

MCQOPTIONS
This section includes 80 Mcqs, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your Economics Mcqs knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.
1. |
Rawls’s miximin criterion does not mean that there should be redistribution so as to equalise everyone’s incomes in society because ? |
A. | Such redistribution would mean that those who worked hard were no better off than those who were lazy and this would be unfair. |
B. | such redistribution would not maximize the total income of all members of society |
C. | Such redistribution would remove the incentive to work hard, so society’s total income would fall, and so the least well off person would be worse o |
D. | such redistribution would amount to confiscation of honestly earned income from higher earners and so would be unjust. |
Answer» D. such redistribution would amount to confiscation of honestly earned income from higher earners and so would be unjust. | |
2. |
Naila owns a small pottery factory. She can make 1000 pieces of pottery per year and sell them for Rs 100 each. It costs Naila Rs 20,000 for the raw materials to produce the 1,000 pieces of pottery She has invested Rs100,000 in her factory and equipment: Rs50,000 from her savings and Rs50,000 borrowed at 10 per cent. (Assume that she could have loaned her money out at 10 her per cent, too) Naila can work at a competing pottery factory for Rs40,000 per year. The economics profit at Naila’s pottery factory is ? |
A. | Rs80,000 |
B. | Rs30,000 |
C. | Rs75,000 |
D. | Rs70,000 |
Answer» C. Rs75,000 | |
3. |
An increase in the minimum wage will cause a relatively large increase in unemployment among ? |
A. | unskilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively inelastic |
B. | unskilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively elastic |
C. | skilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively elastic |
D. | skilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively inelastic |
Answer» C. skilled workers if the demand for labour is relatively elastic | |
4. |
Which of the following issues is related to microeconomics ? |
A. | the impact of oil prices on car production |
B. | The impact of money on inflation |
C. | The impact of technology on economics growth |
D. | The impact of the deficit on saving |
Answer» B. The impact of money on inflation | |
5. |
Suppose two economists are arguing about policies that deal with unemployment. One economist says. The government could lower unemployment by one percentage point if it would just increase government spending by 50 billion dollars the other economist responds Nonsense and poppycock! If the government spent an additional 50 billion dollars it would reduce unemployment by only one tenth of one percent. and that effect would only be temporary! These economists ? |
A. | None of these answers |
B. | Disagree because they have different scientific judgments |
C. | really don’t disagree at all. It just appears that they disagree |
D. | disagree because they have different values |
Answer» C. really don’t disagree at all. It just appears that they disagree | |
6. |
Unemployment benefits may increase the unemployment rate because unemployment benefits ? |
A. | encourage people to quit their jobs |
B. | reduce the cost of job search |
C. | enable people to quit searching for work |
D. | reduce the benefits of additional job searching |
Answer» C. enable people to quit searching for work | |
7. |
If a production function exhibits diminishing marginal product. its slope ? |
A. | is linear (a straight line) |
B. | becomes steeper as the quantity of the input increase |
C. | could be any of these answers |
D. | becomes flatter as the quantity of the input increase |
Answer» E. | |
8. |
When marginal costs are below average total costs ? |
A. | average fixed cost is rising |
B. | average total cost is falling |
C. | average total cost is raising |
D. | average total cost is minimized |
Answer» C. average total cost is raising | |
9. |
If as the quantity produced increase a production function first exhibits increasing marginal product and later diminishing marginal product, the corresponding marginal-cost curve will ? |
A. | be flat (horizontal) |
B. | slope upward |
C. | slope downward |
D. | be U-shaped. |
Answer» E. | |
10. |
New technology in the form of computer spreadsheets has increased the productivity of accountants. This will cause ? |
A. | the demand curve for accountants to shift to the right, since the productivity of accountants has increased |
B. | firms to move up their demand curves for accountants |
C. | the demand curve for accountants to shift to the left, since it requires fewer accountants than it did before to do the same amount of work. |
D. | firms to move down their demand curves for accountants |
