The very small city of Pleasantville is considering building a public swimming pool that costs $1,000.The table shows the five voters in the city and their marginal benefit of a swimming pool.It takes a 4/5 majority to pass any tax measure and all voters must vote. $$\begin{array} { | c | c | }
\hline \text { VOTER } & \text { MARGINAL BENEFIT } \
\hline \text { Kyle } & \$ 420 \
\hline \text { Dylan } & \$ 360 \
\hline \text { Fran } & \$ 350 \
\hline \text { Ronnie } & \$ 190 \
\hline \text { Sam } & \$ 170 \
\hline
\end{array}$$
Building the swimming pool would __________ total economic surplus because __________.

Question

The very small city of Pleasantville is considering building a public swimming pool that costs $1,000.The table shows the five voters in the city and their marginal benefit of a swimming pool.It takes a 4/5 majority to pass any tax measure and all voters must vote. $$\begin{array} { | c | c | } 
\hline \text { VOTER } & \text { MARGINAL BENEFIT } \
\hline \text { Kyle } & \$ 420 \
\hline \text { Dylan } & \$ 360 \
\hline \text { Fran } & \$ 350 \
\hline \text { Ronnie } & \$ 190 \
\hline \text { Sam } & \$ 170 \
\hline
\end{array}$$
Building the swimming pool would __________ total economic surplus because __________.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Based on the table, the total marginal benefit of the swimming pool (sum of all five voters' marginal benefit) is $1,490, which exceeds the cost of building the pool ($1,000). Therefore, building the swimming pool would increase total economic surplus for the city. To pass any tax measure, a 4/5 majority is required, meaning at least four out of five voters must vote in favor of the measure. Since all five voters would vote, the pool would be built if at least four of them vote in favor of it. Kyle, Dylan, and Fran all have a marginal benefit that exceeds the cost of building the pool, so it is likely that they would vote in favor of it. However, Ronnie and Sam have a marginal benefit that is lower than the cost, so if they vote against it, it would not get the required 4/5 majority. Therefore, the best choice would be to try to convince Ronnie and Sam of the benefits of the swimming pool to get their votes in favor of it.

The Very Small City of Pleasantville Is Considering Building a Public