
		the limits to the future growth of a nation.
		the various combinations of output a nation can produce at a certain time, given its available resources and technology.
		that if the price of one good decreases, the price of the other has to increase.

1 point

QUESTION 3

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

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

1 point

QUESTION 4

When all of the available factors of production are being efficiently employed, the

		the economy is producing at a point within its PPF.
		PPF disappears.
		the economy is producing at a point beyond its PPF.
		the economy is producing at a point on its PPF.

1 point

QUESTION 5

If a nation devotes a larger share of its current production to consumer goods, then

		its PPF will shift inward.
		its economic growth will slow down.
		its PPF will shift outward.
		some productive factors will become unemployed.

1 point

QUESTION 6

A point on the production possibilities frontier reflects an

		the attainable point with full employment of all resources.
		attainable point without full employment of all resources.
		unattainable point without full employment of all resources.
		the unattainable point with full employment of all resources.

1 point

QUESTION 7

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

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

1 point

QUESTION 8

As we move along the production possibilities frontier,

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

1 point

QUESTION 9

Which of the following is an assumption used when drawing a production possibilities frontier?

i.Human wants and desires are limited to what is available.

ii. Only two goods are considered.

iii. The level of technology is fixed and unchanging.

		I and iii
		ii only
		I, ii, and iii
		I only

1 point

QUESTION 10

To achieve gains from trade, a country

		needs to have an absolute advantage in the production of all goods.
		specializes in producing a good in which it has a lower opportunity cost.
		must produce at a point beyond its PPF.
		should produce at the midpoint of its PPF.

1 point

QUESTION 11

Relative to Al, Joe has ________ if Joe can produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than Al.

		a comparative advantage
		more production efficiency
		a marginal benefit
		a comparative benefit

1 point

QUESTION 12

Does economic growth depend upon which of the following?

i.Improving the quality of labor

ii. Technological advancement

iii. Increasing the amount of capital

		iii only
		ii only
		I only
		I, ii, and iii

1 point

QUESTION 13

In one hour John can produce 20 loaves of bread or 18 cakes. In one hour Phyllis can produce 30 loaves of bread or 15 cakes. Which of the following statements is true?

		John has a comparative advantage in producing cakes.
		Phyllis has an absolute advantage in both goods.
		Phyllis has a comparative advantage in producing cakes.
		John has an absolute advantage in both goods.

1 point

QUESTION 14

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

1 point

QUESTION 15

The production possibilities frontier illustrates the

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

1 point

QUESTION 16

The United States produced approximately ________ worth of goods and services in 2007.

		$14 billion
		$14 trillion
		$140 billion
		$140 trillion

1 point

QUESTION 17

The fact of increasing opportunity cost when moving on the PPF means that

		to increase the production of one product requires smaller and smaller sacrifices of the other good.
		to decrease the production of one product requires smaller and smaller sacrifices of the other good.
		to increase the production of one product requires larger and larger sacrifices of the other good.
		when the government forces a movement from one point on the PPF to another point, no production is lost.

1 point

QUESTION 18

Other things equal, if India devotes more resources to educate its population than China,

		China will grow faster than India.
		India will be able to eliminate scarcity faster than China.
		India will be able to eliminate opportunity cost faster than China.
		India will grow faster than China.

1 point

QUESTION 19

For Ireland to grow more potatoes, wool production must decrease. This situation is an example of

		zero opportunity cost.
		producing at a point that lies beyond the PPF.
		opportunity benefit.
		a tradeoff.

1 point

QUESTION 20

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

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

1 point

QUESTION 21

The United States is one of the richest nations in the world,

		but it can still benefit from specialization and trade.
		so does not need to trade with poor nations to achieve any gains from trade.
		so might not have a comparative advantage in producing any goods.
		so it must have a comparative advantage in the production of all goods.

1 point

QUESTION 22

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

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

1 point

QUESTION 23

The idea of increasing opportunity cost is reflected in the

		the linear shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		bowed in the shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		bowed out the shape of the production possibilities frontier.
		the positive slope of the production possibilities frontier.

1 point

QUESTION 24

Suppose that after specializing according to comparative advantage, a country is trading with another nation that also specializes according to its comparative advantage. Which of the following statements are true for the first country?

i)It enjoys gains from trade.

ii)It must have an absolute advantage in the production of the good it produces.

iii)It is producing at a point beyond its PPF.

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

1 point

QUESTION 25

If society moves from a period of time with significant unemployment to a time with full employment, its production possibilities frontier will

		shift rightward.
		not shift because the society moves from one point on the frontier to a point inside the frontier.
		not shift because the society moves from a point inside the frontier to a point on the frontier.
		shift leftward.

1 point

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ECON 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Absolute Advantage, Economic Surplus, Opportunity Cost

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