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Microeconomics (Acemoglu/Laibson/List)
Chapter 6 Sellers and Incentives
3) In a competitive market, there are a ________ number of buyers and a ________ number of sellers.
A) large; small
B) small; large
C) small; small
D) large; large
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Sellers in a Perfectly Competitive Market
4) In a perfectly competitive market, since an individual seller tends to sell only a fraction of the total
amount of the good produced:
A) he can independently determine the market price.
B) he can charge prices above the equilibrium price.
C) his individual choices do not affect market outcomes.
D) he always earns positive profit.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Sellers in a Perfectly Competitive Market
1
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) Sellers in a perfectly competitive market:
A) are price-takers.
B) sell differentiated goods and services.
C) are not allowed to exit the market.
D) are small in number.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Sellers in a Perfectly Competitive Market
8) Which of the following examples best describes the concept of free entry?
A) Jack has an old cell phone which he wants to sell. He opens an account on eBay and auctions it off.
B) Purecircuit Corp. wants to expand its production so it doubles its annual recruitment.
C) System Corp. decides to charge a price lower than the market price to increase its market share.
D) The government enters the market to correct any shortage or surplus in the market for gasoline.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Sellers in a Perfectly Competitive Market
9) What are the conditions which characterize the sellers' side in a perfectly competitive market?
Answer: Three conditions characterize the sellers' side in a perfectly competitive market. These are:
a) A large number of sellers participate in the market and no single seller has a large market share.
b) All sellers in the market produce identical goods.
c) There is free entry and exit of sellers in the market.
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Sellers in a Perfectly Competitive Market
2
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
6.2 The Seller's Problem
3
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
6) A production function establishes the relationship between:
A) the market price of a good and the sales revenue generated.
B) the quantity of output produced and the firm's profit.
C) the quantity of inputs used and the quantity of output produced.
D) the market price of a good and the quantity of output supplied.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
4
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
11) A firm uses workers, land, and machinery for its production process. Which of the following
statements is then true?
A) The only way the firm can change its output level in the long run is by changing the number of
workers.
B) The only way the firm can change its output level in the long run is by changing the amount of land it
owns.
C) The only way the firm can change its output level in the long run is by changing the amount of
machinery.
D) The firm can change its output level in the long run by changing any or all of its three inputs.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
12) The change in the total output of a firm associated with using one more unit of an input is referred to
as the:
A) marginal product of the input.
B) total product.
C) average product of the input.
D) variable product of the input.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
13) A firm produced 376 units with 10 workers. When the 11 th worker was hired, the output increased to
398 units. The marginal product of the 11th worker is:
A) 22 units.
B) 37.6 units.
C) 36.18 units.
D) 398 units.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
14) A firm produces 200 units of a good when it employs 7 workers. The marginal product of the 8 th
worker is 46 units. If the 8th worker is hired, the firm's total product will increase to:
A) 208 units.
B) 228 units.
C) 246 units.
D) 322 units.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
5
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
The following table shows the total output produced by different numbers of workers in a shoe factory.
15) Refer to the table above. What is the marginal product of the 3 rd worker?
A) 60 pairs of shoes
B) 68 pairs of shoes
C) 112 pairs of shoes
D) 180 pairs of shoes
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
16) Refer to the table above. What is the marginal product of the 6 th worker?
A) 20 pairs of shoes
B) 46.7 pairs of shoes
C) 60 pairs of shoes
D) 280 pairs of shoes
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
17) Refer to the table above. If the factory plans to hire a 7 th worker whose marginal product is 15 pairs,
the total output after he is hired will be:
A) 15 pairs.
B) 105 pairs.
C) 280 pairs.
D) 295 pairs.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
6
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
18) Refer to the table above. Which of the following statements is true about the marginal product of
labor?
A) The marginal product initially decreases with the first few workers and then increases.
B) The marginal product initially increases with the first few workers and then decreases.
C) The marginal product decreases as more workers are hired.
D) The marginal product increases as more workers are hired.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
7
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
22) The law of diminishing marginal returns states that:
A) successive increases in inputs eventually leads to less additional output.
B) successive increases in product prices leads to a fall in revenue.
