Deck 1: Ten Principles of Economics

Question 1

Economics is the study of how society manages its

A) limited wants and unlimited resources.
B) unlimited wants and unlimited resources.
C) limited wants and limited resources.
D) unlimited wants and limited resources.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The English word that comes from the Greek word for "one who manages a household" is

A) market.
B) consumer.
C) producer.
D) economy.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Economics deals primarily with the concept of

A) scarcity.
B) money.
C) poverty.
D) banking.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of something economists study?

A) Mitch chooses to work overtime to earn extra income for his family.
B) Megan sells her physics textbook from last semester to her roommate for half the price of a new textbook.
C) The unemployment rate in the United States has fallen by two percentage points in the last few years.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 5

Which of the following products would be considered scarce?

A) bread
B) baseballs autographed by Babe Ruth
C) motorcycles
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 6

In most societies, resources are allocated by

A) a single central planner.
B) a small number of central planners.
C) those firms that use resources to provide goods and services.
D) the combined actions of millions of households and firms.

Question 7

The overriding reason why households and societies face many decisions is that

A) resources are scarce.
B) goods and services are not scarce.
C) incomes fluctuate with business cycles.
D) people, by nature, tend to disagree.

Question 8

Coal is considered to be a non-renewable energy source. Which of the following statements is correct?

A) Coal is an unlimited resource.
B) Coal is a scarce resource.
C) Coal is a non-productive resource.
D) Coal is not a resource.

Question 9

The phenomenon of scarcity stems from the fact that

A) most economies' production methods are not very good.
B) in most economies, wealthy people consume disproportionate quantities of goods and services.
C) governments restrict production of too many goods and services.
D) resources are limited.

Question 10

The word "economy" comes from the Greek word oikonomos, which means

A) "environment."
B) "production."
C) "one who manages a household."
D) "one who makes decisions."

Question 11

The study of how society manages its scarce resources is most closely associated with which field of study?

A) environmental studies
B) economics
C) management
D) accounting

Question 12

A society allocates its scarce resources to various jobs. These scarce resources include

A) land.
B) people.
C) machines.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 13

Which of the following is a decision that economists study?

A) how much people work
B) what people buy
C) how much money people save
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

Which of the following is not an example of scarcity?

A) Only some people can afford to buy a BMW automobile.
B) Every individual in society cannot attain the highest standard of living to which he or she might aspire.
C) Miranda has an unlimited supply of oranges in her orchard.
D) Each member of a household cannot get everything he or she wants.

Question 15

Economics is the study of

A) production methods.
B) how society manages its scarce resources.
C) how households decide who performs which tasks.
D) the interaction of business and government.

Question 16

In considering how to allocate its scarce resources among its various members, a household considers

A) each member's abilities.
B) each member's efforts.
C) each member's desires.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 17

When a society cannot produce all the goods and services people wish to have, it is said that the economy is experiencing

A) scarcity.
B) surpluses.
C) inefficiencies.
D) inequalities.

Question 18

Which of the following is correct?

A) The word economy comes from the Greek word for "rational thinker."
B) Economists study the management of scarce resources.
C) Because economists believe that people pursue their best interests, they are not interested in how people interact.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 19

Approximately what percentage of the world's economies experience scarcity?

A) 10%
B) 40%
C) 85%
D) 100%

Question 20

Resources are

A) scarce for households but plentiful for economies.
B) plentiful for households but scarce for economies.
C) scarce for households and scarce for economies.
D) plentiful for households and plentiful for economies.

Question 21

What term refers to the property that society has limited resources and therefore cannot produce all the goods and services people wish to have?

A) inefficiency
B) inequality
C) scarcity
D) market failure

Question 22

Efficiency means that

A) society is conserving resources in order to save them for the future.
B) society's goods and services are distributed equally among society's members.
C) society's goods and services are distributed fairly, though not necessarily equally, among society's members.
D) society is getting the maximum benefits from its scarce resources.

Question 23

The adage, "There is no such thing as a free lunch," means

A) even people on welfare have to pay for food.
B) the cost of living is always increasing.
C) people face tradeoffs.
D) all costs are included in the price of a product.

