Production, Cost and Market Structures - One Line Questions
1.
A firm in a perfectly competitive market faces: —
A perfectly elastic demand curve
2.
A natural monopoly arises when: —
A single firm can supply the entire market at a lower cost than two or more firms
3.
What does the term 'short run' mean in economics concerning production? —
A period where at least one factor of production is fixed
4.
The law of diminishing marginal returns states that: —
As more of a variable input is added to a fixed input, the marginal product of that input will eventually decrease.
5.
Diseconomies of scale occur when: —
Average cost increases as output increases
6.
Economies of scale occur when: —
Average cost decreases as output increases
7.
What is the Marginal Cost (MC) formula? —
Change in Total Cost / Change in Quantity
8.
If a firm's Total Revenue exceeds its Total Cost, it is earning: —
Economic Profit
9.
Which cost is the cost of the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made? —
Opportunity Cost
10.
What is the primary difference between explicit and implicit costs? —
Explicit costs are paid in cash, implicit costs are not.
11.
What is the primary characteristic of a perfectly competitive market? —
Many buyers and sellers with identical products
12.
In the long run, all factors of production are: —
Variable
13.
What are the two main components of Total Cost? —
Fixed Cost and Variable Cost
14.
In monopolistic competition, firms have some control over price due to: —
Product differentiation
15.
Which of the following best describes a characteristic of an oligopoly? —
Significant barriers to entry and exit
16.
A firm in an oligopoly might engage in non-price competition primarily to: —
Avoid price wars and differentiate products
17.
Which of the following is a characteristic of a monopoly? —
A single seller with no close substitutes
18.
The difference between Total Cost and Variable Cost is: —
Fixed Cost
19.
In the long run, under perfect competition, firms operate at the minimum point of which curve? —
Average Total Cost (ATC)
20.
What is the relationship between marginal cost (MC) and average total cost (ATC) when ATC is rising? —
MC > ATC
21.
What is the term for the market structure where there is only one buyer? —
Monopsony
22.
The 'law of one price' is most closely associated with which market structure? —
Perfect Competition
23.
Which market structure is characterized by a few dominant firms? —
Oligopoly
24.
What is the relationship between Total Product (TP) and Marginal Product (MP)? —
MP is the slope of the TP curve
25.
Which market structure has the highest barriers to entry? —
Monopoly
26.
Product differentiation is a key characteristic of which market structure? —
Monopolistic Competition
27.
Which market structure is characterized by widespread advertising and branding? —
Monopolistic Competition
28.
Cartel behavior, like price fixing, is most likely to occur in which market structure? —
Oligopoly
29.
The condition MR=MC for profit maximization holds true for which market structures? —
All market structures (Perfect Competition, Monopoly, Oligopoly, Monopolistic Competition)
30.
A firm operating under monopolistic competition faces a demand curve that is: —
Downward sloping and relatively elastic
31.
In the short run, a perfectly competitive firm maximizes profit by producing at the output level where: —
Marginal Revenue equals Marginal Cost
32.
The shutdown point for a firm in the short run occurs when: —
Price is less than Average Variable Cost
33.
A firm operating in a perfectly competitive market is a: —
Price taker
34.
Which of the following is a characteristic of monopolistic competition? —
Many firms selling similar but differentiated products
35.
The point where Marginal Revenue (MR) equals Marginal Cost (MC) is where: —
Economic profit is maximized (or loss minimized)
36.
The concept of 'shutting down' applies to which time horizon for a firm? —
Short run only
37.
In the long run, a firm in a perfectly competitive market earns: —
Zero economic profit
38.
What is the break-even point for a firm? —
The point where Total Revenue equals Total Cost
39.
What does the Total Product curve represent? —
The total output produced by a firm given its inputs
40.
In an oligopoly, firms are interdependent because: —
Their actions significantly affect each other's profits
41.
What is the primary goal of a firm in a perfectly competitive market? —
To maximize profit
42.
What is the formula for Average Fixed Cost (AFC)? —
Fixed Cost / Quantity
43.
What is the formula for Average Variable Cost (AVC)? —
Variable Cost / Quantity
44.
A firm will shut down in the short run if: —
Total Revenue is less than Total Variable Cost
45.
What situation describes the 'prisoner's dilemma' in game theory, often relevant to oligopolies? —
Both firms choosing a strategy that leads to a worse outcome for both than if they had cooperated
46.
The shape of the Average Total Cost (ATC) curve is typically: —
U-shaped
47.
Which cost is not affected by the level of output in the short run? —
Fixed Cost
48.
Which of the following is an example of a fixed cost? —
Rent on a factory building
49.
When does Average Product (AP) reach its maximum? —
When MP is equal to AP
50.
What is the point where Marginal Product (MP) is maximized? —
Where Marginal Product starts to decline