C) the demand for a good decreases as the price of the good increases.
D) the net benefits of a perfectly competitive firm decreases as more firms enter the market.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
23) Which of the following statements is true of the marginal product of an input?
A) The marginal product of an input is given by the ratio of the firm's total output to the units of the
input hired.
B) The marginal product of an input increases as more and more inputs are hired.
C) The marginal product of an input can take negative values.
D) The marginal product of the first unit of a variable input is zero.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Hard
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
8
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
The following table shows the total output of bread produced by different numbers of workers in a
bakery.
25) Refer to the table above. Diminishing marginal returns sets in when:
A) the second worker is hired.
B) the fourth worker is hired.
C) the fifth worker is hired.
D) the seventh worker is hired.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
26) Refer to the table above. The marginal product of workers falls below zero when the ________ worker
is hired.
A) first
B) fourth
C) sixth
D) seventh
Answer: D
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
27) What a firm must pay for its inputs is referred to as its:
A) production value.
B) cost of production.
C) opportunity cost.
D) loss in production.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
9
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
28) Which of the following statements identifies the difference between variable costs and fixed costs?
A) Variable costs are the costs incurred on variable factors of production, whereas fixed costs are the costs
incurred on all factors of production.
B) Variable costs of a firm are zero after it shut downs, whereas it continues to incur the fixed costs of
production in the short run.
C) Variable costs exist even when the production is zero, whereas fixed costs exist only when there is
some positive production.
D) Variable costs are incurred only in the long run, whereas a firm incurs some fixed cost in both short
run and long run.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
30) In the short run, when a firm is about to begin production it pays only:
A) variable costs.
B) opportunity costs.
C) sunk costs.
D) fixed costs.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
10
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
The following table shows the total output, number of workers employed, variable costs, and fixed costs
of a firm.
Number of workers Total Output (units) Variable Costs ($) Fixed Costs ($)
0 0 0 150
1 25 10 150
2 55 20 150
3 86 30 150
4 110 40 150
5 130 50 150
6 145 60 150
7 155 70 150
8 160 80 150
31) Refer to the table above. Suppose that the only variable input that the firm uses is labor. What is the
wage paid to a worker in the firm?
A) $1
B) $5
C) $10
D) $15
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
32) Refer to the table above. When the ________ is employed, diminishing marginal returns sets in.
A) 2nd worker
B) 4th worker
C) 6th worker
D) 8th worker
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
33) Refer to the table above. What is the total cost of producing 145 units of the good?
A) $90
B) $180
C) $190
D) $210
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
11
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
34) Refer to the table above. What is the average variable cost of producing 86 units of the good?
A) $30
B) $0.35
C) $2.1
D) $10
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
35) Refer to the table above. What is the average fixed cost of producing 110 units of the good?
A) $1.36
B) $1.72
C) $37.50
D) $150
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
36) Refer to the table above. What is the average total cost of producing 160 units of the good?
A) $0.50
B) $0.93
C) $1.44
D) $2
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
37) Refer to the table above. What is the firm's marginal cost when it produces 55 units of the good?
A) $0.33
B) $0.50
C) $0.66
D) $0.75
Answer: A
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
12
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
38) Refer to the table above. What is the firm's marginal cost when it produces 155 units of the good?
A) $0.66
B) $1
C) $1.33
D) $1.50
Answer: B
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
39) The total cost of a firm is $50, average variable cost is $2, and average fixed cost is $3. How may units
of the output does the firm produce?
A) 5 units
B) 10 units
C) 15 units
D) 18 units
Answer: B
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
41) A firm producing 10 units of output incurs a total cost of $800. When it produces 11 units, the total
cost increases to $890. What is the marginal cost of producing the 11 th unit?
A) $10
B) $80
C) $90
D) $100
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
13
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
42) When the marginal product ________, the marginal cost ________.
A) increases; remains same
B) remains same; increases
C) increases; increases
D) increases; decreases
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
43) When the marginal cost curve lies below the average cost curve, ________.
A) the marginal cost curve is vertical
B) the marginal cost curve is horizontal
C) the average cost curve slopes downward
D) the average cost curve slopes upward
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
44) When the marginal cost curve lies above the average cost curve, ________.
