ECON102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Deficit Spending, Diminishing Returns, Potential Output

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burgundyrat885

20 May 2014

School

University of Waterloo

Department

Economics

Course

ECON102

Professor

all

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ECON102 Full Course Notes

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Document Summary

Definition of economics: all economic questions arise from scarcity, choices depend on incentives consequences that encourage/discourage actions, microeconomics: choices of individuals and businesses, macroeconomics: national and global economies. Efficiency is achieved when available resources are used to produce gods and services at the lowest cost: factors of production: Economic way of thinking: choice is a trade-off opportunity cost is the highest-value alternative forgone, big trade-off between equality and efficiency, economic choices are made by comparing marginal benefit to marginal cost. Economics as social science and policy tool: positive statement: statements about what is, normative statement: statements about what ought to be, economic model: simplified description of the economic world that includes only features needed for purpose of explanation. Production possibilities and opportunity cost: ppf is the boundary between unattainable and attainable production possibilities. Points inside ppf are inefficient unused/misallocated resources. Points on ppf are preferred to points inside ppf.

Related Questions

Suppose that, instead of taking this test, you could either have worked and earned income or partied and had a pleasurable time. Your opportunity cost of taking the test is the

	a.	forgone working or partying, depending on which was your next best choice.
	b.	forgone work.
	c.	forgone working and partying.
	d.	test because you are taking it.

1 points

QUESTION 2

A trend is

	a.	a measure of closeness on a scatter diagram.
	b.	a general tendency for a variable to rise or fall.
	c.	the maximum value of a variable.
	d.	the difference between the maximum value of a variable and the minimum value of the variable.

1 points

QUESTION 3

A time-series graph measures

	a.	time on the y-axis and the variable or variables in which we are interested on the x-axis.
	b.	time on the x-axis and the variable or variables in which we are interested on the y-axis.
	c.	the value of one variable against the value of another variable.
	d.	the value of an economic variable for different groups in a population at a point in time.

1 points

QUESTION 4

Canada has nationalized health care, so that everyone, regardless of their ability to pay, has some access to health care. Based on this observation, Canada has decided that "everyone, regardless of their ability to pay" is the answer to what microeconomic question?

	a.	Why will we offer health care?
	b.	How will health care be produced?
	c.	For whom will health care be produced?
	d.	What type of health care will be produced and in what quantity?

1 points

QUESTION 5

As a shoe factory adds more workers, shoe production grows, reaches a maximum, and then shrinks. In a diagram that has the number of workers on the horizontal axis and the number of shoes on the vertical axis, the relationship between the number of workers and the number of shoes starts as ________ and then, after the maximum point, is ________.

	a.	positive; negative
	b.	negative; positive
	c.	linear; negative
	d.	positive; linear

1 points

QUESTION 6

Microeconomics includes the study of the

	a.	choices made by individuals and businesses.
	b.	recessions and inflation in the global economy.
	c.	aggregate effects on the national economy.
	d.	reasons why the government changes interest rates.

1 points

QUESTION 7

When Fresh Express Salads decides to mechanically pick all of its lettuce, it directly answers the ________ question.

	a.	when
	b.	for whom
	c.	how
	d.	what

1 points

QUESTION 8

Proponents of cuts in income tax rates argue that when income tax rates are cut, workers have an incentive to increase their work hours. This argument is based on the assumption that

	a.	the opportunity cost of working is negative.
	b.	the marginal cost of each additional work hour is not important to most workers.
	c.	workers are irrational.
	d.	workers make decisions based on the marginal benefit of each hour worked compared to the marginal cost of work.

1 points

QUESTION 9

A choice made by comparing all relevant alternatives systematically and incrementally is

	a.	an opportunity cost.
	b.	a benefit.
	c.	a sunk cost.
	d.	a choice on the margin.

1 points

QUESTION 10

A normative statement

i. can be tested as to whether it is true or false.

ii. is considered negative.

iii. depends on a person's values.

	a.	i, ii, and iii
	b.	iii only
	c.	i and iii
	d.	ii and iii

1 points

QUESTION 11

Normative statements

i. describe how the world is.

ii. describe how the world ought to be.

iii. depend on people's values and cannot be tested.

	a.	iii only.
	b.	i only.
	c.	ii and iii.
	d.	ii only.

