Question 1

The outcome that is most efficient for society as a whole - including the interests of buyers, sellers, and bystanders - is the _____ outcome.

Accepted Answer

A) externally optimal 
B) social benefit maximizing 
C) public optimal 
D) socially optimal 
A) externally optimal 
B) social benefit maximizing 
C) public optimal 
D) socially optimal

Question 2

(Figure: Market 3) Use the graph to answer the question.
The graph shows the marginal social cost, demand, and supply curves in the toothpaste market. What is the socially optimal quantity and price in this market?

Accepted Answer

A) eight; $4 
B) 12; $3 
C) four; $6 
D) three; $12 
A) eight; $4 
B) 12; $3 
C) four; $6 
D) three; $12

Question 3

(Market 6) Use the graph to answer the question.
The graph shows the marginal social benefit, marginal private benefit, and marginal private curves in the taco market. The socially optimal quantity is _____, and the price is ______.

Accepted Answer

A) four; $12 
B) nine; $6 
C) four; $6 
D) six; $9 
A) four; $12 
B) nine; $6 
C) four; $6 
D) six; $9

Question 4

What type of good is rival and excludable?

Accepted Answer

A) private goods 
B) club goods 
C) common resources 
D) public goods 
A) private goods 
B) club goods 
C) common resources 
D) public goods

Question 5

What determines whether a corrective tax or quantity regulation is a better choice for controlling an externality?

Accepted Answer

A) It depends on whether the externality is positive or negative. 
B) It depends on whether more is known about marginal external costs or about the socially optimal quantity. 
C) It depends on how much damage is being done by the externality. 
D) It depends on whether or not the rational rule can be applied. 
A) It depends on whether the externality is positive or negative. 
B) It depends on whether more is known about marginal external costs or about the socially optimal quantity. 
C) It depends on how much damage is being done by the externality. 
D) It depends on whether or not the rational rule can be applied.

Question 6

The marginal social cost is:

Accepted Answer

A) the extra cost imposed on bystanders when an extra unit is produced and consumed. 
B) the extra cost faced by a producer when an extra unit is produced and sold to a member of society. 
C) the difference between the marginal external cost and the marginal private cost. 
D) the sum of marginal private costs and marginal external costs. 
A) the extra cost imposed on bystanders when an extra unit is produced and consumed. 
B) the extra cost faced by a producer when an extra unit is produced and sold to a member of society. 
C) the difference between the marginal external cost and the marginal private cost. 
D) the sum of marginal private costs and marginal external costs.

Question 7

Costs that arise from a market transaction but that are borne by people not involved in the transaction are called _____ costs.

Accepted Answer

A) outside 
B) public 
C) reversal 
D) external 
A) outside 
B) public 
C) reversal 
D) external

Question 8

An advantage of cap and trade is that:

Accepted Answer

A) pollution costs are more easily identifiable, making emission control easier. 
B) some pollution controls are less costly than others. 
C) the value that future generations place on pollution damages can be determined. 
D) technological change is incentivized, making cleaning up easier and less costly. 
A) pollution costs are more easily identifiable, making emission control easier. 
B) some pollution controls are less costly than others. 
C) the value that future generations place on pollution damages can be determined. 
D) technological change is incentivized, making cleaning up easier and less costly.

Question 9

A negative externality is:

Accepted Answer

A) a side effect of an activity when the side effect harms bystanders. 
B) a reduction in demand that occurs when agents outside a market influence market participants. 
C) a change from a positive relationship between two variables to an inverse relationship. 
D) an unintended consequence of an action that harms the decision maker. 
A) a side effect of an activity when the side effect harms bystanders. 
B) a reduction in demand that occurs when agents outside a market influence market participants. 
C) a change from a positive relationship between two variables to an inverse relationship. 
D) an unintended consequence of an action that harms the decision maker.

Question 10

The Rational Rule for Society is that society should produce another unit of a good if:

Accepted Answer

A) the total social benefit exceeds the total social cost. 
B) the marginal social benefit exceeds the marginal social cost. 
C) the marginal private benefit exceeds the marginal private cost. 
D) gains to the producer exceed losses to the producer. 
A) the total social benefit exceeds the total social cost. 
B) the marginal social benefit exceeds the marginal social cost. 
C) the marginal private benefit exceeds the marginal private cost. 
D) gains to the producer exceed losses to the producer.

