Consider the Case of Eastover Coal Mining Company, Operating Its

Multiple Choice

Consider the case of Eastover Coal Mining Company, operating its mine in the small, isolated town of Eastover, Kentucky. The data in the table describe the firm, where MP_L = marginal product of labor and MRC_L = marginal resource cost of labor. If the firm sells its coal in a purely competitive market for $10 per ton, how many laborers should it hire? $\begin{array} { | c | c | c| } \hline\text { Nuriber of } & \text { MPL (Tons of } & \text { MRGL } \\\text { Labores } & \text { Coal) } & \\\hline 1 & 10 & \$ 20 \\\hline 2 & 7 & 30 \\\hline 3 & 5 & 55 \\\hline 4 & 4 & 90 \\\hline 5 & 3.5 & 120\\\hline\end{array}$

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5