Deck 21: Production and Costs

Question 1

Given that fixed costs are constant as output increases, average fixed costs are also constant.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The marginal cost curve cuts through the AVC, ATC, and AFC curves at their lowest points.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In the long run, only variable costs exist.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A firm that earns zero accounting profit is earning a normal profit.

Question 5

A cost of resources used in production for which no actual monetary payment is made is a(n) __________ cost.

A)tacit
B)implicit
C)covert
D)explicit

Question 6

If marginal cost is rising, average total cost must also be rising.

Question 7

One of the roles of the monitor in a firm is to reduce shirking.

Question 8

Minimum efficient scale refers to the output level where short-run average total cost is lowest.

Question 9

Accounting profit is always greater than or equal to economic profit.

Question 10

Using social media, unlike traditionalmedia, people can make their opinions known with little to no marginal cost.

Question 11

One of the reasons why economies of scale exist is that the opportunity for labor specialization tends to increase as the size of the firm grows.

Question 12

A cost that is incurred when an actual monetary payment is made is a(n) __________ cost.

A)explicit
B)implicit
C)positive
D)expressed

Question 13

As the marginal physical product of a variable input increases, the marginal cost decreases.

Question 14

An example of an implicit cost is the foregone income that a business owner-manager could have earned working for someone else.

Question 15

Noble Prizewinner Ronald Coase argued that firms exist in order to reduce transaction costs.

Question 16

As the marginal physical product of labor rises in the U.S., the marginal cost of goods produced in the U.S. rises which makes it harder for U.S. producers to compete in the global marketplace.

Question 17

If a firm is earning an economic profit, it is earning an accounting profit, too.

Question 18

Economies of scale are exclusively a long-run phenomenon, while the law of diminishing marginal returns applies to both the short-run and to the long-run.

Question 19

Economic profit is the difference between total revenue and implicit costs.

Question 20

The law of diminishing marginal returns helps to explain why the marginal cost curve typically has a downward-sloping portion.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Money must change hands before a cost can be incurred.
B)No monetary payment takes place when an implicit cost is incurred.
C)Costs may be either explicit costs or implicit costs.
D)Cost implies that a sacrifice has been made.

Question 22

Consider the following information about a business Diane opened last year: price = $20, quantity sold = 25,000; implicit cost = $255,000; explicit cost = $360,000. Assuming that all relevant costs and revenue are noted, what was Diane's accounting profit?

A)$140,000
B)-$115,000
C)-$140,000
D)$115,000
E)$245,000

Question 23

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Costs are always explicit, never implicit.
B)Costs are always implicit, never explicit.
C)George runs a stationery shop; he paid Frank $5,000 for the carpet he installed in the shop.The $5,000 for carpet is an implicit cost.
D)An implicit cost is a cost that represents the value of resources used in production for which no actual monetary payment is made.
E)none of the above

Question 24

Costs that do not change with output are called __________ costs.

A)marginal
B)average
C)fixed
D)variable

Question 25

At 200 units of output, total cost is $52,000 and total variable cost is $35,000. What does total fixed cost equal at 200 units?

A)$260
B)$900
C)$17,000
D)$85
E)$175

Question 26

If a firm earns normal profit, then it has generated revenues

A)equal to the sum of implicit and explicit costs.
B)greater than total opportunity costs.
C)sufficient to cover explicit costs, but not implicit costs.
D)sufficient to cover implicit costs, but not explicit costs.

Question 27

At 1,000 units of output, total cost is $42,000 and total variable cost is $34,000. At 1,000 units of output, what is the value of average total cost, average variable cost, and average fixed cost, respectively?

A)$22; $14; $8
B)$42; $34; $8
C)$4.20; $3.40; $0.80
D)$340; $740; $60
E)$42; $34; There is not enough information provided to determine the average fixed cost.

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true?

A)Explicit costs always equal implicit costs.
B)Zero economic profit is a smaller dollar figure than normal profit.
C)Zero economic profit is a larger dollar figure than normal profit.
D)Saying that a firm earned zero economic profit is the same as saying it earned normal profit.
E)none of the above

Question 29

Carol says the following to an economist: "I hate playing the guitar, but I have taken lessons for 10 years, so I might as well continue. There is a chance I will become a professional guitarist one day." An economist would probably make which of the following statements?