Question 24

While pollution regulations yield the benefit of a cleaner environment and the improved health that comes with it, the regulations come at the cost of reducing the incomes of the regulated firms' owners, workers, and customers. This statement illustrates the principle that

A) trade can make everyone better off.
B) rational people think at the margin.
C) people face tradeoffs.
D) people respond to incentives.

Question 25

Which of the following statements best represents the principle represented by the adage, "There is no such thing as a free lunch"?

A) Michelle can attend the concert only if she takes her sister with her.
B) Michael is hungry and homeless.
C) Andrea must repair the tire on her bike before she can ride it to class.
D) Dani must decide between going to Florida or Brazil for spring break.

Question 26

Economists use the word equality to describe a situation in which

A) each member of society has the same income.
B) each member of society has access to abundant quantities of goods and services, regardless of his or her income.
C) society is getting the maximum benefits from its scarce resources.
D) society's resources are used efficiently.

Question 27

When society requires that firms reduce pollution, there is

A) a tradeoff because of reduced incomes to the firms' owners and workers.
B) a tradeoff only if some firms are forced to close.
C) no tradeoff, since the cost of reducing pollution falls only on the firms affected by the requirements.
D) no tradeoff, since everyone benefits from reduced pollution.

Question 28

Lawrence is a photographer. He has $230 to spend and wants to buy either a flash for his camera or a new tripod. Both the flash and tripod cost $230, so he can only buy one. This illustrates the principle that

A) trade can make everyone better off.
B) people face trade-offs.
C) rational people think at the margin.
D) people respond to incentives.

Question 29

Guns and butter are used to represent the classic societal tradeoff between spending on

A) durable and nondurable goods.
B) imports and exports.
C) national defense and consumer goods.
D) law enforcement and agriculture.

Question 30

Which of the following examples does not illustrate the principle represented by the adage, "There is no such thing as a free lunch"?

A) Melissa needs to pay her rent and her electric bill.
B) Kevin must choose between buying a new flat screen television and buying his textbooks for this semester.
C) Robert must decide between studying for his psychology exam and working at his part-time job.
D) Lisa can spend her money on a new smart phone or on a weekend trip.

Question 31

The property of society getting the most it can from its scarce resources is called

A) efficiency.
B) equality.
C) externality.
D) productivity.

Question 32

The adage, "There is no such thing as a free lunch," is used to illustrate the principle that

A) goods are scarce.
B) people face tradeoffs.
C) income must be earned.
D) households face many decisions.

Question 33

A tradeoff exists between a clean environment and a higher level of income in that

A) studies show that individuals with higher levels of income pollute less than low-income individuals.
B) efforts to reduce pollution typically are not completely successful.
C) laws that reduce pollution raise costs of production and reduce incomes.
D) employing individuals to clean up pollution causes increases in employment and income.

Question 34

The phrase "no such thing as a free lunch" means

A) people must face tradeoffs.
B) rational people think at the margin.
C) people respond to incentives.
D) trade can make everyone better off.

Question 35

Candice is planning her activities for a hot summer day. She would like to go to the local swimming pool and see the latest blockbuster movie, but because she can only get tickets to the movie for the same time that the pool is open she can only choose one activity. This illustrates the basic principle that

A) people respond to incentives.
B) rational people think at the margin.
C) people face tradeoffs.
D) improvements in efficiency sometimes come at the expense of equality.

Question 36

Billie Jean has $120 to spend and wants to buy either a new amplifier for her guitar or a new mp3 player to listen to music while working out. Both the amplifier and the mp3 player cost $120, so she can only buy one. This illustrates the basic concept that

A) trade can make everyone better off.
B) people face trade-offs.
C) rational people think at the margin.
D) decisions made at the margin are not particularly important.

Question 37

Which of the following is a subject that economists study?

A) the growth in average income
B) the fraction of the population that cannot find work
C) the rate at which prices are rising
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 38

John is an athlete. He has $120 to spend and wants to buy either a heart rate monitor or new running shoes. Both the heart rate monitor and running shoes cost $120, so he can only buy one. This illustrates the principle that

A) trade can make everyone better off.
B) people face trade-offs.
C) rational people think at the margin.
D) people respond to incentives.

