Refer to the accompanying figure. If Pat and Chris each spend half their time on each task, then:

A)the outcome will be efficient.
B)they will plant more bulbs and remove fewer bags of trash than if they had each specialized in the task at which they have a comparative advantage.
C)they will plant fewer bulbs and remove fewer bags of trash than if they each had specialized in the task at which they have a comparative advantage.
D)the outcome will be unattainable.

Question

Refer to the accompanying figure. If Pat and Chris each spend half their time on each task, then:     
 
A)the outcome will be efficient. 
B)they will plant more bulbs and remove fewer bags of trash than if they had each specialized in the task at which they have a comparative advantage. 
C)they will plant fewer bulbs and remove fewer bags of trash than if they each had specialized in the task at which they have a comparative advantage. 
D)the outcome will be unattainable.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If they each split their time, then each hour, Pat can plant 50 (= 100/2)bulbs and remove 10 (= 20/2)bags of trash, and Chris can plant 37.5 (= 75/2)bulbs and remove 12.5 (= 25/2)bags of trash. Thus, together, they will be able to plant 87.5 bulbs and remove 22.5 bags of trash. This is less than they would be able to do if they each specialized in the task in which they have a comparative advantage. With Pat specializing in planting bulbs and Chris specializing in removing trash, they could plant 100 bulbs and remove 25 bags of trash.

Refer to the Accompanying Figure