A)In a world of scarcity and unhappy alternatives, guitar playing may be your best bet.
B)You're right; it is better not to let all that time, energy, and money on guitar lessons go to waste.That would be uneconomical and irrational.
C)The music made by a guitar is nice; maybe you should stay with it, you may come to like it.
D)The cost you have incurred for guitar lessons is sunk.You should not allow something that can't be undone to influence a current decision.

Question 30

Fixed costs

A)are equal to explicit costs plus implicit costs.
B)do not vary as output varies.
C)are the same as total costs for any level of output greater than zero.
D)are another name for sunk costs.

Question 31

You paid $25 for your ticket to the football game, only to see your favorite team losing 28-0 at the end of the first quarter. That $25 should now be regarded as a(n) __________ cost that economists say should be __________ in your decision on whether or not to stay at the game or leave.

A)explicit; included
B)explicit; disregarded
C)sunk; included
D)sunk; disregarded

Question 32

Consider the following information about a business Diane opened last year: price = $20, quantity sold = 25,000; implicit cost = $255,000; explicit cost = $360,000. Assuming that all relevant costs and revenue are noted, what was Diane's economic profit?

A)$140,000
B)-$115,000
C)-$140,000
D)$220,000
E)$245,000

Question 33

An unrecoverable cost that should be disregarded in any current or future decision is also called a(n) __________ cost.

A)sunk
B)explicit
C)implicit
D)variable

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true?

A)The short run is always somewhere between six and twelve months.
B)In the short run, changes in output can only be brought about by a change in the quantity of variable inputs.
C)The long run is any period of time over one year.
D)In the short run, there are variable costs but no fixed costs.
E)b and d

Question 35

Cy recently went into the business of producing and selling cardboard boxes. For this business, which of the following is most likely to be a fixed cost?

A)fire insurance
B)labor costs
C)paper costs
D)adhesive costs
E)b, c, and d are equally likely to be fixed costs

Question 36

Five months ago Wilson opened up a health club. Which of the following is an implicit cost related to the health club?

A)Wilson paid $120 for an outside laundry service to clean the towels used at the club.
B)Wilson paid $100 for the pest control exterminator to spray the health club.
C)Wilson previously worked as an accountant, earning $3,000 a month.
D)Wilson usually eats four hamburgers a day, priced at $3 each.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Since (total) fixed costs are constant as output changes in the short run, it follows that average fixed cost is constant in the short run.
B)Marginal cost is the cost of producing an additional unit of output.
C)Changes in variable costs are reflected dollar-for-dollar in changes in total cost.
D)Fixed costs exist in the short run, but not in the long run.

Question 38

A fixed input is an input whose quantity

A)can be changed as output changes in the short run.
B)cannot be changed as output changes in the short run.
C)cannot be changed as output changes in the long run.
D)a and c
E)b and c

Question 39

Economic profit is the difference between total revenue and

A)explicit costs.
B)implicit costs.
C)sunk costs.
D)the sum of explicit and implicit costs.

Question 40

Average fixed cost

A)is greater at lower levels of output than at higher levels.
B)does not change as output changes.
C)exists only in the short run.
D)is usually greater at higher levels of output than at lower levels of output.
E)a and c

Question 41

Exhibit 21-1

Refer to Exhibit 21-1. The numbers that go in blanks (A) and (B) are, respectively,

A)20 and 30.
B)0 and 21.
C)20 and 25
D)1 and 2.
E)20 and 21.

Question 42

"As additional units of a variable input are added to a fixed input, eventually the marginal physical product of the variable input will decline." This is a statement of the

A)law of supply.
B)average-marginal rule.
C)law of diminishing marginal utility.
D)law of diminishing marginal returns.

Question 43

A rising marginal cost curve is a reflection of a

A)rising marginal physical product curve.
B)falling marginal physical product curve.
C)falling average fixed cost curve.
D)rising average variable cost curve.

Question 44

Suppose that a firm produces hard candies using both machines and labor, and that its quantity of machines is currently fixed but it can vary the number of workers. As more workers are added to operate the machines, output increases. Is this a refutation of the law of diminishing marginal returns?