Question 39

The principle that "people face tradeoffs" applies to

A) individuals.
B) families.
C) societies.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 40

Efficiency

A) and equality both refer to how much a society can produce with its resources.
B) and equality both refer to how fairly the benefits from using resources are distributed between members of a society.
C) refers to how much a society can produce with its resources. Equality refers to how evenly the benefits from using resources are distributed among members of society.
D) refers to how evenly the benefits from using resources are distributed between members of society. Equality refers to how much a society can produce with its resources

Question 41

A likely effect of government policies that redistribute income and wealth from the wealthy to the poor is that those policies

A) enhance equality.
B) enhance efficiency.
C) increase the reward for working hard.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 42

Government policies designed to equalize the distribution of economic well-being include i) the welfare system
Ii) unemployment insurance
Iii) progressive income tax

A) i) only
B) ii) only
C) i) and ii) only
D) i), ii), and iii)

Question 43

Senator Brown wants to increase taxes on people with high incomes and use the money to help the poor. Senator Johnson argues that such a tax will discourage successful people from working and will therefore make society worse off. An economist would say that

A) we should agree with Senator Brown.
B) we should agree with Senator Johnson.
C) a good decision requires that we recognize both viewpoints.
D) there are no tradeoffs between equity and efficiency.

Question 44

When the government redistributes income from the wealthy to the poor,

A) efficiency is improved, but equality is not.
B) equality is improved, but efficiency is not.
C) both efficiency and equality are improved.
D) neither efficiency nor equality are improved.

Question 45

When the government attempts to improve equality in an economy the result is often

A) an increase in overall output in the economy.
B) additional government revenue since overall income will increase.
C) a reduction in equality.
D) a reduction in efficiency.

Question 46

As a result of a successful attempt by government to cut the economic pie into more equal slices,

A) the pie gets larger, and there will be more pie overall.
B) the pie gets smaller, and there will be less pie overall.
C) it increases the reward for working hard, resulting in people producing more goods and services.
D) those who earn more income pay less in taxes.

Question 47

A likely effect of government policies that redistribute income and wealth from the wealthy to the poor is that those policies

A) enhance equality.
B) reduce efficiency.
C) reduce the reward for working hard.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 48

Suppose the government taxes the wealthy at a higher rate than it taxes the poor and then develops programs to redistribute the tax revenue from the wealthy to the poor. This redistribution of wealth

A) is more efficient and more equal for society.
B) is more efficient but less equal for society.
C) is more equal but less efficient for society.
D) is less equal and less efficient for society.

Question 49

When the government redistributes income from the wealthy to the poor,

A) efficiency is improved, but equality is not.
B) both wealthy people and poor people benefit directly.
C) people work less and produce fewer goods and services.
D) the government collects more revenue in total.

Question 50

The terms equality and efficiency are similar in that they both refer to benefits to society. However they are different in that

A) equality refers to uniform distribution of those benefits and efficiency refers to maximizing benefits from scarce resources.
B) equality refers to maximizing benefits from scarce resources and efficiency refers to uniform distribution of those benefits.
C) equality refers to everyone facing identical tradeoffs and efficiency refers to the opportunity cost of the benefits.
D) equality refers to the opportunity cost of the benefits and efficiency refers to everyone facing identical tradeoffs.

Question 51

A typical society strives to get the most it can from its scarce resources. At the same time, the society attempts to distribute the benefits of those resources to the members of the society in a fair manner. In other words, the society faces a tradeoff between

A) guns and butter.
B) efficiency and equality.
C) inflation and unemployment.
D) work and leisure.

Question 52

When the government implements programs such as progressive income tax rates, which of the following is likely to occur?

A) equality is increased and efficiency is increased.
B) equality is increased and efficiency is decreased.
C) equality is decreased and efficiency is increased.
D) equality is decreased and efficiency is decreased.

Question 53

Which of the following phrases best captures the notion of efficiency?

A) absolute fairness
B) equal distribution
C) minimum waste
D) equitable outcome

Question 54

When society gets the most it can from its scarce resources, then the outcome is called

A) equitable.
B) efficient.
C) normal.
D) efficacious.