1 points

QUESTION 12

In order to determine whether to major in economics, a rational individual compares the ________ of the decision.

	a.	positive benefits and normative costs
	b.	normative benefits and positive costs
	c.	marginal benefit and marginal cost
	d.	opportunity cost and the sunk cost

1 points

QUESTION 13

If x increases whenever y decreases, then x and y are

	a.	positively related.
	b.	negatively related.
	c.	not related.
	d.	related but whether positively or negatively related depends on whether the x variable or the y variable is plotted on the vertical axis.

1 points

QUESTION 14

Rational choice

	a.	is what you must give up get what you want.
	b.	is made by comparing different incentives.
	c.	making the choice.
	d.	provides the answer to only the "how" question.

1 points

QUESTION 15

Scarcity results from the fact that

	a.	choices made in self-interest rare not always in the social interest.
	b.	not all goals are desirable.
	c.	people's wants exceed the resources available to satisfy them
	d.	we cannot answer the major economic questions.

1 points

QUESTION 16

When Delta decides to quit flying to Lithuania, it directly answers the ________ question.

	a.	what
	b.	why
	c.	for whom
	d.	how

1 points

QUESTION 17

A normative statement

	a.	says what is currently believed about the way the world operates.
	b.	depends on someone's values.
	c.	cannot use the word "should."
	d.	must be tested to determine if it is correct.

1 points

QUESTION 18

Which of the following statements best describes the study of economics? Economics studies how

	a.	to organize production so that scarcity does not occur.
	b.	to create incentives so that scarcity does not exist.
	c.	firms make profits.
	d.	we make choices in the face of scarcity.

1 points

QUESTION 19

Which of the following best defines economics?

	a.	Economics teaches how to limit our wants.
	b.	Economics is concerned with prices and quantities of goods and services, both at the individual level and at the industry level.
	c.	Economics helps you earn as much money as possible.
	d.	Economics studies how to choose the best alternative when coping with scarcity.

1 points

QUESTION 20

In economics, cost is ________, and benefit is ________.

	a.	the amount of money that you pay for something; the amount of money that someone else is willing to pay you
	b.	what you are willing to pay on the margin; what the government pays you when you are unemployed or retired
	c.	what you must give up to get something; what you are willing to give up to get it
	d.	the amount of money that you pay on the margin; the amount of money that you receive on the margin

1 points

QUESTION 21

If Jessie studies economics for two hours instead of going to the movies with her friends, then

	a.	the opportunity cost of studying is the missed movie.
	b.	Jessie is ignoring a sunk cost
	c.	Jessie is not responding to any incentives.
	d.	Jesse definitely is making a rational choice.

1 points

QUESTION 22

Going skiing will cost Adam $80 a day. He also loses $40 per day in wages because he has to take time off from work. Adam still decides to go skiing.

	a.	The $80 price of skiing is a sunk cost and so did not affect Adam's decision.
	b.	He loses a total of $120 per day, so his decision is irrational.
	c.	His decision is rational if Adam's marginal benefit of spending a day skiing is greater than his marginal cost.
	d.	Adam's lost $40 per day in wages is a sunk cost and so did not affect his decision.

1 points

QUESTION 23

If a curve falls and then rises, it

	a.	has a maximum.
	b.	has a linear relationship.
	c.	has a minimum.
	d.	has a constant slope relationship.

1 points

QUESTION 24

In 2003, Michael Jordan decided to retire from professional basketball. Which of the following was an opportunity cost of his decision?

	a.	the avoidance of pain and injury from playing one more year
	b.	the time he could spend with his family while retired
	c.	the lost salary from playing one more year
	d.	the value of new employment opportunities that would await him

1 points

QUESTION 25

Which of the following statements is a normative statement?

	a.	Military spending as a percent of government spending decreased by 5 percent in the 1990s.
	b.	Every American household should have health care insurance coverage.
	c.	Welfare reform has decreased the amount the government spends on welfare.
	d.	The price of computers fell last year.

greencat417

QUESTION 1

Assume there are two basic goods produced in a nation, consumer goods and capital goods. The production possibilities graph for these two goods is bowed out from the origin. This reason for this shape of the graph is because of:

	A.	the other-things-equal assumption.
	B.	the law of increasing opportunity costs.
	C.	diminishing marginal utility.
	D.	present choices and future possibilities.