A)Yes, because the law definitely states that output will decrease as more workers are added.
B)No, because we must be observing output in the long run if the stated scenario is occurring.
C)Yes, because the only way that this could occur is if the number of machines being used is also increasing.
D)No, because it is entirely possible for output to increase even when the law is in operation.

Question 45

If labor is the variable input, then marginal cost equals

A)MPP divided by the wage rate.
B)average variable (labor) costs divided by MPP.
C)average variable (labor) costs multiplied by MPP.
D)the wage rate divided by MPP.
E)the wage rate multiplied by MPP.

Question 46

Suppose that one fixed and one variable input are used to produce good X. As the marginal physical product of the variable input increases, the marginal cost

A)increases.
B)decreases.
C)remains constant.
D)There is not enough information to answer the question.

Question 47

Exhibit 21-1

Refer to Exhibit 21-1. Diminishing marginal returns set in with the addition of which unit of the variable input?

A)the fourth
B)the fifth
C)the sixth
D)the second
E)the third

Question 48

The change in total cost that results from a change in output is __________ cost.

A)average fixed
B)average variable
C)average total
D)marginal

Question 49

The change in output that results from changing a variable input by one unit, holding all other inputs fixed, is called the marginal __________ product of the variable input.

A)physical
B)value
C)average
D)explicit

Question 50

As the marginal physical product of a variable input __________, the marginal cost __________.

A)increases; increases
B)increases; decreases
C)decreases; increases
D)b and c

Question 51

As the marginal physical product curve rises,

A)the marginal cost curve rises.
B)the marginal cost curve falls.
C)the total cost curve rises.
D)the total cost curve falls.

Question 52

Which of these statements is false?

A)There are no fixed costs in the long run.
B)Total costs are equal to total fixed costs plus total variable costs.
C)In the short run, all inputs are fixed inputs.
D)A fixed cost is a cost that does not change as output changes.

Question 53

The law of diminishing marginal returns holds for a situation in which

A)all inputs are variable.
B)all inputs are fixed.
C)some inputs are variable and some inputs are fixed.
D)all inputs are increased in the same proportion.

Question 54

Which of the following curves should one look at to observe the law of diminishing marginal returns?

A)the average fixed cost curve
B)the total fixed cost curve
C)the marginal physical product curve
D)the long run average total cost curve

Question 55

Exhibit 21-1

Refer to Exhibit 21-l. The numbers that go in blanks (E) and (F) are, respectively,

A)25 and 20.
B)20 and 22.
C)15 and 10.
D)22 and 20.
E)none of the above

Question 56

The law of diminishing marginal returns is

A)the same concept as economies of scale.
B)another name for the law of diminishing marginal utility.
C)important for long-run economic analysis.
D)relevant to the production of goods, but not services.
E)none of the above

Question 57

The average-marginal rule states that if the marginal magnitude is

A)less than the average magnitude, the average magnitude falls.
B)greater than the average magnitude, the average magnitude falls.
C)rising, the average magnitude is necessarily above it.
D)falling, the average magnitude is necessarily below it.
E)c and d

Question 58

The marginal physical product (MPP) of a variable input is

A)total output divided by the quantity of the input used.
B)the change in total output that results from changing the variable input by one unit.
C)the change in total revenue that results from changing the variable input by one unit.
D)the change in total output that results from changing the fixed input by one unit.
E)the change in total costs that results from a change in output.

Question 59

Exhibit 21-1

Refer to Exhibit 21-l. The numbers that go in blanks (C) and (D) are, respectively,

A)25 and 20.
B)20 and 22.
C)25 and 24.
D)22 and 20.
E)none of the above

Question 60

Suppose a given marginal cost curve starts out downward sloping and at some level of output turns upward and becomes upward sloping. The point at which it turns upward is the point at which

A)marginal physical product increases.
B)total cost rises.
C)average fixed cost declines.
D)average variable cost is below marginal cost.
E)diminishing marginal returns set in.

Question 61

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. What is the average total cost of producing 140 units of output?

A)$1.79
B)$7.33
C)$4.23
D)$10.00
E)There is not enough information provided to answer the question.

Question 62

Which of the following statements is true?