Question 55

Which of the following is true?

A) Efficiency refers to the size of the economic pie; equality refers to how the pie is divided.
B) Government policies usually improve upon both equality and efficiency.
C) As long as the economic pie continually gets larger, no one will have to go hungry.
D) Efficiency and equality can both be achieved if the economic pie is cut into equal pieces.

Question 56

When government policies are enacted,

A) equality can usually be enhanced without an efficiency loss, but efficiency can never be enhanced without a reduction in equality.
B) efficiency can usually be enhanced without a reduction in equality, but equality can never be enhanced without an efficiency loss.
C) it is always the case that either efficiency and equality are both enhanced, or efficiency and equality are both diminished.
D) None of the above are correct.

Question 57

Government policies resulting in reduced efficiency include i) the welfare system
Ii) unemployment insurance
Iii) progressive income tax

A) i) only
B) ii) only
C) i) and ii) only
D) i), ii), and iii)

Question 58

A certain state legislature is considering an increase in the state gasoline tax. Representative Campbell argues that an increase in the gasoline tax would harm low-income drivers disproportionately. Representative Richards responds by saying that low-income drivers own smaller cars that use less gasoline, and that low-income drivers therefore would not be harmed disproportionately.

A) Representative Campbell's argument is based primarily on efficiency, while Representative Richards' argument is based primarily on equality.
B) Representative Campbell's argument is based primarily on equality, while Representative Richards' argument is based primarily on efficiency.
C) Both representatives' arguments are based primarily on efficiency.
D) Both representatives' arguments are based primarily on equality.

Question 59

Which of the following words and phrases best captures the notion of equality?

A) minimum waste
B) maximum benefit
C) sameness
D) efficiency

Question 60

Senator Jackson argues that replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax would increase the level of output. Senator Feldman objects that this policy would benefit the rich at the expense of the poor.

A) Both senators' arguments are primarily about equality.
B) Both senators' arguments are primarily about efficiency.
C) Senator Jackson's argument is primarily about equality, while Senator Feldman's argument is primarily about efficiency.
D) Senator Jackson's argument is primarily about efficiency, while Senator Feldman's argument is primarily about equality.

Question 61

Hamid spends an hour studying instead of watching TV with his friends. The opportunity cost to him of studying is

A) the improvement in his grades from studying for the hour.
B) the improvement in his grades from studying minus the enjoyment of watching TV.
C) the enjoyment he would have received if he had watched TV with his friends.
D) zero. Since Hamid chose to study rather than to watch TV, the value of studying must have been greater to him than the value of watching TV.

Question 62

Ramona decides to spend two hours taking a nap rather than attending her classes. Her opportunity cost of napping is

A) the value of the knowledge she would have received had she attended class.
B) the $24 she could have earned if she had worked at her job for those two hours.
C) the value of her nap minus the value of attending class.
D) nothing, since she valued sleep more than attendance at class.

Question 63

Which of the following is not an example of the opportunity cost of going to school?

A) The money a student could have earned by working if he had not gone to college.
B) The nap a student could have enjoyed if he had not attended class.
C) The party a student could have enjoyed if he had not stayed in to study for his exam.
D) The money a student spends on rent for his apartment while attending school.

Question 64

Suppose after graduating from college you get a job working at a bank earning $30,000 per year. After two years of working at the bank earning the same salary, you have an opportunity to enroll in a one-year graduate program that would require you to quit your job at the bank. Which of the following should not be included in a calculation of your opportunity cost?

A) the cost of tuition and books to attend the graduate program
B) the $30,000 salary that you could have earned if you retained your job at the bank
C) the $45,000 salary that you will be able to earn after having completed your graduate program
D) the value of insurance coverage and other employee benefits you would have received if you retained your job at the bank

Question 65

Consider Frank's decision to go to college. If he goes to college, he will spend $21,000 on tuition, $11,000 on room and board, and $1,800 on books. If he does not go to college, he will earn $16,000 working in a store and spend $7,200 on room and board. Frank's cost of going to college is

A) $33,800.
B) $42,600.
C) $49,800.
D) $57,000.

