Economics 0455/12 May/June 2019: question paper and mark scheme

Question

A government wishes to increase agricultural output. It gives farmers the tools to irrigate the farmers’ fields. Which factors of production are provided by the farmers? A capital and enterprise B enterprise and labour C labour and land D land and capital

Question

The diagram shows a production possibility curve (PPC) for an economy that produces both capital goods and consumer goods. At which point will the economy show the highest potential for sustained long run economic growth? D consumer goods C B A O capital goods

Question

In recent years more golf courses, which use large quantities of water, have opened in China. What may be the opportunity cost of this? A cost of water B loss of farmland C sales of golf equipment D wages of golf course staff

Question

Cuba is implementing free market reforms. What is a likely advantage of this? A a wider variety of goods and services produced B greater equality between the different groups in society C increased provision of public goods D less consumption of goods with external costs

Question

An airline upgrades its services by providing bigger aircraft. The airline claims it will reduce catering waste and lower carbon (CO2) emissions per passenger journey although fares may rise. What is a private cost and an external benefit of this decision? private cost external benefit A bigger aircraft higher fares B higher fares lower CO2 C less catering waste bigger aircraft D lower CO2 less catering waste

Question

What can be concluded from the demand curve for the product shown in the diagram? price demand 0 20 40 quantity A Price increases will raise the producers’ revenue. B Producers are unable to respond to a price rise. C The product is one with many substitutes. D There are 20 people able to buy the product.

Question

A mobile (cell) phone operator increases the price of making calls on its network. After the price increase, the revenue of the mobile phone operator falls by 10%. What is the price elasticity of demand (PED) for the mobile operator’s service? A elastic B inelastic C perfectly elastic D unit elastic

Question

Why does specialisation increase the productivity of employees? A Average cost of production increases. B Staff turnover is high. C Time is saved by not moving between tasks. D Workers lose interest in their job.

Question

In recent years some central banks have reduced interest rates below 1% per year. What is the purpose of this monetary policy? A to discourage lending by the commercial banks B to encourage investment to stimulate the economy C to increase individual savings D to reduce inflation

Question

What is the most important factor that affects how much a family saves? A the income of the family B the level of taxation C the rate of inflation D the reliability of banks

Question

The table shows the change in real incomes for a number of occupations between 1985 and 2015. change in occupation real income % doctors 153 lawyers 114 accountants 60 bricklayers 37 bus and coach drivers 19 fork-lift truck drivers –5 What can be concluded from the table? A All occupations were better off in 2015 than in 1985. B Fork-lift truck drivers earned the lowest wages in 2015. C Doctors have earned more than lawyers since 1985. D Professionals received higher percentage increases in income than manual workers.

Question

What is the main difference between capital-intensive production and labour-intensive production? A the market structure of the production process B the output that the production process creates C the resources on which the production relies D the size of the firm that uses the production process

Question

What is the definition of diseconomies of scale? A the decrease in average revenue as output increases B the decrease in fixed cost as output increases C the increase in average total costs as output increases D the increase in total costs as output increases

Question

The diagram shows the fixed costs, variable costs and total costs of a firm. costs W X Y O Z output Which distance represents the firm’s fixed costs? A WX B WY C XY D XZ

Question

An entrepreneur buys a workshop for $200 000 to make plastic boxes. In the first year of operation he spends $70 000 on materials, employs ten production workers paid by the amount produced (piece rate) at a total cost of $80 000 and buys two delivery vehicles for $10 000 each. What are his total variable costs? A $100 000 B $150 000 C $220 000 D $370 000

Question

What is most likely to cause a rise in the rate of inflation in an economy? A a fall in import prices B a fall in wage rates C a rise in the level of government spending D a rise in the level of unemployment

Question

The government increases taxation in order to fund an increase in spending on government training schemes. Which policy combination would this involve? A fiscal policy and monetary policy only B fiscal policy and supply-side policy only C monetary policy and supply-side policy only D monetary policy, supply-side policy and fiscal policy

Question

The diagram shows the effect of the imposition of a tax on a product. S2 price S1 U V W X Y Z D1 O Q2 Q1 quantity Which area represents the part of the tax paid by consumers of the product? A U+V B U+V+W C U+V+X+Y D U+X

Question

Why might a government decide to subsidise a high-cost steel industry? A if cheaper imports of steel are improving the balance of payments B if economic growth is increasing due to the success of other industries C if redundant steel workers can easily be retrained D if unemployment in steel producing areas is increasing

Question

The table shows possible sequences between the rate of interest and other economic variables. Which sequence is the most likely? interest rate borrowing investment GDP A higher decrease increase increase B higher increase decrease decrease C lower decrease decrease decrease D lower increase increase increase

Question

Why is the Human Development Index (HDI) a better measure of living standards than GDP per head? A It takes into account changes in output. B It takes into account changes in population. C It takes into account health and education data. D It takes into account inflation.

Question

What describes frictional unemployment? A unemployment caused by a general fall in economic activity B unemployment caused by the time of year C unemployment caused by wages being too high D unemployment caused by workers searching for jobs

Question

In January 2016 the rate of inflation in a country changed from 3% to 2%. In March 2016 the rate of inflation was 4%. What happened to the price level in January and March? January March A fell fell B fell rose C rose fell D rose rose

Question

What usually happens as a developing country becomes more developed? A The average age of the population falls. B The fertility rate declines. C The infant mortality rate increases. D The primary sector expands.

Question

Given the following information, which country is most likely to have the highest standard of living? birth death life infant rate rate expectancy mortality rate A Bangladesh 27 10 58 93 B Bhutan 36 14 53 107 C Botswana 31 21 40 57 D Brunei 25 5 72 22

Question

In a country the birth rate increased but the population decreased. What could have happened to other factors to cause this? A a fall in infant mortality but no change in the death rate B a rise in net immigration but no change in the death rate C no change in migration but the death rate rose D the death rate fell with no change in migration

Question

The US government decides to reduce the size of the quota on a good it buys from China. What is likely to happen? A The good will become cheaper in the US. B The US balance of trade will worsen. C The US government’s revenue will decline. D There will be less of the good imported into the US.

Question

The world demand for oil is price-inelastic and oil is paid for in US dollars. If the price of oil falls rapidly, how might it affect the exchange rate of the US dollar? market for US dollar exchange rate for US dollar A greater demand for US$ value increases B greater supply of US$ value falls C less demand for US$ value falls D less supply of US$ value increases

Question

What is the most likely disadvantage of international specialisation? A decreased levels of global output B increased average production costs C increased productivity levels D overdependence on other economies

Question

A large amount of the agricultural products in a country were damaged by floods. What is likely to have happened to the price of agricultural products and the volume of imports of agricultural products? price of products volume of imports A fall fall B fall rise C rise fall D rise rise