A)In the short run, there are no fixed costs, only variable costs.
B)In the short run, there are fixed and variable costs, but in the long run there are only fixed costs.
C)In the short run, there are fixed and variable costs, but fixed costs are the only costs a firm is concerned with.
D)In the long run, there are no costs, fixed or variable.
E)none of the above

Question 63

Refer to Situation 21-1. What will Diane's total variable costs be if she sells 36,500 donuts in one year?

A)$10,950
B)$18,450
C)$22,080
D)$12,500

Question 64

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. What is the average variable cost of producing 90 units of output?

A)$1.00
B)$1.17
C)$1.59
D)$1.44
E)There is not enough information provided to answer the question.

Question 65

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. The dollar amounts that go in blanks (C) and (D), respectively, are

A)$10.00 and $1.00.
B)$30.00 and $34.00.
C)$3.00 and $4.00.
D)$6.67 and $10.00.
E)$1.00 and $1.50.

Question 66

Which of the following cost curves is never U-shaped?

A)the average total cost curve
B)the average fixed cost curve
C)the marginal cost curve
D)the average variable cost curve

Question 67

There are 30 students in a class. The average grade for the first 29 students is 87. The grade of the remaining student is 84. Given this student's grade, the average grade of the 30-student class will be

A)87.
B)higher than 87.
C)lower than 87.
D)84.

Question 68

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. What is the average total cost of producing 90 units of output?

A)$4.75
B)$1.17
C)$1.07
D)$2.11
E)There is not enough information provided to answer the question.

Question 69

The marginal cost curve passes through the __________ curve at its lowest point.

A)average variable cost
B)average total cost
C)average fixed cost
D)a and b
E)a, b, and c

Question 70

In the long run,

A)all costs are variable costs.
B)all costs are fixed costs.
C)there are no variable costs.
D)b and c

Question 71

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. The dollar amounts that go in blanks (A) and (B), respectively, are

A)$30.00 and $40.00.
B)$3.33 and $2.50.
C)$1.00 and $0.75.
D)$10.00 and $10.00.
E)$6.67 and $5.00.

Question 72

Diseconomies of scale are said to exist when inputs are increased by some percentage and output increases by a(n) __________ percentage, causing unit costs to __________.

A)greater; fall
B)smaller; fall
C)greater; rise
D)smaller; rise
E)equal; fall

Question 73

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. What is the average variable cost of producing 120 units of output?

A)$0.67
B)$1.17
C)$1.00
D)$1.44
E)There is not enough information provided to answer the question.

Question 74

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. Diminishing marginal returns set in with the addition of which unit of the variable input?

A)the first
B)the second
C)the third
D)the fourth
E)the fifth

Question 75

If the marginal cost (MC) curve is rising and is above the average fixed cost (AFC) curve, then

A)the AFC curve is rising.
B)the AFC curve is declining, although the MC curve has nothing to do with this.
C)the AFC curve is at its minimum point.
D)the AFC curve is at its maximum point.
E)Nothing certain can be said about the AFC curve without additional information.

Question 76

Economies of scale are said to exist when inputs are increased by some percentage and output increases by a(n) __________ percentage, causing unit costs to __________.

A)greater; fall
B)smaller; fall
C)greater; rise
D)smaller; rise
E)equal; fall

Question 77

If the average variable cost curve is falling,

A)the MC curve must be below it.
B)marginal cost is greater than average variable cost.
C)the MC curve is necessarily falling.
D)the MC curve is necessarily horizontal (neither rising nor falling).
E)the MC curve is necessarily rising.

Question 78

If the wage rate is constant and diminishing marginal returns have already set in, then

A)the wage rate must increase.
B)marginal cost increases.
C)marginal cost decreases.
D)the wage rate must decrease.

Question 79

Which of the following statements is true?

A)If the marginal cost curve is above the AFC curve, the AFC curve must be rising.
B)Average total cost equals average variable cost minus average fixed cost.
C)As output increases, the average variable cost curve gets closer to the average total cost curve.
D)The AFC curve is horizontal as output increases.

Question 80

Exhibit 21-2
​

Refer to Exhibit 21-2. What is the average total cost of producing 120 units of output?

A)$0.67
B)$1.83
C)$1.07
D)$12.50
E)There is not enough information provided to answer the question.