Question 11

During the production of a good, pollution is emitted that affects people who are neither producers nor buyers of the good. The term for the impact of the pollution on these people is:

Accepted Answer

A) externality. 
B) exploitation. 
C) intrusion. 
D) outside impact. 
A) externality. 
B) exploitation. 
C) intrusion. 
D) outside impact.

Question 12

The marginal private benefit plus the marginal external benefit equals the ____ benefit.

Accepted Answer

A) total public 
B) total externality 
C) marginal social 
D) marginal public 
A) total public 
B) total externality 
C) marginal social 
D) marginal public

Question 13

Sellers must cover _____ costs, but a market does not require them to cover _____ costs.

Accepted Answer

A) variable; fixed 
B) average; fixed 
C) marginal private; marginal external 
D) marginal total; marginal private 
A) variable; fixed 
B) average; fixed 
C) marginal private; marginal external 
D) marginal total; marginal private

Question 14

The cost paid by the seller in producing one additional unit of output is known as the _____ cost.

Accepted Answer

A) marginal external 
B) marginal private 
C) external 
D) marginal social 
A) marginal external 
B) marginal private 
C) external 
D) marginal social

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT an example of a corrective tax or subsidy used to address an externality problem?

Accepted Answer

A) A country charges a set fee to companies that manufacture in the country for every 100 gallons of a particular chemical that they release into the country's lakes and waterways. 
B) The government sets a limit on the quantity of pollution companies can emit by issuing a set number of pollution permits that companies can trade. 
C) An environmental protection organization publishes and publicizes an annual list of companies that have taken actions to protect the environment as well as a list of companies that it finds are damaging the environment. 
D) A community distributes "I voted" stickers to everyone who votes in an election, hoping that seeing them on voters will encourage others to vote. 
A) A country charges a set fee to companies that manufacture in the country for every 100 gallons of a particular chemical that they release into the country's lakes and waterways. 
B) The government sets a limit on the quantity of pollution companies can emit by issuing a set number of pollution permits that companies can trade. 
C) An environmental protection organization publishes and publicizes an annual list of companies that have taken actions to protect the environment as well as a list of companies that it finds are damaging the environment. 
D) A community distributes "I voted" stickers to everyone who votes in an election, hoping that seeing them on voters will encourage others to vote.

Question 16

(Figure: Market 3) Use the graph to answer the question.
The graph shows the marginal social cost, demand, and supply curves in the toothpaste market. If market forces prevail, this market will produce and sell _____ tubes of toothpaste at a price of _____.

Accepted Answer

A) eight; $5 
B) eight; $4 
C) 12; $3 
D) 12; $4 
A) eight; $5 
B) eight; $4 
C) 12; $3 
D) 12; $4

Question 17

A good that is excludable but nonrival in consumption is known as a _____ good.

Accepted Answer

A) public 
B) club 
C) private 
D) proprietary 
A) public 
B) club 
C) private 
D) proprietary

Question 18

Pedro attends a university that provides antivirus software to all students, faculty, and staff for their personal computers as well as all university-owned computers. Why would the university pay for the protection of the personal computers of students, faculty, and staff?

Accepted Answer

A) Having this extra perk from being associated with the university makes it easier to attract high-quality students, faculty, and staff. 
B) It reduces the cost of operations for the university because it can thereby buy software in bulk. 
C) It reduces the number of viruses on university-owned computers by reducing the probability that viruses will spread through files transferred from personal computers to university-owned computers and systems. 
D) Reducing the spread of viruses across campus promotes health among students and decreases absenteeism, which improve educational outcomes on campus. 
A) Having this extra perk from being associated with the university makes it easier to attract high-quality students, faculty, and staff. 
B) It reduces the cost of operations for the university because it can thereby buy software in bulk. 
C) It reduces the number of viruses on university-owned computers by reducing the probability that viruses will spread through files transferred from personal computers to university-owned computers and systems. 
D) Reducing the spread of viruses across campus promotes health among students and decreases absenteeism, which improve educational outcomes on campus.

