#1
Which of the following is a characteristic of a perfectly competitive market?
Many buyers and many sellers
ExplanationPerfect competition entails numerous buyers and sellers, ensuring no single entity can influence market prices.
#2
What does the term 'opportunity cost' refer to in economics?
The value of the next best alternative forgone
ExplanationOpportunity cost denotes the value of the alternative that must be sacrificed when a choice is made.
#3
What is the role of the Federal Reserve in the U.S. economy?
Controlling the money supply and interest rates
ExplanationThe Federal Reserve oversees monetary policy, managing the money supply and interest rates to stabilize the economy and promote growth.
#4
What is the concept of 'scarcity' in economics?
Unlimited wants and limited resources
ExplanationScarcity refers to the fundamental economic problem of having unlimited desires in a world with finite resources.
#5
Which of the following is a characteristic of monopolistic competition?
Many buyers and many sellers
ExplanationMonopolistic competition features numerous firms selling differentiated products, allowing for some degree of market power for each firm.
#6
Which of the following is NOT a factor of production?
Profit
ExplanationProfit is an outcome of production rather than a factor of production itself, which typically includes land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship.
#7
What is the main purpose of the production possibility frontier (PPF) in economics?
To show the maximum output attainable given limited resources
ExplanationThe PPF illustrates the trade-offs between producing different goods, highlighting the maximum potential output given resource constraints.
#8
Which of the following is an example of a regressive tax?
Sales tax
ExplanationRegressive taxes, like sales tax, take a higher percentage of income from low-income earners than from high-income earners.
#9
What is the formula for calculating GDP (Gross Domestic Product)?
Consumption + Investment + Government Spending + Exports - Imports
ExplanationGDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country, calculated by summing consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports.
#10
Which of the following is a characteristic of a command economy?
Centralized government planning
ExplanationCommand economies rely on centralized authority to allocate resources and make economic decisions.
#11
In a monopolistic competition market structure, firms differentiate their products in order to:
Maximize profits
ExplanationProduct differentiation allows firms to create perceived uniqueness, thus enabling them to exert some degree of market power to maximize profits.
#12
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a monopoly?
Price taker
ExplanationMonopolies, unlike competitive markets, have the power to set prices rather than accepting market prices as price takers.
#13
What does the term 'elasticity of demand' measure?
The responsiveness of quantity demanded to a change in price
ExplanationElasticity of demand quantifies how consumers alter their demand for a good or service when its price changes.
#14
Which of the following is an example of a positive externality?
Education
ExplanationPositive externalities, like education, result in benefits to third parties not directly involved in the activity, leading to underproduction in a free market.
#15
What is the formula for calculating price elasticity of demand?
Percentage change in quantity demanded divided by percentage change in price
ExplanationPrice elasticity of demand quantifies the responsiveness of quantity demanded to changes in price, calculated as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in price.