Deck 1: The Science of Macroeconomics

Question 1

A typical trend during a recession is that:

A) the unemployment rate falls.
B) the popularity of the incumbent president rises.
C) incomes fall.
D) the inflation rate rises.

Answer 1

incomes fall.

Question 2

A severe recession is called a(n):

A) depression.
B) deflation.
C) exogenous event.
D) market-clearing assumption.

Answer 2

depression.

Question 3

The study of the economy as a whole is called:

A) household economics.
B) business economics.
C) microeconomics.
D) macroeconomics.

Answer 3

macroeconomics.

Question 4

Deflation occurs when:

A) real GDP decreases.
B) the unemployment rate decreases.
C) prices fall.
D) prices increase, but at a slower rate.

Question 5

In the U.S. economy today, real GDP per person, compared with its level in 1900, is about:

A) 50 percent higher.
B) twice as high.
C) three times as high.
D) eight times as high.

Question 6

The total income of everyone in the economy adjusted for the level of base year prices is called:

A) a recession.
B) an inflation.
C) real GDP.
D) a business fluctuation.

Question 7

A measure of how fast the general level of prices is rising is called the:

A) growth rate of real GDP.
B) inflation rate.
C) unemployment rate.
D) market-clearing rate.

Question 8

Macroeconomists cannot conduct controlled experiments, such as testing various tax and expenditure policies, because:

A) it is against the law.
B) they tried it once and it did not work.
C) they must make use of the data history gives them.
D) economists already know the answers that would come out of the experiments.

Question 9

All of the following are types of macroeconomics data except the:

A) price of an IBM computer.
B) growth rate of real GDP.
C) inflation rate.
D) unemployment rate.

Question 10

Real GDP ______ over time and the growth rate of real GDP ______.

A) grows; fluctuates
B) is steady; is steady
C) grows; is steady
D) is steady; fluctuates

Question 11

The inflation rate is a measure of how fast:

A) the total income of the economy is growing.
B) unemployment in the economy is increasing.
C) the general level of prices in the economy is rising.
D) the number of jobs in the economy is expanding.

Question 12

Compared with a recession, real GDP during a depression:

A) increases more rapidly.
B) increases at approximately the same rate.
C) decreases at approximately the same rate.
D) decreases more severely.

Question 13

All of the following are important macroeconomic variables except:

A) real GDP.
B) the unemployment rate.
C) the marginal rate of substitution.
D) the inflation rate.

Question 14

The ability of macroeconomists to predict the future course of economic events:

A) is no better than the meteorologist's ability to predict the next month's weather.
B) is much better than the meteorologist's ability to predict the next month's weather.
C) has gotten worse over time.
D) is less precise than it was in the 1920s.

Question 15

Macroeconomics does not try to answer the question of:

A) why do some countries experience rapid growth.
B) what is the rate of return on education.
C) why do some countries have high rates of inflation.
D) what causes recessions and depressions.

Question 16

Which of the combinations listed is not a U.S. president and an important economic issue of his administration?

A) President Carter, inflation
B) President Reagan, budget deficits
C) President G.H.W. Bush, budget deficits
D) President Clinton, inflation

Question 17

Two striking features of a graph of U.S. real GDP per capita over the twentieth century are the:

A) overall upward trend interrupted by a large downturn due to the economic depression in the 1930s.
B) nearly constant level with a large downturn in the 1930s.
C) downward trend in the first half of the century followed by the upward trend in the second half.
D) constant level in the first half of the century followed by the upward trend in the second half.

Question 18

The inflation rate in the United States averaged about:

A) nearly zero between 1900 and 1950.
B) nearly zero between 1950 and 2000.
C) 10 percent between 1900 and 1950.
D) 10 percent between 1950 and 2000.

Question 19

Macroeconomics is the study of the:

A) activities of individual units of the economy.
B) decision making by households and firms.
C) economy as a whole.
D) interaction of firms and households in the marketplace.

Question 20

Recessions are periods when real GDP:

A) increases slowly.
B) increases rapidly.
C) decreases mildly.
D) decreases severely.

Question 21

In a simple graphical model of the supply and demand for pizza with the price of pizza measured vertically and the quantity of pizza measured horizontally:

A) the supply curve slopes upward and to the right.
B) the demand curve slopes upward and to the right.
C) the supply curve slopes downward and to the right.
D) at the equilibrium price, the supply of pizza exceeds the demand for pizza.

Question 22

Important characteristics of macroeconomic models include all of the following except:

A) simplifying assumptions.
B) functional relationships based on controlled experiments.
C) endogenous and exogenous variables.
D) implicit or explicit consistency with microeconomic foundations.

Question 23

Which statement below best illustrates the "art," rather than the "science" of macroeconomics?

A) Macroeconomic data provides the motivation for new macroeconomic theory.
B) Macroeconomic relationships can be expressed using symbols and equations.
C) Macroeconomists must determine which simplifying assumptions clarify our thinking and which mislead us.
D) Graphs and charts can be used to illustrate the history of macroeconomic variables.

