Business 1 - Introduction to Business » Spring 2020 » Chapter 2 Quiz

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Question #1
A command economic system is characterized by
A.   reliance on the government to determine what is produced and who gets the output.
B.   an extremely rapid rate of economic growth.
C.   reliance on the forces of supply and demand to determine what is produced.
D.   freedom of choice and freedom of competition.
Question #2
According to the invisible hand concept, the best way for a society to encourage the creation of jobs and the production of the products most wanted by consumers would be to
A.   impose high taxes on individuals, and use the revenue to subsidize businesses to encourage them to produce the maximum rate of output.
B.   allow private ownership of businesses, but use extensive regulations to force businesses to behave as the government wishes.
C.   allow entrepreneurs personal freedom to follow their own self-interest.
D.   permit government-owned industries, such as telecommunications, transportation, and energy, and operate these firms as nonprofit organizations.
Question #3
Economist Thomas Malthus believed that ________ would limit economic progress.
A.   depletion of gold reserves
B.   overpopulation
C.   the inability of workers in developed nations to compete against cheap foreign labor
D.   the tendency of governments to levy high tax rates
Question #4
Which of the following is an important premise of Adam Smith's conclusions about economic prosperity?
A.   Understanding the concept of survival of the fittest will lead to prosperity.
B.   Individual freedom is necessary if a society is to prosper.
C.   Determining what motivates people will lead to prosperity.
D.   Command economies and structured markets must be in place before we can work toward prosperity.
Question #5
On its website, Papa John's Pizza compares itself to the competition with the following message: "better ingredients, better pizza." The company is looking to achieve
A.   product differentiation.
B.   an equilibrium price.
C.   a perfectly competitive market.
D.   a monopoly.
Question #6
A major trend around the world today is that
A.   productivity in the service sector is increasing much more rapidly than productivity in agriculture and manufacturing.
B.   governments in countries with capitalist economies are paying less attention to environmental concerns and issues involving social equality.
C.   free-market economies are moving more toward socialism and socialist economies are moving more toward capitalism.
D.   governments in socialist economies are increasing their use of social programs and relying on higher tax rates to finance these programs.
Question #7
Olivia recently left her job at a large corporation because she saw little chance for advancement. Although she is still searching for a new position, she believes the economy is healthy and she hears that several firms are hiring people with her qualifications. Which of the following statements about Olivia's current situation is most accurate?
A.   Olivia is not considered unemployed because she voluntarily quit her job.
B.   Olivia is likely to find employment quickly if she seeks training in a different field.
C.   Olivia is an example of cyclical unemployment.
D.   Olivia is an example of frictional unemployment.
Question #8
Which of the following would be a topic emphasized in a microeconomics class?
A.   The nation's unemployment rate
B.   How the government can provide adequate healthcare
C.   How market conditions determine the price of a specific product
D.   How a nation's GDP is computed
Question #9
If businesses are producing at capacity, and the nation is experiencing almost full employment (a very low rate of unemployment—less than 2%), the Fed may decide to
A.   increase interest rates.
B.   lower taxes.
C.   raise taxes.
D.   lower interest rates.
Question #10
Just a few sellers dominate the markets for laundry detergents, soft drinks, and automobiles. Economists would classify these markets as
A.   monopolies.
B.   perfect competition.
C.   oligopolies.
D.   monopolistic competition.
Question #11
________ refers to a general rise in the price level of goods and services over time.
A.   Inflation
B.   Acceleration
C.   Escalation
D.   Recession
Question #12
The ________ is a statistic used to measure the pace of inflation or deflation.
A.   consumer price index
B.   index of leading indicators
C.   index of inflationary trends
D.   gross domestic product
Question #13
The study of how to increase the amount of available resources and create conditions that will make better use of these resources is known as
A.   microeconomics.
B.   econology.
C.   human resource management.
D.   resource development.
Question #14
In the box "World Population is Popping," the textbook describes how the world's population is growing at an incredible rate and discusses the challenges that will face different countries. Which of the following statements best illustrates the challenges that can arise?
