Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Most microeconomic models assume that decision makers wish to

A) make themselves as well off as possible.
B) act selfishly.
C) make others as well off as possible.
D) None of the above.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Economists tend to judge a model based upon

A) the reality of its assumptions.
B) the accuracy of its predictions.
C) its simplicity.
D) its complexity.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Einstein was quoted saying "Everything should be made as simple as possible,but not simpler." When it comes to economic models this means that

A) models shouldn't be too complex.
B) models shouldn't be too simple.
C) models should have a level of abstraction appropriate to the topic investigated.
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A market

A) always involves the personal exchange of goods for money.
B) allows interactions between consumers and firms.
C) always takes place at a physical location.
D) has no influence on prices.

Question 5

In year 2008,1334 million lbs milk was produced and sold in U.S.This is

A) the decision of the U.S. department of agriculture.
B) quantity determined by the interactions in the market.
C) the maximum amount the producers could produce.
D) what consumers needed.

Question 6

Who or what is responsible for the allocation of scarce resources into the production of most goods in the U.S.?

A) the American government
B) the UN
C) the Federal Reserve Bank
D) markets and prices

Question 7

The price of a good is

A) always equal to the cost of producing the good.
B) never affected by the number of buyers and sellers.
C) usually determined in a market.
D) None of the above

Question 8

Microeconomics studies the allocation of

A) decision makers.
B) scarce resources.
C) models.
D) unlimited resources.

Question 9

Under most circumstances,the application of taxes on goods will only affect who gets the goods.

Question 10

The flu vaccination example in Section 1.1 of the textbook is an example of how policy makers may cope with

A) scarcity of medical treatment.
B) scarcity of patients.
C) scarcity of policy makers.
D) answering the question of how to produce.

Question 11

Society faces trade-offs because of

A) government regulations.
B) greedy corporations.
C) faceless bureaucrats.
D) scarcity.

Question 12

If a model's predictions are correct,then

A) its assumptions must have been correct.
B) it is proven to be correct.
C) Both A and B above.
D) None of the above.

Question 13

The purpose of making assumptions in economic model building is to

A) force the model to yield the correct answer.
B) minimize the amount of work an economist must do.
C) simplify the model while keeping important details.
D) express the relationship mathematically.

Question 14

Microeconomics is often called

A) price theory.
B) decision science.
C) scarcity.
D) resource theory.

Question 15

An automobile manufacturer is trying to make decisions about using more workers or more equipment.This belongs to the trade-off

A) Which goods and services to produce
B) How to produce
C) Who gets the goods and services
D) Who produces the goods and services

Question 16

Which one of the following is NOT a key trade-off a society faces?

A) Who gets the goods and services
B) Who produces the goods and services
C) Which goods and services to produce
D) How to produce

Question 17

What links the decisions of consumers and firms in a market?

A) the government
B) prices
C) coordination officials
D) microeconomics

Question 18

Most modern financial centers use computers to match buyers and sellers.This absence of personal contact contradicts the definition of a market.

Question 19

Explain how a market helps determine which goods and services will be produced,how to produce them,and who gets them.

Question 20

Income tax on the wealthy to finance the welfare for the poor causes income redistribution.This is an example for the trade-off

A) Which goods and services to produce
B) How to produce
C) Who gets the goods and services
D) Who produces the goods and services

Question 21

Economic Policy of the government is often based on

A) microeconomic models.
B) educated guessing.
C) intuitive reasoning.
D) hints.

Question 22

Trade barriers should be removed to promote the welfare of the country.This is a(n)

A) positive statement.
B) negative statement.
C) inverse statement.
D) normative statement.

Question 23

Legislators argue that a minimum wage law is instituted to help poor people.Economists can attack the minimum wage law on two fronts.First,some argue that government should not help the poor.Second,some argue that minimum wage laws actually hurt the poor because it creates unemployment.Which argument is normative and which is positive?

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of a normative statement?

