Question 1

The labor supply curve is fundamentally a representation of the trade-off people face between which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The labor supply curve shows the quantity of labor that individuals are willing to supply at different wage rates, based on their trade-off between the amount of leisure time they have and the amount of labor they are willing to provide to earn wages. Therefore, the correct answer is D, labor and leisure.

Question 2

Immigration of workers into the United States is often an important source of

Accepted Answer

Immigration of workers into the United States increases the supply of labor, which can lead to lower wages and increased competition for jobs among workers in certain industries and regions. However, it can also provide opportunities for employers to access a more diverse and skilled workforce, and can contribute to overall economic growth and higher levels of productivity.

Question 3

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the left?

Accepted Answer

Better employment opportunities in a closely-related job would attract workers away from the original job, leading to a decrease in labor supply for that market. The other options would either increase labor supply (A and B) or have no effect on labor supply (C).

Question 4

Which of the following events would shift the labor supply curve?

Accepted Answer

All of the given events would shift the labor supply curve because they all affect the number of people willing and able to work.

Question 5

What happens to the labor supply curves in both countries when Mexican workers leave Mexico and move to the United States?

Accepted Answer

Mexican workers leaving Mexico and moving to the United States will cause an increase in labor supply in the United States as they join the workforce. At the same time, the labor supply in Mexico will decrease as there are fewer workers available to work. Therefore, the correct answer is C, where labor supply increases in the United States and decreases in Mexico.

Question 6

Suppose that the wage paid to workers who detassel corn rises. What happens in the market for workers who weed soybean fields, given that workers who detassel corn can easily work weeding soybean fields?

Accepted Answer

If the wage paid to workers who detassel corn rises, it becomes more attractive for workers to work in corn fields instead of weeding soybean fields. This will lead to a decrease in the supply of soybean workers, as some workers will switch to detasseling corn instead of weeding soybean fields. As a result, the supply curve for soybean workers decreases.

Question 7

Which of the following could decrease the labor-supply curve for teachers?

Accepted Answer

If more men prefer to be stay-at-home fathers, then the labor supply for teachers (who are disproportionately female) will decrease. This is because some women may choose to stay home to take care of their families if they have the option, and the pool of potential female teachers will shrink. The other options would either have no effect (D) or increase the labor supply curve (B) or decrease it even more (A).

Question 8

Which of the following events can not cause the labor-supply curve to shift?

Accepted Answer

An increase in the price of output would not cause the labor-supply curve to shift, as it does not directly affect individuals' willingness and ability to work. The other options all have direct impacts on labor supply: A) a change in attitudes may affect individuals' willingness to work, C) changes in alternative opportunities may affect individuals' opportunity cost of working, and D) an increase in immigration will increase the number of available workers in the labor market.

Question 9

Which of the following could increase the supply of labor in the market for cranberry pickers? (i)
A change in the preferences of women toward full-time work
(ii)
An increase in the output price
(iii)
An increase in the wages paid to apple pickers
(iv)
A decrease in the wages paid to apple pickers

Accepted Answer

(i) would not increase the supply of labor for cranberry pickers, as it is not specifically related to the job of cranberry picking. 
(ii) would increase the supply of labor, as higher output prices would incentivize workers to enter the market. 
(iii) would not have a direct effect on the supply of labor for cranberry pickers, as it refers to the wages of a different type of picker. 
(iv) would increase the supply of labor, as workers who previously picked apples may switch to cranberries if the wages are now lower for apple pickers.

Question 10

Immigration is an important

Accepted Answer

Immigration can lead to an increase in the number of workers in a particular market, which can shift the labor supply curve to the right, causing a decrease in wages and an increase in the quantity of labor demanded by firms.

Question 11

Which of the following could increase the labor-supply curve for computer-repair technicians?

Accepted Answer

An increase in immigration would increase the number of individuals available to work as computer-repair technicians, thus shifting the labor-supply curve to the right. A) is incorrect because an increase in wages would increase the quantity supplied at each wage level, but this would result in a movement along the labor-supply curve, not a shift. C) is incorrect because it would affect the labor-demand curve rather than the labor-supply curve. D) is also incorrect because it is a change in the wages paid to a different occupation and would have no effect on the labor-supply curve for computer-repair technicians.

