Deck 3: The Standard Theory of International Trade

Question 1

The marginal rate of substitution (MRS)of X for Y in consumption refers to the:

A)amount of X that a nation must give up for one extra unit of Y and still remain on the same indifference curve
B)amount of Y that a nation must give up for one extra unit of X and still remain on the same indifference curve
C)amount of X that a nation must give up for one extra unit of Y to reach a higher indifference curve
D)amount of Y that a nation must give up for one extra unit of X to reach a higher

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The marginal rate of transformation (MRT)of X for Y refers to:

A)the amount of Y that a nation must give up to produce each additional unit of X
B)the opportunity cost of X
C)the absolute slope of the production frontier at the point of production
D)all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following is not a reason for increasing opportunity costs:

A)technology differs among nations
B)factors of production are not homogeneous
C)factors of production are not used in the same fixed proportion in the production of all commodities
D)for the nation to produce more of a commodity,it must use resources that are less and less suited in the production of the commodity

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Mutually beneficial trade cannot occur if production frontiers are:

A)equal but tastes are not
B)different but tastes are the same
C)different and tastes are also different
D)the same and tastes are also the same.

Question 5

The gains from exchange with respect to the gains from specialization are always:

A)greater
B)smaller
C)equal
D)we cannot say without additional information

Question 6

Which of the following is not true for a nation that is in equilibrium in isolation?

A)It consumes inside its production frontier
B)it reaches the highest indifference curve possible with its production frontier
C)the indifference curve is tangent to the nation's production frontier
D)MRT of X for Y equals MRS of X for Y,and they are equal to Px/Py

Question 7

Which of the following statements is false?

A)The gains from trade can be broken down into the gains from exchange and the gains from specialization
B)gains from exchange result even without specialization
C)gains from specialization result even without exchange
D)none of the above

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true with respect to the MRS of X for Y?

A)It is given by the absolute slope of the indifference curve
B)declines as the nation moves down an indifference curve
C)rises as the nation moves up an indifference curve
D)all of the above

Question 9

If the internal Px/Py is lower in nation 1 than in nation 2 without trade:

A)nation 1 has a comparative advantage in commodity Y
B)nation 2 has a comparative advantage in commodity X
C)nation 2 has a comparative advantage in commodity Y
D)none of the above

Question 10

A production frontier that is concave from the origin indicates that the nation incurs increasing opportunity costs in the production of:

A)commodity X only
B)commodity Y only
C)both commodities
D)neither commodity

Question 11

Nation 1's share of the gains from trade will be greater:

A)the greater is nation 1's demand for nation 2's exports
B)the closer Px/Py with trade settles to nation 2's pretrade Px/Py
C)the weaker is nation 2's demand for nation 1's exports
D)the closer Px/Py with trade settles to nation 1's pretrade Px/Py

Question 12

With free trade under increasing costs:

A)neither nation will specialize completely in production
B)at least one nation will consume above its production frontier
C)a small nation will always gain from trade
D)all of the above

Question 13

Which of the following statements about community indifference curves is true?

A)They are entirely unrelated to individuals' community indifference curves
B)they cross,they cannot be used in the analysis
C)the problems arising from intersecting community indifference curves can be overcome by the application of the compensation principle
D)all of the above.

Question 14

If Px/Py exceeds the equilibrium relative Px/Py with trade

A)the nation exporting commodity X will want to export more of X than at equilibrium
B)the nation importing commodity X will want to import less of X than at equilibrium
C)Px/Py will fall toward the equilibrium Px/Py
D)all of the above

Question 15

Community indifference curves:

A)are negatively sloped
B)are convex to the origin
C)should not cross
D)all of the above