Question 24

During the period between 1900 and 2000, the unemployment rate in the United States was highest in the:

A) 1920s.
B) 1930s.
C) 1970s.
D) 1980s.

Question 25

The unemployment rate:

A) was zero during the 1990s in the United States.
B) was zero on average between 1900 and 1950 in the United States.
C) has never been zero in the United States.
D) is usually zero when the economy is not in a recession or depression.

Question 26

Macroeconomic models are used to explain how ______ variables influence ______ variables.

A) endogenous; exogenous
B) exogenous; endogenous
C) microeconomic; macroeconomic
D) macroeconomic; microeconomic

Question 27

Variables that a model tries to explain are called:

A) endogenous.
B) exogenous.
C) market clearing.
D) fixed.

Question 28

In a simple model of the supply and demand for pizza, when aggregate income increases, the price of pizza ______ and the quantity purchased ______.

A) increases; decreases
B) increases; increases
C) decreases; increases
D) decreases; decreases

Question 29

In a simple model of the supply and demand for pizza, when the price of cheese increases, the price of pizza ______ and the quantity purchased ______.

A) increases; increases
B) decreases; increases
C) decreases; decreases
D) increases; decreases

Question 30

Endogenous variables are:

A) fixed at the moment they enter the model.
B) determined within the model.
C) the inputs of the model.
D) from outside the model.

Question 31

A period of falling prices is called:

A) deflation.
B) inflation.
C) a depression.
D) a recession.

Question 32

A graph of the rate of inflation in the United States over the twentieth century shows:

A) an overall upward trend interrupted by a large downturn in the 1930s.
B) some periods of deflation in the first half of the century, but only positive rates of inflation in the second half of the century.
C) a relatively steady, positive level throughout the century except for deflation in the 1930s.
D) a constant rate of inflation in the first half of the century followed by an upward trend in the second half.

Question 33

In an economic model:

A) exogenous variables and endogenous variables are both fixed when they enter the model.
B) endogenous variables and exogenous variables are both determined within the model.
C) endogenous variables affect exogenous variables.
D) exogenous variables affect endogenous variables.

Question 34

Exogenous variables are:

A) fixed at the moment they enter the model.
B) determined within the model.
C) the outputs of the model.
D) explained by the model.

Question 35

Variables that a model takes as given are called:

A) endogenous.
B) exogenous.
C) market clearing.
D) macroeconomic.

Question 36

Which of the following statements about economic models is true?

A) There is only one correct economic model.
B) All economic models are based on the same assumptions.
C) The purpose of economic models is to show how endogenous variables affect exogenous variables.
D) Economists use different models to address different economic phenomenon.

Question 37

A graph of the U.S. unemployment rate over the twentieth century shows:

A) an overall upward trend in the unemployment rate interrupted by a large upturn in the 1930s.
B) an overall downward trend in the unemployment rate interrupted by a large upturn in the 1930s.
C) rates of unemployment always greater than zero with substantial variations from year to year.
D) alternating periods of positive and negative rates of unemployment.

Question 38

Macroeconomic models:

A) assume all wages and prices are sticky.
B) assume all wages and prices are flexible.
C) make different assumptions to explain different aspects of the macroeconomy.
D) focus primarily on the optimizing behavior of households and firms.

Question 39

In a simple model of the supply and demand for pizza, the endogenous variables are:

A) the price of pizza and the price of cheese.
B) aggregate income and the quantity of pizza sold.
C) aggregate income and the price of cheese.
D) the price of pizza and the quantity of pizza sold.

Question 40

In the relationship expressed in functional form, Y = G(K, L), Y stands for real GDP, K stands for the amount of capital in the economy, and L stands for the amount of labor in the economy. In this case G( ):

A) is the growth rate of real GDP when the amount of capital and labor in the economy is fixed.
B) indicates that the variables inside the parentheses are endogenous variables in the model.
C) is the symbol that stands for government input into the production process.
D) is the function telling how the variables in the parentheses determine real GDP.

Question 41

Macroeconomics is:

A) based on microeconomic foundations.
B) completely separate from microeconomics.
C) explicitly based on microeconomic behavior.
D) a subsidiary branch of microeconomics.

Question 42

Why do we call macroeconomics an imperfect science? Explain.

Question 43

Which of the following is the best example of a flexible price?

A) the price of a cup of coffee in a coffee shop
B) the price of gasoline at a service station
C) the price of a ticket at a movie theater
D) the price of a book in a bookstore

Question 44

Assume that the equation for demand for bread at a small bakery is Q^d = 60 - 10P_b + 3Y, where Q^d is the quantity of bread demanded in loaves and Y is the average income in the town in thousands of dollars.

Question 45

How does the distinction between flexible and sticky prices impact the study of macroeconomics?

