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Consider the following bundles of two ordinary goods, X and Y. Can you rank them
from the one that provides the most utility to the least? Explain your reasoning.
Explain why an individual’s indifference curves cannot intersect. Use an example to
explain.
Jaime enjoys both iced tea and hot dogs. Explain why Jaime’s indifference curves for
these two goods must slope downward.
Explain the concept of the marginal rate of substitution. Provide an intuitive rather than
mathematical reason it is believed to be diminishing as a consumer moves down an
indifference curve.
Mallory consumes a bundle of candy and cookies, spending all of her income. The price
of candy is $1 and the price of a cookie is $0.50. At her current bundle, the marginal
utility of the next bar of candy she could purchase is 12 utils and the marginal utility of
the next cookie she could purchase is 6 utils. Should Mallory consume more cookies or
more candy, or should she leave her consumption unchanged?
Michaela consumes a bundle of candy and cookies, spending all of her income. The
price of candy is $1 and the price of a cookie is $0.50. At her current bundle, the
marginal utility of the next bar of candy she could purchase is 16 utils and the marginal
utility of the next cookie she could purchase is 7 utils. Should Michaela consume more
cookies or more candy? Or should she leave her consumption unchanged?
Jennifer has $10 to spend on tomatoes and cheese. The price of a pound of tomatoes is
$2 and the price of a pound of cheese is $4. She has found her utility-maximizing
bundle at 2 pounds of tomatoes and 1.5 pounds of cheese. Suppose Jennifer’s income
falls to $8 and the price of tomatoes falls to $1. The price of cheese remains the same.
Jennifer is considering a bundle of no tomatoes and 2 units of cheese. What is your
advice?