Question 19

Which of the following is the amount of a corrective tax that would resolve a negative externality problem?

Accepted Answer

A) The marginal social cost. 
B) The total social cost. 
C) The total external cost. 
D) The marginal external cost. 
A) The marginal social cost. 
B) The total social cost. 
C) The total external cost. 
D) The marginal external cost.

Question 20

Which of the following is the term for a quantity regulation that is implemented by allocating a fixed number of permits to producers, which can then be traded?

Accepted Answer

A) quota market 
B) cap and trade 
C) private bargaining 
D) public goods 
A) quota market 
B) cap and trade 
C) private bargaining 
D) public goods

Exam 10: Externalities and Public Goods

The outcome that is most efficient for society as a whole - including the interests of buyers, sellers, and bystanders - is the _____ outcome.

(Figure: Market 3) Use the graph to answer the question. The graph shows the marginal social cost, demand, and supply curves in the toothpaste market. What is the socially optimal quantity and price in this market?

(Market 6) Use the graph to answer the question. The graph shows the marginal social benefit, marginal private benefit, and marginal private curves in the taco market. The socially optimal quantity is _____, and the price is ______.

What type of good is rival and excludable?

What determines whether a corrective tax or quantity regulation is a better choice for controlling an externality?

The marginal social cost is:

Costs that arise from a market transaction but that are borne by people not involved in the transaction are called _____ costs.

An advantage of cap and trade is that:

A negative externality is:

The Rational Rule for Society is that society should produce another unit of a good if:

During the production of a good, pollution is emitted that affects people who are neither producers nor buyers of the good. The term for the impact of the pollution on these people is:

The marginal private benefit plus the marginal external benefit equals the ____ benefit.

Sellers must cover _____ costs, but a market does not require them to cover _____ costs.

The cost paid by the seller in producing one additional unit of output is known as the _____ cost.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a corrective tax or subsidy used to address an externality problem?

(Figure: Market 3) Use the graph to answer the question. The graph shows the marginal social cost, demand, and supply curves in the toothpaste market. If market forces prevail, this market will produce and sell _____ tubes of toothpaste at a price of _____.

A good that is excludable but nonrival in consumption is known as a _____ good.

Pedro attends a university that provides antivirus software to all students, faculty, and staff for their personal computers as well as all university-owned computers. Why would the university pay for the protection of the personal computers of students, faculty, and staff?

Which of the following is the amount of a corrective tax that would resolve a negative externality problem?

Which of the following is the term for a quantity regulation that is implemented by allocating a fixed number of permits to producers, which can then be traded?

The Core Principles of Economics

Demand: Thinking Like a Buyer

Supply: Thinking Like a Seller

Equilibrium: Where Supply Meets Demand

Elasticity: Measuring Responsiveness

When Governments Intervene in Markets

Welfare and Efficiency

Gains From Trade

International Trade

Labor Demand and Supply

Wages, Workers, and Management

Inequality, Social Insurance, and Redistribution

Market Structure and Market Power

Entry, Exit, and Long-Run Profitability

Business Strategy

Sophisticated Pricing Strategies

Game Theory and Strategic Choices

Decisions Involving Uncertainty

Decisions With Private Information

Sizing up the Economy Using Gdp

Economic Growth

Unemployment

Inflation and Money

Consumption and Saving

Investment

The Financial Sector

International Finance and the Exchange Rate

Business Cycles

IS-MP Analysis: Interest Rates and Output

Phillips Curve

The Fed Model: Linking Interest Rates, Output, and Inflation

Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply

Monetary Policy

Government Spending, Taxes, and Fiscal Policy

Appendix: Aggregate Expenditure and the Multiplier

Filters

(Market 6) Use the graph to answer the question. The graph shows the marginal social benefit, marginal private benefit, and marginal private curves in the taco market. The socially optimal quantity is _, and the price is __.

Sellers must cover _ costs, but a market does not require them to cover _ costs.

(Figure: Market 3) Use the graph to answer the question. The graph shows the marginal social cost, demand, and supply curves in the toothpaste market. If market forces prevail, this market will produce and sell _ tubes of toothpaste at a price of _.