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