Answer» B. firms to move up their demand curves for accountants | |
11. |
The marginal revenue product of labour is ? |
A. | the marginal product of capital times the price of labour. |
B. | the additional revenue a firm earns by employing on additional unit of labour |
C. | the additional profit a firms earns by employing one additional unit of labour |
D. | the additional revenue the firm makes by selling one unit of labour. |
Answer» E. | |
12. |
If output price is constant, the marginal revenue product of labour curve will have the same shape as the ? |
A. | total variable cost curve |
B. | marginal cost curve |
C. | total product of labour curve |
D. | marginal product of labour curve |
Answer» E. | |
13. |
Constrained choice is relevant for households ? |
A. | making spending decision but not labour-supply decision. |
B. | making both spending and labour-supply decisions |
C. | considered to be ‘poor’ but not for those who are considered to be ‘rich’ |
D. | making labour-supply decisions but not spending decisions. |
Answer» C. considered to be ‘poor’ but not for those who are considered to be ‘rich’ | |
14. |
As the wage rate per hour increases, the opportunity cost of leisure ? |
A. | remains constant |
B. | increases since the cost of forgoing one hour of work increases |
C. | decreases since the customer now has more income to spend |
D. | may increase of decrease depending on the individual’s preferences. |
Answer» C. decreases since the customer now has more income to spend | |
15. |
Assuming that leisure is a normal good. if an individual’s labour supply curve is backward bending then the ? |
A. | income effect is zero |
B. | substitution effect outweighs the income effect |
C. | income effect outweighs the substitution effect |
D. | income effect and the substitution effects are equal |
Answer» D. income effect and the substitution effects are equal | |
16. |
Assuming leisure is a normal good, if the income effect is greater than the substitution effect a wage increase ? |
A. | will have no effect on labour supply |
B. | will decreases labour supply |
C. | could cause either an increases or a decrease in labour supply |
D. | will increase labour supply. |
Answer» C. could cause either an increases or a decrease in labour supply | |
17. |
The greatest advantage of a negative income tax is that it ? |
A. | generates a smaller disincentive to work than most alternative anti-poverty policies. |
B. | reduces the cost to the government of fighting poverty |
C. | would not provide benefits to lazy people |
D. | ensures that the poor actually receive what the government thinks they need does all these answers. |
Answer» B. reduces the cost to the government of fighting poverty | |
18. |
If the income effect is smaller than the substitution effect, higher net wages will ? |
A. | reduce the supply of labour. |
B. | increase the demand for labour |
C. | increase the supply of labour |
D. | have no effect on the supply of labour |
Answer» D. have no effect on the supply of labour | |
19. |
Differences in wages that result from differences in working conditions are known as ? |
A. | occupational differentials |
B. | search differentials |
C. | job differentials. |
D. | compensating differentials |
Answer» E. | |
20. |
The idea that the demand for car workers stems from the demand for cars is ? |
A. | output demand |
B. | indirect demand |
C. | derived demand |
D. | the value of the marginal product of auto workers. |
Answer» D. the value of the marginal product of auto workers. | |
21. |
The substitution effect of higher wages suggests that as the wage rate increases ? |
A. | leisure becomes less expensive and households buy more of it |
B. | leisure becomes more expensive and households buy more of it |
C. | leisure becomes more expensive and households buy less of it |
D. | leisure becomes less expensive and households buy less of it. |
Answer» D. leisure becomes less expensive and households buy less of it. | |
22. |
The poverty trap refers to ? |
A. | a situation in which those receiving state benefits may be almost no better off if they choose to work more to earn more income for themselves and the |
B. | a situation in which workers are unable to find jobs. |
C. | a situation in which those receiving state benefits may be almost no better off if they choose to work more to earn more because doing so will reduce |
D. | a situation in which those receiving state benefits are discriminated against by employers and so find it more difficult to find jobs. |
Answer» D. a situation in which those receiving state benefits are discriminated against by employers and so find it more difficult to find jobs. | |
23. |
In making which of the following statements is an economist acting more like a scientist ? |
A. | A reduction in unemployment benefits will reduce the unemployment benefits will reduce the unemployment rate. |
