All AP Microeconomics Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Competition
Use the following table to answer the question below:
Units |
Total Variable Cost |
Price |
1 |
10 |
20 |
2 |
18 |
19 |
3 |
24 |
18 |
4 |
28 |
17 |
5 |
30 |
16 |
6 |
33 |
15 |
7 |
38 |
14 |
8 |
44 |
13 |
9 |
52 |
12 |
10 |
61 |
11 |
Consider the above cost and price schedule for a theoretical firm with fixed costs of 30. How many units will this firm produce and sell on the marketplace?
In any market structure, firms will produce where marginal revenue = marginal cost. You can use total variable cost and price to deduce both of these figures for this firm (fixed costs are not relevant in the production decision).
Units |
Total Variable Cost |
MC |
Price |
MR |
1 |
10 |
10 |
20 |
20 |
2 |
18 |
8 |
19 |
18 |
3 |
24 |
6 |
18 |
16 |
4 |
28 |
4 |
17 |
14 |
5 |
30 |
2 |
16 |
12 |
6 |
33 |
3 |
15 |
10 |
7 |
38 |
5 |
14 |
8 |
8 |
44 |
6 |
13 |
6 |
9 |
52 |
8 |
12 |
4 |
10 |
61 |
9 |
11 |
2 |
Example Question #32 : Competition
Use the following table to answer the question below:
Units |
Total Variable Cost |
Price |
1 |
10 |
20 |
2 |
18 |
19 |
3 |
24 |
18 |
4 |
28 |
17 |
5 |
30 |
16 |
6 |
33 |
15 |
7 |
38 |
14 |
8 |
44 |
13 |
9 |
52 |
12 |
10 |
61 |
11 |
Above is a portion of the cost structure for a theoretical firm with total fixed costs of 30. Which of the following can you say about this portion of the firm's cost structure?
Decreasing returns to scale
Increasing returns to scale
None of the other answers
Constant returns to scale
Increasing returns to scale
The firm's average total costs are decreasing throughout this range. Therefore, there are increasing returns to scale within this range.
Units |
Total Variable Cost |
Total Cost |
Avg. Cost |
1 |
10 |
40 |
40 |
2 |
18 |
48 |
24 |
3 |
24 |
54 |
18 |
4 |
28 |
58 |
14.5 |
5 |
30 |
60 |
12 |
6 |
33 |
63 |
10.5 |
7 |
38 |
68 |
9.7 |
8 |
44 |
74 |
9.25 |
9 |
52 |
82 |
9.11 |
10 |
61 |
91 |
9.1 |
Example Question #33 : Competition
Consider the following scenario: Alex and Carl both make juice in their homes. Each week, Alex can make either 10 gallons of apple juice or 5 gallons of orange juice. Meanwhile, Carl, can make either 3 gallons of apple juice or 4 gallons of orange juice.
What does it cost Alex to produce 1 gallon of apple juice?
Cannot be determined
gallons of orange juice
gallon of orange jucie
gallon of orange juice
gallon of orange juice
gallon of orange juice
This question refers to Alex's opportunity cost of producing apple juice. If he specialized completely in apple juice he could make twice as much as if he specialized completely in orange juice. Therefore, each gallon of apple juice costs him 1/2 gallon of foregone production in orange juice.
Example Question #34 : Competition
Consider the following scenario: Alex and Carl both make juice in their homes. Each week, Alex can make either 10 gallons of apple juice or 5 gallons of orange juice. Meanwhile, Carl, can make either 3 gallons of apple juice or 4 gallons of orange juice.
Based on the above, what must be the case?
Alex has an absolute advantage in making apple juice but not in making orange juice.
Alex has a comparative advantage in making apple juice, Carl has a comparative advantage in making orange juice
Carl has an absolute advantage in making both apple juice and orange juice.
Alex has a comparative advantage in making orange juice, Carl has a comparative advantage in making apple juice
Alex has a comparative advantage in making apple juice, Carl has a comparative advantage in making orange juice
If they both produce only one type of juice, Alex can produce more for both apple juice and orange juice. Therefore he has an absolute advantage in for both and neither of the answers dealing with absolute advantage fit.
Let's look at Alex and Carl's relative cost of producing each juice:
Opportunity cost to Alex of producing:
Apple juice - 1/2 gallon orange juice
Orange Juice - 2 gallons apple juice
Opportunity cost to Carl of producing:
Apple juice - 4/3 gallon of orange juice
Orange juice - 3/4 gallon of apple juice
While Alex is more efficient at producing both types of juice from an absolute perspective, it costs him 2 gallons of apple juice to produce 1 gallon of orange juice, compared to Carl, who forgoes only 3/4 gallon of apple juice to produce a gallon of orange juice. Carl has the comparative advantage in producing orange juice. (Alex has the comparative advantage in apple juice, 1/2 gallon vs. 4/3 gallons.)
