Economics 1 - Principles of Economics » Summer 2020 » Quiz

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Question #1
When a business adopts a strategy of reducing and/or discontinuing production in response to a sustained pattern of losses, it is
A.   considering opportunity costs.
B.   preparing to reach its shutdown point.
C.   preparing to exit operations.
D.   considering capital investments.
Question #2
If accounting profits for a firm are 20% of output, and the opportunity cost of financial capital is 8% of output, then what do the firm’s economic profits equal?
A.   10% of output
B.   8% of output
C.   12% of output
D.   6% of output
Question #3
For a perfectly competitive firm, the marginal cost curve is identical to the firm'€™s ____________.
A.   supply curve
B.   average variable cost curve
C.   demand curve
D.   average total cost curve
Question #4
Temperatures have persisted below freezing levels in Florida throughout the months of December and January. As a result, demand for electricity sharply increased and the price of electricity rose sharply. The price of coal also rose. In these circumstances, any resulting shifts in the supply curves for coal miners and electricity producers
A.   can also be interpreted as shifts of their respective marginal cost curves.
B.   shifts marginal costs to the right enabling both to produce more at any given market price.
C.   will determine what price to produce at given the market demand.
D.   at all levels of output shifts marginal costs to the right.
Question #5
It is said that in a perfectly competitive market, raising the price of a firm's product from the prevailing market price of $179.00 to $199.00, _____________________ .
A.   could likely result in a notable loss of sales to competitors
B.   is a sure sign the firm is raising the given price in the market
C.   will likely cause the firm to reach its shutdown point immediately
D.   will cause the firm to recover some of its opportunity costs
Question #6
Kate's 24-Hour Breakfast Diner menu offers one item, a $5.00 breakfast special. Kate's costs for servers, cooks, electricity, food, etc. average out to $3.95 per meal. Her costs for rent, insurance cleaning supplies and business license average out to $1.25 per meal. Since the market is highly competitive, Kate should
A.   raise her prices above the perfectly competitive level set by the market.
B.   keep the business open in the short-run, and plan to expand the business in the long-run.
C.   lay-off her staff, break her lease, and close the business down immediately.
D.   keep the business open in the short-run, but plan to go out of business in the long-run.
Question #7
In the _______, the perfectly competitive firm will seek out ______________.
A.   short run; profits by ignoring the concept of total cost analysis
B.   short run; the quantity of output where profits are highest
C.   long run; methods to reduce production and shut down
D.   long run; the quantity of output where profits are highest
Question #8
An _______ is calculated by subtracting the firm's costs from its total revenues, ______________ _______ .
A.   economic profit; excluding opportunity cost
B.   accounting profit; including opportunity cost
C.   accounting profit; excluding opportunity cost
D.   opportunity cost; including economic profit
Question #9
If a competitive firm experiences a shift in costs of production that decreases marginal costs at all levels of output,
A.   the firm's demand curve will also shift to the left.
B.   expanding output levels at any given price will be profitable.
C.   the firm's marginal cost curve will shift to the left.
D.   producing less at any market price will off-set marginal cost .
Question #10
The largest cattle rancher in a given region will be unable to have a _________ sufficient numbers of smaller cattle ranchers provide sources of competition.
A.   monopoly
B.   oligopoly
C.   patent
D.   monopolistic competition
Question #11
For a pure monopoly to exist,
A.   there is only one seller, therefore no industry
B.   there are a few sellers in a given industry
C.   there are limited sellers in a particular industry
D.   there is a single seller in a particular industry
Question #12
When a natural monopoly exists in a given industry, the per-unit costs of production will be
A.   lower for the smaller firms than for larger firms.
B.   lowest when a single firm generates the entire output of the industry.
C.   lowest when there are a large number of producers in the industry.
D.   minimized at the output that maximizes the industry's profitability.
Question #13
Which of the following is most unlikely to present a barrier to entry into a market?
A.   deregulation
B.   technological advantages
C.   patent laws
D.   market forces
Question #14
Which one of the following is the most accurate description of a monopolist?
