Chapter 08: Perfect Competition
140. To achieve allocative efficiency, firms:
strive to minimize their fixed costs.
strive to maximize their profits.
produce at their minimum long-run average cost.
produce at their minimum long-run marginal cost.
produce the output consumers value most.
141. If a market is allocatively efficient, _____.
firms produce at the minimum point of their marginal cost curve
firms produce at the minimum point of their total cost curve
consumers minimize their expenditures
total utility cannot be increased through a reallocation of resources
total output cannot be decreased through a reallocation of resources
142. Allocative efficiency occurs in markets when:
the marginal benefit that consumers attach to the last unit purchased equals the opportunity cost of the
resources employed to produce that unit.
the marginal benefit that consumers attach to the last unit purchased exceeds the opportunity cost of the
resources employed to produce that unit.
goods are produced at the minimum of average total cost.
goods are distributed evenly among consumers.
government establishes price ceilings below the market price.
143. If, at the equilibrium quantity in a market, the benefit of the last unit produced just equals its marginal cost, _____.
each firm earns a positive economic profit
the market is said to have achieved productive efficiency
the market is said to have achieved allocative efficiency
the firms in the market are said to have achieved economies of scale
each firm in the market incurs an economic loss
144. In the short run, producers derive surplus from market exchange because:
the price they receive is greater than the minimum amount they require to sell a good.
the price they receive is equal to the minimum amount they require to sell a good.
the price they receive is less than the minimum amount they require to sell a good.
market price equals average total cost.
they can charge higher prices for their products by restricting supply.
145. In the short run, producer surplus equals _____.