Example Question #35 : Competition
Suppose the market for acoustic guitars is perfectly competitive and in equilibrium. What would happen to the equilibrium price and quantity if the price of electric guitars were to fall substantially?
Cannot determine
Price decreases, Quantity decreases
Price increases, Quantity decreases
Price decreases, Quantity increases
Price increases, Quantity increases
Price decreases, Quantity decreases
Electric guitars are a likely substitute for acoustic guitars. If the price of electric guitars goes down, more consumers are likely to buy them instead of acoustic and fewer acoustic guitars will be demanded at any price.
This is an inward shift of the demand curve, which results in a lower equilibrium price and quantity when you graph it.
Example Question #31 : Perfectly Competitive Output Markets
Suppose the market for acoustic guitars is perfectly competitive and in equilibrium. What would happen to the equilibrium price and quantity if a number of acoustic guitars makers dropped out of the market to make other instruments instead?
Price decrease, Quantity increase
Cannot determine
Price increase, Quantity increase
Price decrease, Quantity decrease
Price increase, Quantity decrease
Price increase, Quantity decrease
The cost structure of the remaining acoustic guitar producers would not change, but with fewer sellers, there would be fewer guitars available at any given price.
This is an inward shift of the supply curve, if you graph this, you can see it results in a higher equilibrium price and lower quantity.
Example Question #32 : Perfectly Competitive Output Markets
There are no toll charges for driving on many urban freeways during rush hour. The resulting congestion is very much like an economic shortage. What is the best explanation for how this shortage comes about?
A price ceiling
Imperfect information
High transaction costs
A price floor
A price ceiling
Especially during rush hour, the market for space on a freeway is comparable to many other competitive markets for goods and services., with a downward sloping demand curve. While more space can be built in the long-run, in the short-run we have a vertical supply curve that indicates fixed supply.
If you draw this out, you can see that the market clearing price is above zero. By not charging a toll, the authority on this road has effectively set a price of zero, or a price ceiling. The quantity of space demanded on the peak hour roadway is thus limited only by the number of drivers in the area (who are able and willing to pay other costs of driving, including time wasted in traffic). The difference in the quantities demanded and supplied is the shortage.
Example Question #33 : Perfectly Competitive Output Markets
The city council passes an ordinance requiring apartment buildings in a dense urban area to provide one off-street parking space per unit. All else equal, what is the likely effect on the level of rents in the area and the rate of occupancy?
Cannot determine
Rents decrease, Occupancy decreases
Rents increase, Occupancy increases
Rents increase, Occupancy decreases
Rents decrease, Occupancy increases
Rents increase, Occupancy decreases
The provision of an off-street parking space for every unit would be an added cost (a significant cost in a dense urban area) for landlords. This is effectively an inward shift in supply.
The result would be generally higher rents and a lower occupancy rate.
Example Question #34 : Perfectly Competitive Output Markets
Assume the firm operates in the short-run. Use the following chart for questions 1-5:
Units |
Total Revenue |
Total cost |
0 |
0 |
15 |
1 |
11 |
18 |
2 |
20 |
23 |
3 |
27 |
30 |
4 |
32 |
39 |
5 |
36 |
50 |
6 |
39 |
62 |
7 |
39 |
75 |
What is the fixed cost of the firm?
18
62
0
3
15
15
The fixed costs can be determined by looking at the costs for the firm when no units are being produced. These costs always remain with or without production. This is true only in the short run, as in the long run there are no fixed costs.
Example Question #35 : Perfectly Competitive Output Markets
Assume the firm operates in the short-run. Use the following chart for questions 1-5:
Units |
Total Revenue |
Total cost |
0 |
0 |
15 |
1 |
11 |
18 |
2 |
20 |
23 |
3 |
27 |
30 |
4 |
32 |
39 |
5 |
36 |
50 |
6 |
39 |
62 |
7 |
39 |
75 |
The profit maximizing level of output for this firm is:
1
2
4
Firm would shut down
3
3
The profit maximizing point is where marginal revenue equals marginal cost (MR=MC). At 3 units of production, the marginal revenue is 7 (27-20 = 7) and the marginal cost is 7 (30-23 = 7). Therefore, 3 units is the profit maximizing level.
Note that the profit maximizing point does not have to be a point where the firm makes a positive profit. Since the firm in this example never has TR exceed TC, it will not generate a positive profit. However, the profit maximizing point can also be the point where the firm makes the least negative profit. A firm will produce goods in the short run as long as the marginal revenue exceeds the average variable cost, which it does in this scenario. This means that the firm will produce goods until it's obligations are up and it can leave the market in the long run.