A) The study of flexible prices is confined to microeconomics, while macroeconomics focuses on sticky prices.
B) Macroeconomists use flexible prices to explain inflation and sticky prices to explain unemployment.
C) Flexible prices are typically assumed in the study of the long run, while sticky prices are assumed in the study of the short run.
D) Endogenous variables are measured using flexible prices, while exogenous variables are measured using sticky prices.

Question 46

When studying the short-run behavior of the economy, an assumption of ______ is more plausible, in contrast to studying the long-run equilibrium behavior of an economy, when an assumption of ______ is more plausible.

A) inflation; unemployment
B) unemployment; inflation
C) flexible prices; sticky prices
D) sticky prices; flexible prices

Question 47

Use the following to answer question :
Refer to the following graph and identify the years for which Country A and Country B experienced recession.

Question 48

Are the terms "market clearing" and "equilibrium" one and the same? Explain.

Question 49

The quantity of coffee demanded, Q^D, depends on the price of coffee, P_c, and the price of tea, P_T. The quantity of coffee supplied, Q^S, depends on the price of coffee, P_c, and the price of electricity, P_E , according to the following equation:

Question 50

All of the following statements about sticky prices are true except:

A) in the short run, some wages and prices are sticky.
B) the sticky-price model describes the equilibrium toward which the economy slowly gravitates.
C) for studying year-to-year fluctuations, most macroeconomists believe that price stickiness is a better assumption than is price flexibility.
D) magazine publishers tend to change their newsstand prices only every three or four years.

Question 51

The production function for an economy can be expressed as Y = F(K,L), where Y is real GDP, K is the quantity of capital in the economy, and L is the quantity of labor in the economy.

Question 52

Assume that the equation for demand for bread at a small bakery is Q^d = 60 - 10P_b + 3Y, where Q^d is the quantity of bread demanded in loaves, P_b is the price of bread in dollars per loaf, and Y is the average income in the town in thousands of dollars. Assume also that the equation for supply of bread is Q^s = 30 + 20P_b - 30 P_f, where Q^s is the quantity supplied and P_f is the price of flour in dollars per pound. Assume finally that markets clear, so that Q^d = Q^s.

Question 53

The assumption of continuous market clearing means that:

A) sellers can sell all that they want at the going price.
B) buyers can buy all that they want at the going price.
C) in any given month, buyers can buy all that they want and sellers can sell all that they want at the going price.
D) at any given instant, buyers can buy all that they want and sellers can sell all that they want at the going price.

Question 54

Using a market-clearing model to analyze the demand for haircuts is ______ because the price of a haircut usually changes ______.

A) realistic; frequently
B) realistic; infrequently
C) unrealistic; frequently
D) unrealistic; infrequently

Question 55

What is the difference between recession and depression in an economy? Provide an example of depression from the real world that has hit the global economy.

Question 56

Macroeconomics is based on microeconomics for all of the following reasons except:

A) when we study the economy as a whole, we must consider the decisions of individual economic actors.
B) aggregate variables are simply the sum of variables describing many individual decisions.
C) macroeconomic decision makers, when they make their choices, are required to maximize utility functions.
D) to understand the determinants of aggregate investment, we must think about a firm's deciding whether to build a new factory.

Question 57

Macroeconomists are like scientists because they both:

A) design data and conduct controlled experiments to test their theories.
B) rely on data analyzed from experiments they set up in a laboratory.
C) are unlimited in their use of controlled experiments.
D) collect data, develop hypotheses, and analyze the results.

Question 58

An assumption of _______ is more plausible for studying the short-run behavior of the economy, while an assumption of ______ is more plausible for studying the long-run, equilibrium behavior of the economy.

A) deflation; inflation
B) inflation; deflation
C) flexible prices; sticky prices
D) sticky prices; flexible prices

Question 59

Which of the following is the best example of a sticky price?

A) the price of a barrel of oil
B) the price of the U.S. dollar in terms of euros
C) the price of a share of stock
D) the price of a soda in a vending machine

Question 60

The assumption of flexible prices is a more plausible assumption when applied to price changes that occur:

A) from minute to minute.
B) from year to year.
C) in the long run.
D) in the short run.

Question 61

What is the difference between sticky prices and flexible prices? Explain.

Question 62

Column A below lists the names of four U.S. presidents, while Column B lists four economic events that occurred during the tenures of those U.S. presidents. Match each president to the economic event that occurred during his tenure.

Question 63

What is an exogenous variable? Illustrate with graphs the effect of a change in the exogenous variable on a demand and supply relationship. Mark the x-axis and y-axis clearly.

Question 64

Do you agree with the statement, "macroeconomics rests on the foundation of microeconomics"? Explain.

Question 65

Give two examples of macroeconomic variables and microeconomic variables.

Question 66

Refer the following table showing the quantity of toothpastes that are demanded at different prices. Identify the price (as shown in the first column below in the table) that represents the market clearing.