1 points

QUESTION 2

From an economic perspective, when a student decides to attend another year of college, the student has concluded that the:

	A.	marginal costs of attending college are reduced by the availability of grants and subsidies.
	B.	marginal benefits of attending college have increased because the future is brighter.
	C.	marginal benefits of attending college are greater than the marginal costs.
	D.	marginal costs of attending college have decreased to make college affordable.

1 points

QUESTION 3

A person observes that as consumer prices fall, economic growth increases. The person concludes that fall consumer prices leads to economic growth. This conclusion would be an example of:

	A.	confusing correlation with causation.
	B.	the fallacy of composition.
	C.	trade-offs among economic goals.
	D.	the other-things-equal assumption.

1 points

QUESTION 4

The problem of unlimited wants and limited income is known as

	A.	the scientific method.
	B.	unequal wealth distribution.
	C.	normative economics.
	D.	the economizing problem.

1 points

QUESTION 5

A point outside the production possibilities curve is:

	A.	unattainable without economic growth.
	B.	attainable and the economy is efficient.
	C.	unattainable without inflation.
	D.	attainable, but the economy is inefficient.

1 points

QUESTION 6

Which one of the following would be an example of loaded terminology?

	A.	market forces
	B.	tentative hypothesis
	C.	entrepreneurial functions
	D.	creeping socialism

1 points

QUESTION 7

Suppose there are two economies, Alpha and Beta, both of which have the same production possibilities curves. If Beta devotes more resources to produce investment goods than consumer goods as compared to Alpha, then in the future:

	A.	Alpha will not be able to achieve full employment.
	B.	Beta will not be able to achieve full employment.
	C.	Alpha will experience greater economic growth than Beta.
	D.	Beta will experience greater economic growth than Alpha.

1 points

QUESTION 8

Macroeconomics, as opposed to microeconomics, is concerned with

	A.	individual businesses.
	B.	new computer technology.
	C.	the stock market.
	D.	the economy as a whole.

1 points

QUESTION 9

Which one of the following is an example of a positive economic statement?

	A.	The size of the Federal government should be reduced.
	B.	Midwest states affected by drought should be given more federal disaster aid.
	C.	Education and income are highly correlated.
	D.	The minimum wage for workers should be raised to help low-income workers.

1 points

QUESTION 10

Economics is primarily concerned with

	A.	interactions between the government and market participants.
	B.	how scarce resources are used.
	C.	the production and distribution of capital goods.
	D.	how income is divided among individuals.

1 points

QUESTION 11

The production possibilities table below shows the hypothetical relationship between the production of guns (national defense) and butter (social goods) in an economy.

A B C D E

Guns 0 4 7 9 10

Butter 4 3 2 1 0

If the economy is producing at alternative C, what is the opportunity cost of producing another unit of butter?

	A.	3 units of guns.
	B.	1 units of guns.
	C.	2 units of guns.
	D.	4 units of guns.

1 points

QUESTION 12

Assume that a consumer can buy only two goods X and Y, and has an income of $120. The price of X is $10 and the price of Y is $20. If the consumer spends all of her money on X and Y, which of the following would be a possible combination:

	A.	4X and 2Y
	B.	5X and 3Y
	C.	6X and 3Y
	D.	8X and 1Y

1 points

QUESTION 13

In the production possibilities model of an economy, when there is full employment of resources

		a nation will be operating at an interior point within its production possibilities curve.
		a nation will be operating on the production possibilities curve.
		the production possibilities curve will shift outward to the right.
		the production possibilies curve will shift inward to the left.

1 points

QUESTION 14

In economics the concept that there is "no free lunch" means

	A.	scarce resources were used to produce these "free" goods so there is an opportunity cost to producing them.
	B.	consumers are irrational when they ask for a free lunch unless they can make the case that the free lunch benefits business.
	C.	the marginal cost of the "lunch" is greater than the marginal benefit.
	D.	businesses could not make a profit if they gave away free goods to consumers.