A) A higher price for a good causes people to want to buy less of that good.
B) A lower price for a good causes people to want to buy more of that good.
C) To make the good available to more people, a lower price should be set.
D) If you consume this good, you will be better off.

Question 25

Consumers choose their cellphone plans according to their needs and package features.This is an example of

A) importance of information to consumers' choices.
B) importance of making personal budget.
C) maximizing an objective that is subject to a constraint.
D) minimize the cost of cellphone usage.

Question 26

If a model fits reality but doesn't generate testable predictions,it is of little value to economists.

Question 27

Every economic model should include money as a variable.This statement is

A) true, because every transaction in the economy uses money.
B) true, because the federal reserve is very important.
C) false, because some transactions in the economy are transacted without money.
D) false, because a model can get unnecessarily complex if it includes money.

Question 28

"If fines for speeding when driving increase,fewer accidents will occur" is an example of a(n)

A) positive statement.
B) normative statement.
C) negative statement.
D) inverse statement.

Question 29

Normative analysis offers decision makers the most valuable information when choosing among alternatives.

Question 30

If actual experience supports two competing theories,then both theories are proven to be true.

Question 31

In the supply-demand models to analyze the wheat market,we assume that wheat sold by different sellers is largely the same.We make this assumption

A) to test the model.
B) to easily predict the market price.
C) to simplify the model while keeping important details.
D) to avoid the complexities in the real world.

Question 32

"Government should impose stricter regulations on oil drilling" is an example of a

A) normative statement.
B) positive statement.
C) negative statement.
D) normal statement.

Question 33

A microeconomic model CANNOT be used to

A) evaluate the impact of a price change on a firm's revenue.
B) predict the impact on a rise of the minimum wage on unemployment.
C) evaluate the fairness of the proposal to nationalize health insurance.
D) evaluate the effect of an increase in stadium size on the price of a sport team's tickets.

Question 34

Microeconomic Models are used to

A) make predictions.
B) explain real-life phenomena.
C) evaluate policy alternatives.
D) All of the above.

Question 35

The analysis of the competition between Apple and Samsung in the smartphone market is based on

A) microeconomic model.
B) educated guessing.
C) intuitive reasoning.
D) consumer surveys.

Question 36

Which of the following is an example of a normative statement?

A) Since this good is bad for you, you should not consume it.
B) This good has bad health effects.
C) If you consume this good, you will get sick.
D) People usually get sick after consuming this good.

Question 37

Increase in price of a good will increase consumers' demand.This is a(n)

A) positive statement.
B) true statement.
C) inverse statement.
D) normative statement.

Question 38

A theory stating that individuals make purchasing decisions based on tastes which change randomly at random intervals is not useful because

A) it is not possible to test the predictions of the model.
B) tastes are not the only factor influencing behavior.
C) the model is too simplistic.
D) the predictions of such a model would be incorrect.

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a positive statement?

A) Since this good is bad for you, you should not consume it.
B) If this good is bad for you, you should not consume it.
C) If you consume this good, you will get sick.
D) None of the above

Question 40

Which of the following statements is a normative statement?

A) Minimum wage reduces employment.
B) Minimum wages causes surplus in labor market.
C) Minimum wage will improve the living of junior works more than senior workers.
D) Minimum wage should be welcomed by the low income class.

Question 41

One million automobiles have a defect that could cause the car to explode; however,only one of those cars will actually explode.Nobody knows which one car it is.When the car does explode,the victim's family will sue the automaker for $1 million and win.The defect costs $2 per car to repair.What does economics predict about the automaker's decision to repair the defect?

Question 42

Microeconomics can be used by governments to predict the impacts of a policy and suggest solutions to problems.

Question 43

One model in economics is the permanent income hypothesis,which basically states that a household's expenditures will not react to a change in income unless that change in income is viewed as being permanent.How would you use this model to predict the expenditure patterns over the course of a year of a real estate agent who only sells homes during the months of April through July?