B. | The rate of inflation should be reduced because it robs the elderly of their savings. |
C. | The unemployment rate should be reduced because unemployment robs individuals of their dignity. |
D. | The state should increase subsidies to universities because the future of our country depends on education. |
Answer» B. The rate of inflation should be reduced because it robs the elderly of their savings. | |
24. |
The Benazir Benefit income Scheme is a good example of ? |
A. | a benefit in kind. |
B. | a means tested cash benefit |
C. | a universal (social insurance based) benefit |
D. | none of the above |
Answer» B. a means tested cash benefit | |
25. |
Suppose two economists are arguing about policies that deal with unemployment One economist says the government should fight unemployment because it is the greatest social evil The other economist response Nonsense Inflation is the greatest social evil These economists ? |
A. | really don’t disagree at all It just appears that they disagree. |
B. | disagree because they have different values. |
C. | none of these answers. |
D. | disagree because they have different scientific judgments. |
Answer» C. none of these answers. | |
26. |
Economic growth is depicted by ? |
A. | a shift in the production possibilities frontier outward. |
B. | a movement from inside the curve toward the curve. |
C. | a shift in the production possibilities frontier inward |
D. | a movement along a production possibilities frontier toward capital goods. |
Answer» B. a movement from inside the curve toward the curve. | |
27. |
Points on the production possibilities frontier are ? |
A. | inefficient |
B. | normative |
C. | unattainable |
D. | efficient |
Answer» E. | |
28. |
Which of the following is most likely to produce scientific evidence about a theory ? |
A. | A lawyer employed by Renault addressing the impact of air bags on passenger safety. |
B. | An economist permanently employed at a leading university analyzing the impact of bank regulations on lending to small businesses |
C. | An economist employed by the Trades union congress doing research on the impact of trade policy on workers’ wages |
D. | A radio talk show host collecting data from listeners on how capital markets respond to taxation |
Answer» C. An economist employed by the Trades union congress doing research on the impact of trade policy on workers’ wages | |
29. |
Which of the following is not a factor of production ? |
A. | labor |
B. | land |
C. | money |
D. | capital |
Answer» D. capital | |
30. |
Where a tax can be shifted the incidence depends on ? |
A. | whether there is perfect or imperfect information |
B. | who is legally obliged to pay the tax |
C. | elasticities of demand and supply |
D. | how many producers there are: |
Answer» D. how many producers there are: | |
31. |
Accounting profit is equal to total revenue minus ? |
A. | implicit costs |
B. | variable costs |
C. | the sum of implicit and explicit costs. |
D. | explicit costs. |
E. | marginal costs |
Answer» E. marginal costs | |
32. |
Naila owns a small pottery factory. She can make 1000 pieces of pottery per year and sell them for Rs 100 each. It costs Naila Rs 20,000 for the raw materials to produce the 1,000 pieces of pottery She has invested Rs100,000 in her factory and equipment: Rs50,000 from her savings and Rs50,000 borrowed at 10 per cent. (Assume that she could have loaned her money out at 10 her per cent, too) Naila can work at a competing pottery factory for Rs40,000 per year. The accounting profit at Naila’s pottery factory is ? |
A. | Rs30,000 |
B. | Rs35,000 |
C. | Rs75,000 |
D. | Rs70,000 |
Answer» D. Rs70,000 | |
33. |
A progressive income tax means that those with a higher income pay ? |
A. | a higher percentage of their income in taxes then low income people |
B. | a lower percentage of their income in taxes than low income people |
C. | the same percentage of their income in taxes as low income people all the taxes in the economy. |
D. | all the taxes in the economy |
Answer» B. a lower percentage of their income in taxes than low income people | |
34. |
The marginal tax rate is ? |
A. | the tax rate you pay on any additional income that you earn. |
B. | the total amount of tax you pay divided by your total income |
C. | the additional tax you pay divided by your total income |
D. | your total income divided by the total amount of tax you pay. |
Answer» B. the total amount of tax you pay divided by your total income | |
35. |
VAT is a good example of which kind of tax ? |
A. | specific |
B. | Direct |
C. | Ad valorem |
D. | Excise duty |
Answer» D. Excise duty | |
36. |
Tax incidence is the ? |
A. | structure of the tax. |
B. | ultimate distribution of a tax’s burden |
C. | behaviour of shifting the tax to another party |
D. | measure of the impact the tax has on employment and output |
Answer» C. behaviour of shifting the tax to another party | |
37. |
Which of the following statements is normative ? |
A. | Large government deficits cause an economy to grow more slowly |
B. | People work harder if the wage is higher |
C. | The unemployment rate should be lower |
D. | Printing too much money causes inflation |
Answer» D. Printing too much money causes inflation | |
38. |
If there are implicit costs of production ? |
A. | accounting profit will exceed economic profit |
B. | economic profit will always be zero |
C. | economic profit will exceed accounting profit |
D. | accounting profit will always be zero |
E. | economic profit and accounting profit will be equal |
Answer» B. economic profit will always be zero | |
39. |
If a production function exhibits diminishing marginal product the slope of the corresponding total-cost curve ? |
A. | is liner (a straight line) |
B. | could be any of these answers |
C. | becomes steeper as the quantity of output increases |
D. | become flatter as the quantity of output increases. |
Answer» D. become flatter as the quantity of output increases. | |
40. |
Positive statements are ? |
A. | Macroeconomic |
B. | Microeconomics |
C. | statements of description that can be tested |
D. | Statements of prescription that involve value judgments. |
Answer» D. Statements of prescription that involve value judgments. | |
41. |
If marginal costs equal average total costs ? |
A. | average total cost is falling |
B. | average total cost is raising |
C. | average total cost is maximized |
D. | average total cost is minimized |
Answer» E. | |
42. |
In the long run, if a very small factory were to expand its scale of operations it is likely that it would initially experience ? |
A. | an increase in average total costs |
B. | diseconomies of scale |
C. | economies of scale |
D. | constant returns to scale |
Answer» D. constant returns to scale | |
43. |
Which of the following statements about microeconomics and macroeconomics is not true ? |
A. | The study of very large industries is a topic within macroeconomics |
B. | Macroeconomics is concerned with economy-wide phenomena |
C. | Microeconomics is a building block for macroeconomics |
D. | Microeconomics and macroeconomics cannot be entirely separated |
Answer» B. Macroeconomics is concerned with economy-wide phenomena | |
44. |
Current anti-poverty programs discourage work because ? |
A. | benefits are reduced at such a high rate when recipients earn more income that there is little or no incentive to work once one is receiving benefits. |
B. | in order to be eligible for benefits a recipient cannot have a job |
C. | they make recipients more comfortable than most middle-class citizens. |
D. | anti-poverty programs attract naturally lazy people to begin with. |
Answer» B. in order to be eligible for benefits a recipient cannot have a job | |
45. |
Which of the following will not shift a country’s production possibilities frontier outward ? |
A. | an advance in technology |
B. | an increase in the labor force |
C. | an increase in the capital stock |
D. | a reduction in unemployment |
Answer» E. | |
46. |
A Gini coefficient of zero means that the ? |
A. | the income is split equally between the top 20% and the rest of the distribution |
B. | one person has all the income and every one else has nothing |
C. | all the income is received by the top 20% of the income distribution |
D. | income is equally distributed |
Answer» D. income is equally distributed | |
47. |
The stock of knowledge, skills and talents that people possess is called ? |
A. | training investment |
B. | skill capital |
C. | skill-building investment |
D. | human capital |
Answer» E. | |
48. |
Vertical equity holds that ? |
A. | those will equal ability to pay should bear equal tax burdens. |
B. | those who benefit the most from government service should bear the higher tax burden |
C. | those with equal ability to pay should bear unequal burdens |
D. | those with greater ability to pay should pay more |
Answer» E. | |
49. |
The scientific method requires that ? |
A. | the scientist be objective |
B. | The scientific use precision equipment. |
C. | only correct theories are tested |
D. | only theories are tested. |
E. | the scientist uses test tubes and have clean lab. |
Answer» B. The scientific use precision equipment. | |
50. |
Supply of land in a given use ? |
A. | will be perfectly inelastic in the long run. but upward sloping in the short run |
B. | is perfectly inelastic since there is a fixed amount of land |
C. | is perfectly elastic since there is fixed amount of land |
D. | will be upward sloping because as land becomes more valuable in once use, the amount of land made available for that use will increase |
Answer» E. | |