ECON-1006EL Chapter 15: Interest Rates and the Capital Market

1. The Houston Chronicle reported that in Houston, the average price of new homes has decreased, while at the same time, the number of new homes sold has increased. This situation could be explained by which one of the following: (draw curves before answering)

1. An Increase in demand
2. An Increase in supply
3. A Decrease in demand
4. A Decrease in supply

2. In another market, the average price of new homes fell, while at the same time, the number of new homes sold decreased. The situation would best be explained by (Draw the curves before answering)

1. An Increase in Demand
2. An Increase in Supply
3. A Decrease in demand
4. A Decrease in supply

3. A consumer is said to have achieved maximum total utility when:

1. Purchases of Good A give the same satisfaction as purchases of Good B.
2. Purchases of the last dollar spent on Good A give the same satisfaction as purchases of the last dollar spent on Good B.
3. The average purchases per dollar of Good A give the same satisfaction as the average purchases per dollar of Good B.
4. The total utility derived from Good A is the same as the marginal utility derived from Good B.

4. You are given the following information about a firm's present output position: MPP (Marginal Physical Product) of Land = 12; MPP of Labor = 16; Price of Land = $2; Price of Labor = $4. With no additional money to spend, this firm should:

5. A firm achieves the least cost in production by substituting factors until

1. their factor prices are equal
2. their marginal products are equal to the factor prices
3. their marginal products are each equal to zero
4. the ratios of their marginal product equal the ratio of their prices
5. none of the above

6.The economy is currently on its production possibilities frontier (PPF). A politician says that it is possible to get more of everything--more infrastructure, more schools, more national defense, more spending on social programs, and so on. The politician is

1. correct if he is assuming a rightward-shifting PPF.
2. incorrect if he is assuming a rightward-shifting PPF.
3. correct if he is assuming a PPF that does not change.
4. none of the above

7. Assume your swimsuit business is at its maximum profit position, and one new change occurs: consumer incomes decrease. If swimsuits are normal goods, the equilibrium price of swimsuits will __________, and the CONSUMER surplus will ________.

1. increase, increase
2. decrease, decrease
3. increase, decrease
4. decrease, increase

8. Firms that shuts-down in the short-run still must pay:

1. Marginal cost
2. Variable cost
3. Fixed cost
4. Total cost

9. The term externalities refer to:

1. Black-market economic activity.
2. The impact on markets of imported goods.
3. The costs and benefits of a market activity borne by a third party.
4. The inequitable distribution of income.

10. If full external costs are not internalized, firms will tend to allocate more of society's scarce resources to produce than is societally warranted, and if full external benefits are not internalized, firms will allocate less of society's resources to produce than is societally justified. True/False.

11. Joe was very careful about smoking in his home until he bought a fire insurance policy. After buying the policy, he became careless. His attitude is: "I'm insured. What do I care if this place burns down; I'll just collect the money". Joe's attitude is an example of ______________.

12. Megatrust Bank had historically scrutinized loans very carefully and extended them, only to persons whom they considered very creditworthy. They made relatively few loans. However, after the government provided guarantees to sub-prime loans, Megatrust relaxed its standards and increased its loan volume. (And its default rate as well.) This is an example of _______________.

13. In the short-run, if a perfectly competitive firm finds itself operating at a loss, it will

1. Reduce the size of its plant to lower fixed costs.
2. Raise the price of its product.
3. Shut down.
4. Continue to operate as long as it covers its variable cost.

14. If income today is more equally distributed than it was in 1960, a Lorenz Curve depicting today's distribution would be

1. More bowed and to the left of the 1960's curve.
2. More bowed and to the right of the 1960's curve.
3. Less bowed and to the left of the 1960' curve.
4. Less bowed and to the right of the 1960's curve.

15. Which of the following statements is true?

1. As output increases, the average fixed cost becomes smaller and smaller.
2. Average fixed cost does not change as output increases.
3. The marginal cost curve intersects the average fixed cost curve at its minimum point.
4. When marginal cost is greater than average fixed cost, average fixed cost increases.
5.  

16. A firm in any of the market structures we have studied will maximize its profit (or minimizes its loss) when its

1. Average costs are at a minimum
2. Marginal revenue and marginal cost are the same.
3. Marginal revenue is less than marginal cost.
4. Marginal revenue is zero.

17. If the demand for a good increase, when the price of other good increases, these goods are

1. Capital goods
2. Substitute goods
3. Complementary goods
4. Luxury goods

18. Which of the following pairs of products are complementary goods?

1. mobile phones and laptops
2. pens and pencils
3. sugar and artificial sweeteners
4. radios and television
5. toothbrushes and toothpaste

19. The amount of a good that is given up to produce another good is:

1. Scarcity
2. Specialization
3. Opportunity cost
4. Trade
5. Efficiency

20. The most important characteristic of the equilibrium price is that it:

1. Guarantees that producers earn a profit.
2. Increases the quantity demanded.
3. Clears the market.
4. Decreases the quantity supplied.

21. Rank the following market structures based on the number of participating firms: From the fewest number of firms to the most number of firms:

1. Oligopoly
2. Perfect Competition
3. Monopoly
4. Monopolistic Competition

22. If firms in a monopolistically competitive market are earning economic profits which of the following scenarios would best reflect the change facing incumbent firms as the market adjusts to its new equilibrium?

1. an increase in demand
2. a decrease in demand
3. a downward shift in their marginal cost curve
4. an upward shift in their marginal cost curve

23. If labor in Mexico is less productive than labor in the United States in all areas of production, 

1. neither nation can benefit from trade
2. Mexico can benefit from trade but the United States cannot
3. Mexico will not have a comparative advantage in any good
4. both nations can benefit from trade

24. Which of the following statements is false?

1. The typical monopolistically competitive firm could reduce its average total cost if it produced more output.
2. Monopolistically competitive firms advertise to increase the elasticity of the demand curve they face.
3. Expensive advertising might help consumers if it is a signal that the product is good.
4. Brand names acquired at great cost might help consumers by assuring quality.

25. Suppose the state of Wyoming passes a law that increases the tax on cigarettes. As a result, smokers who live in Wyoming start purchasing their cigs in surrounding states. Which of the following principles does this best illustrate:

1. people respond to incentives
2. rational people think at the margin
3. a trademark can make everyone better off
4. markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity