Chapter 7/Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets ? 463
2.
Welfare economics is the study of
a. taxes and subsidies.
b. how technology is best put to use in the production of goods and services. c. government welfare programs for needy people.
d. how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional3.
TOP: Welfare
Welfare economics is the study of
a. the well-being of less fortunate people. b. welfare programs in the United States.
c. how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being. d. the effect of income redistribution on work effort.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional4.
TOP: Welfare
The study of how the allocation of resources affects economic well-being is called a. consumer economics. b. macroeconomics.
c. willingness-to-pay economics. d. welfare economics.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional5.
TOP: Welfare
An example of positive analysis is studying a. how market forces produce equilibrium. b. whether equilibrium outcomes are fair.
c. whether equilibrium outcomes are socially desirable. d. if income distributions are fair.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: A
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional6.
TOP: Positive statements
An example of normative analysis is studying a. how market forces produce equilibrium. b. surpluses and shortages.
c. whether equilibrium outcomes are socially desirable. d. income distributions.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional7.
TOP: Normative statements
Which of the Ten Principles of Economics does welfare economics explain more fully? a. The cost of something is what you give up to get it.
b. Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity. c. Trade can make everyone better off.
d. A country’s standard of living depends on its ability to produce goods and services.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
TOP: Welfare
464 ? Chapter 7/Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets 8.
Which of the Ten Principles of Economics does welfare economics explain more fully?
a. The cost of something is what you give up to get it. b. Rational people think at the margin.
c. Markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity. d. People respond to incentives.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive9.
TOP: Welfare
One of the basic principles of economics is that markets are usually a good way to organize economic activity. This principle is explained by the study of a. factor markets. b. energy markets. c. welfare economics. d. labor economics.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
TOP: Welfare
10. A result of welfare economics is that the equilibrium price of a product is considered to be the best price
because it
a. maximizes both the total revenue for firms and the quantity supplied of the product. b. maximizes the combined welfare of buyers and sellers. c. minimizes costs and maximizes output. d. minimizes the level of welfare payments.
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Welfare
11. The particular price that results in quantity supplied being equal to quantity demanded is the best price because
it
a. maximizes costs of the seller.
b. maximizes tax revenue for the government.
c. maximizes the combined welfare of buyers and sellers. d. minimizes the expenditure of buyers.
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Welfare
12. Welfare economics explains which of the following in the market for DVDs?
a. The government sets the price of DVDs; firms respond to the price by producing a specific level of
output.
b. The government sets the quantity of DVDs; firms respond to the quantity by charging a specific
price.
c. The market equilibrium price for DVDs maximizes the total welfare to DVD buyers and sellers. d. The market equilibrium price for DVDs maximizes consumer welfare but minimizes producer
welfare.
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-0 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Welfare
Chapter 7/Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets ? 465
Sec01 - Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets - Consumer Surplus
MULTIPLE CHOICE1.
The maximum price that a buyer will pay for a good is called the
a. cost.
b. willingness to pay. c. equity. d. efficiency.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional2.
TOP: Willingness to pay
Suppose Larry, Moe and Curly are bidding in an auction for a mint-condition video of Charlie Chaplin's first movie. Each has in mind a maximum amount that he will bid. This maximum is called a. a resistance price. b. willingness to pay. c. consumer surplus. d. producer surplus.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional3.
TOP: Willingness to pay
Suppose Chris and Laura attend a charity benefit and participate in a silent auction. Each has in mind a
maximum amount that he or she will bid for an oil painting by a locally famous artist. This maximum is called a. deadweight loss. b. willingness to pay. c. consumer surplus. d. producer surplus.
DIF: 1 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional4.
TOP: Willingness to pay
Willingness to pay
a. measures the value that a buyer places on a good.
b. is the amount a seller actually receives for a good minus the minimum amount the seller is willing
to accept.
c. is the maximum amount a buyer is willing to pay minus the minimum amount a seller is willing to
accept.
d. is the amount a buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: A
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional5.
TOP: Willingness to pay
A consumer's willingness to pay directly measures
a. the extent to which advertising and other external forces have influenced the consumer’s
preferences.
b. the cost of a good to the buyer. c. how much a buyer values a good. d. consumer surplus.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 TOP: Willingness to pay
MSC: Interpretive
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic
466 ? Chapter 7/Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets 6.
When a buyer’s willingness to pay for a good is equal to the price of the good, the
a. buyer’s consumer surplus for that good is maximized.
b. buyer will buy as much of the good as the buyer’s budget allows. c. price of the good exceeds the value that the buyer places on the good. d. buyer is indifferent between buying the good and not buying it.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive7.
TOP: Willingness to pay
In which of the following circumstances would a buyer be indifferent about buying a good?
a. The amount of consumer surplus the buyer would experience as a result of buying the good is zero. b. The price of the good is equal to the buyer’s willingness to pay for the good. c. The price of the good is equal to the value the buyer places on the good. d. All of the above are correct.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive8.
TOP: Willingness to pay
A demand curve reflects each of the following except the a. willingness to pay of all buyers in the market. b. value each buyer in the market places on the good.
c. highest price buyers are willing to pay for each quantity. d. ability of buyers to obtain the quantity they desire.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive9.
TOP: Willingness to pay
Consumer surplus is
a. the amount a buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the amount the buyer actually pays for it. b. the amount a buyer is willing to pay for a good minus the cost of producing the good.
c. the amount by which the quantity supplied of a good exceeds the quantity demanded of the good. d. a buyer's willingness to pay for a good plus the price of the good.
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
ANS: A
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional
TOP: Consumer surplus
10. Consumer surplus
a. is the amount of a good that a consumer can buy at a price below equilibrium price.
b. is the amount a consumer is willing to pay minus the amount the consumer actually pays. c. is the number of consumers who are excluded from a market because of scarcity. d. measures how much a seller values a good.
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
11. Consumer surplus is the
a. amount of a good consumers get without paying anything.
b. amount a consumer pays minus the amount the consumer is willing to pay.
c. amount a consumer is willing to pay minus the amount the consumer actually pays. d. value of a good to a consumer.
ANS: C
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional
DIF: 1 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
Chapter 7/Consumers, Producers, and the Efficiency of Markets ? 467
12. Consumer surplus is equal to the
a. Value to buyers - Amount paid by buyers. b. Amount paid by buyers - Costs of sellers. c. Value to buyers - Costs of sellers.
d. Value to buyers - Willingness to pay of buyers.
ANS: A
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
13. On a graph, the area below a demand curve and above the price measures
a. producer surplus. b. consumer surplus. c. deadweight loss. d. willingness to pay.
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 1 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
14. On a graph, consumer surplus is represented by the area
a. between the demand and supply curves. b. below the demand curve and above price. c. below the price and above the supply curve.
d. below the demand curve and to the right of equilibrium price.
ANS: B
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
15. Consumer surplus in a market can be represented by the
a. area below the demand curve and above the price. b. distance from the demand curve to the horizontal axis. c. distance from the demand curve to the vertical axis.
d. area below the demand curve and above the horizontal axis.
ANS: A
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
16. Consumer surplus is
a. a concept that helps us make normative statements about the desirability of market outcomes. b. represented on a graph by the area below the demand curve and above the price. c. a good measure of economic welfare if buyers' preferences are the primary concern. d. All of the above are correct.
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Interpretive
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Consumer surplus
17. In a market, the marginal buyer is the buyer
a. whose willingness to pay is higher than that of all other buyers and potential buyers. b. whose willingness to pay is lower than that of all other buyers and potential buyers. c. who is willing to buy exactly one unit of the good.
d. who would be the first to leave the market if the price were any higher.
ANS: D
NAT: Analytic MSC: Definitional
DIF: 2 REF: 7-1 LOC: Supply and demand
TOP: Marginal buyer