A.   Nigeria will experience the world's fastest growth and though its continent has the world's fastest growing middle class, combating hunger and poverty, providing healthcare, and expanding education will pose a challenge.
B.   Europe's population is expected to grow by 12% in 2050. With so many children, there will not be enough schools or teachers to provide an adequate education.
C.   China and India will remain the two most populated countries and will not need to make any changes.
D.   North American growth will slow down and there will be fewer businesspeople to provide the services we have become accustomed to.
Question #15
The Federal Reserve Bank operates
A.   as a semi-private organization not under the direct control of the government.
B.   under the direction of the Banking Oversight Committee of Congress.
C.   under the direct control of the executive branch of the government.
D.   as a special agency of the U.S. Treasury.
Question #16
Mini-Case Cooper Collins is a bright, hard-working engineer who once owned a successful engineering consulting firm in his native country of Evensplitia. Cooper was discouraged by the high tax rates in Evensplitia, so he immigrated to the United States seven years ago. Soon after moving to the U.S., Cooper again tried his hand at entrepreneurship and opened Coop's Consulting. The company struggled at first, and almost went bankrupt midway through its second year. However, Cooper never lost faith, the company survived, and eventually developed a great reputation in the community. Coop's Consulting began experiencing sustained growth early in its fourth year. In fact, Cooper hired additional employees to keep up with the increasing workload. His company, which started with only Cooper and two other full-time workers, now provides jobs for 43 full-time employees as well as many part-time workers and interns. Despite these past successes, business ownership is not without complications. The company suffered its first drop in business since its very early years. Cooper is convinced that the problem is not with his company, but rather due to a downturn in the U.S. economy. He heard a national broadcast last week reporting that the value of the total output of final goods and services in the U.S. declined over the last quarter. The anchor went on to state that many economists believe that this downward trend is likely to continue for several more months. Cooper is concerned that he will have to lay off some of his employees if the economy doesn't improve. He hopes that the government does something soon to put the economy back on track. Besides a slowdown in the general economy, Coop's Consulting faces threats of competition from several other companies that provide engineering consulting services. In order to gain more business, Cooper tries to convince potential clients that his company offers better service than the competition. He has advertised heavily in professional magazines, often quoting some of his highly satisfied clients. The market Coop's Consulting operates in is an example of
A.   perfect competition.
B.   oligopoly.
C.   monopoly.
D.   monopolistic competition.
Question #17
Under capitalism,
A.   markets operate to carry out the decisions made by central planners.
B.   the primary function of the government is to distribute wealth more evenly.
C.   utilities, health care, education, and other important services are operated by the government.
D.   most of the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit.
Question #18
Javier left his home country to become a gardener for a family in a suburb of San Francisco, California. One of the benefits of his new job is he can attend the community college near the family's home. However, when he arrived, he experienced the differences from a predominately socialist nation and a capitalist nation. Javier was dismayed to learn that public transportation in California was limited and expensive, making it difficult to get to school. For a negligible fee, the government in his home country provided public transportation for everyone. Javier's home country's economic system was more characteristic of ________.
A.   mercantilism.
B.   socialism.
C.   pure capitalism.
D.   communism.
Question #19
Which of the following people would tend to favor a communist economy?
A.   Kara prefers to live in a country where the government makes almost all of the economic decisions.
B.   Lizzie prefers to live in a country that encourages rapid economic growth.
C.   Communism is an economic and political system in which the state makes almost all economic decisions and owns almost all the major factors of production.
D.   Fred prefers to live in a country with low marginal tax rates.
Question #20
Which of the following statements would a follower of Adam Smith most likely make?
A.   The federal government should help in alleviating overpopulation.
B.   The federal government should give people the freedom to follow their own interests; theoretically their efforts will lead to economic growth that benefits society as a whole.
C.   The federal government puts too much emphasis on economic growth instead of aiding in social issues.
D.   The federal government should use its ability to spend and tax to guide the decisions of businesses and consumers.

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