A.   a firm that is very large relative to all its competitors within a narrow product class
B.   a large, multinational firm that produces a single product in a narrow product class
C.   a sole producer of a product for which good substitutes are lacking in a market with high barriers to entry
D.   a sole producer of a narrowly defined product class, such as brown, Grade A eggs produced in Eagle County, Colorado
Question #15
In the event that Only1Corp. obtains control of all the natural gas producers in the US, it would most likely
A.   raise prices, cut production, and realize positive economic profits.
B.   have a patent giving it exclusive legal rights to make, use, and sell for a limited time.
C.   acquire rights for its investors to produce and sell their product.
D.   have legal protection to prevent copying its methods of production for commercial use.
Question #16
What qualities would ideally suit a monopolistic firm with regard to barriers to entry?
A.   government rules on prices, quantities, or conditions of entry in an industry
B.   government regulations that provide no barriers to entry, exit, or competition
C.   a few impediments to limit new firms from operating and expanding within the market
D.   sufficient strength to prevent or discourage potential competitors from entering the market
Question #17
Following the assumption that firms maximize profits, how will the price and output policy of an unregulated monopolist compare with ideal market efficiency?
A.   output will be too small and its price too low.
B.   output will be too large and its price too high.
C.   output will be too small and its price too high.
D.   output will be too large and its price too low.
Question #18
If monopolists are able to produce fewer goods and sell them at a higher price than they could under perfect competition, the result will be
A.   abnormally high sustained profits.
B.   elimination of barriers to entry
C.   government deregulation.
D.   irregularly high unsustainable profits.
Question #19
If a firm holds a pure monopoly in the market and is able to sell 5 units of output at $4.00 per unit and 6 units of output at $3,90 per unit, it will produce and sell the sixth unit if its marginal cost is
A.   $3.50 or less
B.   $4.00 or less
C.   $3.40 or less
D.   $3.90 or less
Question #20
The demand curve as perceived by a monopolistic competitor is ____________.
A.   U shaped
B.   flat
C.   downward-sloping
D.   upward-sloping
Question #21
____________ arises when firms act together to reduce output and keep prices high.
A.   Collusion
B.   A monopoly
C.   An oligopoly
D.   A cartel
Question #22
Why are the underlying economic meanings of the perceived demand curves for a monopolist and monopolistic competitor different?
A.   because the demand curve for a monopolistic competitor is upward sloping
B.   because the demand curve perceived by the monopolist is flatter than that of a monopolist competitor
C.   a monopolist faces the market demand curve and a monopolist competitor does not
D.   a monopolist competitor faces the market demand curve and a monopolist does not
Question #23
In a perfectly competitive market, each firm produces at a quantity where price is set
A.   equal to average cost, in the long run.
B.   equal to marginal cost, in the short run.
C.   equal to average cost, both in the short run and in the long run.
D.   equal to marginal cost, both in the short run and in the long run.
Question #24
In the framework of monopolistic competition, advertising works because it causes
A.   a steeper perceived demand curve, as well as c above.
B.   perceived demand curve to shift to the right.
C.   perceived demand curve to shift to the left.
D.   the steeper perceived demand curve to become flatter.
Question #25
When entry occurs in a monopolistically competitive industry,
A.   the marginal revenue curves for each firm will shift to the right.
B.   the perceived demand and marginal revenue curves for each firm will shift to the right.
C.   the perceived demand and marginal revenue curves for each firm will shift to the left.
D.   the perceived demand curve for each firm will shift to the right.
Question #26
If oligopolistic firms banded together with the intention of acting like a monopoly, it would likely result in their being able to
A.   divide up the monopoly level of profit amongst themselves.
B.   hold down output in the short-run.
C.   both b and c above are correct.
D.   charge a higher price in the short-run.
Question #27
If a perfectly competitive market involves many firms selling identical products, then, in the face of such competition,
A.   each of these firms must act as a price-maker.
B.   each of these firms must act as a price-taker.
C.   collusion amongst them will most often result.
D.   demand curves can become kinked in appearance.
Question #28
If one firm operating in an oligopoly raises its price and other firms do not do so,
A.   the egos of all the top executives will eventually lead to cooperation at that higher price.
B.   the firm with the increased price will have its higher profits sustained through cooperation.
C.   the sales of the firm that increased its price will decline sharply.
D.   the sales of the firm with the higher price will decline slightly.
Question #29
What role can advertising play with respect to differentiated products?
A.   shapes consumers intangible preferences
B.   allows a firm to raise the prevailing market price
C.   shapes perceived demand for a price taker
D.   allows a firm to sell any quantity it wishes

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