Question 12

Which of the following events would shift a labor supply curve? (i)
Immigration of high-skilled workers
(ii)
Immigration of low-skilled workers
(iii)
Changes in the number of women willing to work full time

Accepted Answer

All three events can shift the labor supply curve. Immigration of both high-skilled and low-skilled workers increases the labor supply. Changes in the number of women willing to work full time also affect the labor supply.

Question 13

The labor supply curve shifts when

Accepted Answer

The labor supply curve shifts when workers change the number of hours that they want to work at any given wage. This can be due to changes in personal preferences, changes in the availability of alternative employment opportunities, or changes in the cost of living. The other choices do not directly impact the labor supply curve.

Question 14

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the left?

Accepted Answer

An increase in the wage paid to workers in a competing market would make the current market less attractive, causing workers to leave and shifting the labor supply curve to the left.

Question 15

Which of the following would not shift a market labor supply curve to the right?

Accepted Answer

Labor-augmenting technology typically increases the productivity of workers rather than directly affecting the supply of labor, so it would not shift the labor supply curve to the right.

Question 16

When the wages paid to government economists increase, the labor supply curve for academic economists

Accepted Answer

If the wages paid to government economists increase, it makes their job more attractive compared to academic economists. This will lead to a shift in the labor supply curve for academic economists to the left, as some academic economists may leave to work for the government instead.

Question 17

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the right?

Accepted Answer

An increase in immigration would increase the number of workers available in the labor market, shifting the labor supply curve to the right. A decrease in the wage rate would lead to a movement along the labor supply curve, but it would not shift the curve itself. An increase in the price of output would increase the demand for labor, but it would not affect the supply of labor. A labor-saving technological change would reduce the demand for labor, shifting the demand curve to the left, but it would not affect the supply of labor.

Question 18

Which of the following events can cause the labor-supply curve to shift?

Accepted Answer

An increase in the rate of immigration can cause the labor-supply curve to shift because it directly affects the number of workers available in the labor market.

Question 19

Which of the following events would lead to an increase in the supply of labor?

Accepted Answer

An increase in immigrant labor would lead to an increase in the supply of labor as there would be more workers available for employment. An increase in the price of a firm's product or the development of a new labor-augmenting technology would not necessarily lead to an increase in the supply of labor.

Question 20

What happens to labor supply in the pear-picking market when the wage paid to apple pickers increases?

Accepted Answer

When the wage paid to apple pickers increases, workers may switch from pear-picking to apple-picking jobs, resulting in a decrease in the labor supply for the pear-picking market. This is because workers are now more willing to work in apple orchards because of the higher wage rate. This assumes that the apple and pear picking jobs require similar skills and level of effort, and that there are no other changes in the market such as changes in technology or demand for the fruits.

Quiz 18: The Markets for the Factors of Production

The labor supply curve is fundamentally a representation of the trade-off people face between which of the following?

Immigration of workers into the United States is often an important source of

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the left?

Which of the following events would shift the labor supply curve?

What happens to the labor supply curves in both countries when Mexican workers leave Mexico and move to the United States?

Suppose that the wage paid to workers who detassel corn rises. What happens in the market for workers who weed soybean fields, given that workers who detassel corn can easily work weeding soybean fields?

Which of the following could decrease the labor-supply curve for teachers?

Which of the following events can not cause the labor-supply curve to shift?

Which of the following could increase the supply of labor in the market for cranberry pickers? (i) A change in the preferences of women toward full-time work (ii) An increase in the output price (iii) An increase in the wages paid to apple pickers (iv) A decrease in the wages paid to apple pickers

Immigration is an important

Which of the following could increase the labor-supply curve for computer-repair technicians?

Which of the following events would shift a labor supply curve? (i) Immigration of high-skilled workers (ii) Immigration of low-skilled workers (iii) Changes in the number of women willing to work full time

The labor supply curve shifts when

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the left?

Which of the following would not shift a market labor supply curve to the right?

When the wages paid to government economists increase, the labor supply curve for academic economists

Which of the following would shift a market labor supply curve to the right?

Which of the following events can cause the labor-supply curve to shift?

Which of the following events would lead to an increase in the supply of labor?

What happens to labor supply in the pear-picking market when the wage paid to apple pickers increases?