1 points

QUESTION 15

Assume that a consumer can only purchase two goods with her income. A straight-line budget constraint indicates that the opportunity cost of obtaining an additional unit of one good is:

	A.	negative.
	B.	constant.
	C.	increasing.
	D.	decreasing.

carmineferret43

QUESTION 1

	A.	the other-things-equal assumption.
	B.	the law of increasing opportunity costs.
	C.	diminishing marginal utility.
	D.	present choices and future possibilities.

1 points

QUESTION 2

From an economic perspective, when a student decides to attend another year of college, the student has concluded that the:

	A.	marginal costs of attending college are reduced by the availability of grants and subsidies.
	B.	marginal benefits of attending college have increased because the future is brighter.
	C.	marginal benefits of attending college are greater than the marginal costs.
	D.	marginal costs of attending college have decreased to make college affordable.

1 points

QUESTION 3

A person observes that as consumer prices fall, economic growth increases. The person concludes that fall consumer prices leads to economic growth. This conclusion would be an example of:

	A.	confusing correlation with causation.
	B.	the fallacy of composition.
	C.	trade-offs among economic goals.
	D.	the other-things-equal assumption.

1 points

QUESTION 4

The problem of unlimited wants and limited income is known as

	A.	the scientific method.
	B.	unequal wealth distribution.
	C.	normative economics.
	D.	the economizing problem.

1 points

QUESTION 5

A point outside the production possibilities curve is:

	A.	unattainable without economic growth.
	B.	attainable and the economy is efficient.
	C.	unattainable without inflation.
	D.	attainable, but the economy is inefficient.

1 points

QUESTION 6

Which one of the following would be an example of loaded terminology?

	A.	market forces
	B.	tentative hypothesis
	C.	entrepreneurial functions
	D.	creeping socialism

1 points

QUESTION 7

	A.	Alpha will not be able to achieve full employment.
	B.	Beta will not be able to achieve full employment.
	C.	Alpha will experience greater economic growth than Beta.
	D.	Beta will experience greater economic growth than Alpha.

1 points

QUESTION 8

Macroeconomics, as opposed to microeconomics, is concerned with

	A.	individual businesses.
	B.	new computer technology.
	C.	the stock market.
	D.	the economy as a whole.

1 points

QUESTION 9

Which one of the following is an example of a positive economic statement?

	A.	The size of the Federal government should be reduced.
	B.	Midwest states affected by drought should be given more federal disaster aid.
	C.	Education and income are highly correlated.
	D.	The minimum wage for workers should be raised to help low-income workers.

1 points

QUESTION 10

Economics is primarily concerned with

	A.	interactions between the government and market participants.
	B.	how scarce resources are used.
	C.	the production and distribution of capital goods.
	D.	how income is divided among individuals.

1 points

QUESTION 11

The production possibilities table below shows the hypothetical relationship between the production of guns (national defense) and butter (social goods) in an economy.

A B C D E

Guns 0 4 7 9 10

Butter 4 3 2 1 0

If the economy is producing at alternative C, what is the opportunity cost of producing another unit of butter?

	A.	3 units of guns.
	B.	1 units of guns.
	C.	2 units of guns.
	D.	4 units of guns.

1 points

QUESTION 12

	A.	4X and 2Y
	B.	5X and 3Y
	C.	6X and 3Y
	D.	8X and 1Y

1 points

QUESTION 13

In the production possibilities model of an economy, when there is full employment of resources

		a nation will be operating at an interior point within its production possibilities curve.
		a nation will be operating on the production possibilities curve.
		the production possibilities curve will shift outward to the right.
		the production possibilies curve will shift inward to the left.

1 points

QUESTION 14

In economics the concept that there is "no free lunch" means

	A.	scarce resources were used to produce these "free" goods so there is an opportunity cost to producing them.
	B.	consumers are irrational when they ask for a free lunch unless they can make the case that the free lunch benefits business.
	C.	the marginal cost of the "lunch" is greater than the marginal benefit.
	D.	businesses could not make a profit if they gave away free goods to consumers.

1 points

QUESTION 15

Assume that a consumer can only purchase two goods with her income. A straight-line budget constraint indicates that the opportunity cost of obtaining an additional unit of one good is:

	A.	negative.
	B.	constant.
	C.	increasing.
	D.	decreasing.

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ambermacaw358

ECON102 Study Guide - Final Guide: Deficit Spending, Diminishing Returns, Potential Output

ECON102 Full Course Notes

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