Question 66

The opportunity cost of an item is

A) the number of hours needed to earn money to buy the item.
B) what you give up to get that item.
C) usually less than the dollar value of the item.
D) the dollar value of the item.

Question 67

The government has just passed a law requiring that all residents earn the same annual income regardless of work effort. This law is likely to

A) increase efficiency and increase equality.
B) increase efficiency but decrease equality.
C) decrease efficiency but increase equality.
D) decrease efficiency and decrease equality.

Question 68

For a college student who wishes to calculate the true costs of going to college, the costs of room and board

A) should be counted in full, regardless of the costs of eating and sleeping elsewhere.
B) should be counted only to the extent that they are more expensive at college than elsewhere.
C) usually exceed the opportunity cost of going to college.
D) plus the cost of tuition, equals the opportunity cost of going to college.

Question 69

High-school athletes who skip college to become professional athletes

A) obviously do not understand the value of a college education.
B) usually do so because they cannot get into college.
C) understand that the opportunity cost of attending college is very high.
D) are not making a rational decision since the marginal benefits of college outweigh the marginal costs of college for high-school athletes.

Question 70

When computing the opportunity cost of attending a basketball game you should include

A) the price you pay for the ticket and the value of your time.
B) the price you pay for the ticket, but not the value of your time.
C) the value of your time, but not the price you pay for the ticket.
D) neither the price of the ticket nor the value of your time.

Question 71

For which of the following individuals would the opportunity cost of going to college be highest?

A) a promising young mathematician who will command a high salary once she earns her college degree
B) a student with average grades who has never held a job
C) a famous, highly-paid actor who wants to take time away from show business to finish college and earn a degree
D) a student who is the best player on his college basketball team, but who lacks the skills necessary to play professional basketball

Question 72

What you give up to obtain an item is called your

A) opportunity cost.
B) explicit cost.
C) monetary cost.
D) direct cost.

Question 73

Which of the following is correct concerning opportunity cost?

A) Except to the extent that you pay more for them, opportunity costs should not include the cost of things you would have purchased anyway.
B) To compute opportunity costs, you should subtract benefits from costs.
C) Opportunity costs and the idea of trade-offs are not closely related.
D) Rational people should compare various options without considering opportunity costs.

Question 74

The opportunity cost of going to college is

A) the total spent on food, clothing, books, transportation, tuition, lodging, and other expenses.
B) the value of the best opportunity a student gives up to attend college.
C) zero for students who are fortunate enough to have all of their college expenses paid by someone else.
D) zero, since a college education will allow a student to earn a larger income after graduation.

Question 75

When you calculate your true costs of going to college, what portion of your room-and-board expenses should be included?

A) Your full room-and-board expenses should always be included.
B) None of your room-and-board expenses should ever be included.
C) You should include only the amount by which your room-and-board expenses exceed the income you earn while attending college.
D) You should include only the amount by which your room-and-board expenses exceed the expenses for rent and food if you were not in college.

Question 76

Suppose that you have received $300 as a birthday gift. You can spend it today or you can put the money in a bank account for a year and earn 5 percent interest. The opportunity cost of spending the money today, in terms of what you could have after one year, is

A) $0.
B) $15.
C) $305.
D) $315.

Question 77

Melody decides to spend three hours working overtime rather than going to the park with her friends. She earns $20 per hour for overtime work. Her opportunity cost of working is

A) the $60 she earns working.
B) the $60 minus the enjoyment she would have received from going to the park.
C) the enjoyment she would have received had she gone to the park.
D) nothing, since she would have received less than $60 worth of enjoyment from going to the park.

Question 78

For most students, the earnings they give up to attend college are

A) a minor cost when compared to the costs of tuition, room and board, and the like.
B) the single largest cost of their education.
C) about equal to the costs of room and board at college.
D) not considered true costs by an economist.

Question 79

In economics, the cost of something is

A) the dollar amount of obtaining it.
B) always measured in units of time given up to get it.
C) what you give up to get it.
D) often impossible to quantify, even in principle.

Question 80

For most students, the largest single cost of a college education is

A) the wages given up to attend school.
B) tuition, fees, and books.
C) room and board.
D) transportation, parking, and entertainment.