A) the marginal cost curve slopes upward, while the average cost curve slopes downward
B) the marginal cost curve slopes downward, while the average cost curve slopes upward
C) both the marginal cost curve and the average cost curve slope upward
D) both the marginal cost curve and the average cost curve slope downward
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
14
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
47) A firm sells 20 units of a good at a price of $5 per unit. If the average cost of production of the good
equals $3 per unit, the firm's revenue is:
A) $40.
B) $60.
C) $100.
D) $120.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Rewards of Doing Business: Introducing Revenue Curves
48) A firm earns $600 of total revenue from selling its product at $200 per unit. If the per unit cost of
producing the good is $150, the firm sells ________ units(s) of the good.
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Rewards of Doing Business: Introducing Revenue Curves
15
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
51) The equilibrium price of a good sold in a competitive market is $10. If an individual firm decides to
sell its product at a price higher than $10, ________.
A) the firm's profits will increase
B) the firm's revenue will increase
C) the firm will lose all its consumers
D) the firm's cost of production will decrease
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Rewards of Doing Business: Introducing Revenue Curves
53) A firm sells 30 units of its product at a price of $5 per unit. It incurs a fixed cost of $100 and a variable
cost of $20. The firm's profit is:
A) $30.
B) $50.
C) $100.
D) $150.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
16
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
56) Which of the following relationships correctly identifies the profit maximization condition of a firm in
a perfectly competitive market?
A) Marginal Cost < Price = Marginal Revenue
B) Marginal Cost > Price = Marginal Revenue
C) Marginal Cost = Price = Marginal Revenue
D) Marginal Cost = Price < Marginal Revenue
Answer: C
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
57) If the marginal cost of a perfectly competitive firm producing a good is $50 and the market price of
the good is $100, the firm should:
A) decrease its output.
B) increase its output.
C) try to increase the market price.
D) try to decrease the market price.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
58) A firm has an average total cost of $50. If it sells 20 units of its product at $80 each, what is its profit?
A) $30
B) $600
C) $1,000
D) $1,600
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
17
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
60) Define the terms "production" and "production function." Differentiate between the short run and the
long run based on the usage of inputs by a firm.
Answer: Production refers to the process of transforming inputs to outputs. The relationship between the
quantity of inputs used and the quantity of output produced is referred to as the production function.
In terms of usage of inputs, the basic difference between the short run and the long run is that in the short
run only some of the firm's inputs can be varied while other inputs are fixed. Contrary to this, in the long
run, a firm can vary all of its inputs and there are no fixed inputs.
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Making the Goods: How Inputs are Turned into Outputs
62) A bakery which produces 100 loaves of bread has a variable cost of $50 and a fixed cost of $200.
Calculate the total cost, average total cost, average variable cost, and average fixed cost of the bakery.
Answer: The total cost that the bakery incurs = $50 + $200 = $250.
The average total cost of the bakery = $250/100 = $2.50.
The average variable cost of the bakery = $50/100 = $0.50.
The average fixed cost of the bakery = $200/100 = $2.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
63) The output of a bakery is 250 loaves of bread, when 10 workers are hired. If one more worker is hired,
the total output increases to 275 loaves. Given that labor is the only variable input that the bakery uses,
and the market wage rate is $10, calculate the marginal cost when employment is increased from 10 to 11
workers.
Answer:
The marginal cost when 275 loaves are produced = Change in total cost / Change in total output = $10/25
= $0.40.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
18
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
64) Differentiate between the terms "revenue" and "profit." Assume that a firm sells 20 units of a good at a
price of $5 per unit. If the average total cost of the firm is $3 per unit, calculate the firm's profit.
Answer: The revenue of a firm is equal to the price of the goods multiplied by the quantity of goods sold.
On the other hand, the profit of a firm is equal to the difference of the revenue that a firm earns and the
costs it incurs.
If a firm sells 20 units of a good at $5 each, its revenue is equal to 20 × $5 or $100.
If the average total cost of the firm is $3, the total cost it incurs is 20 × $3 or $60.
Hence, profits of the firm are $100 - $60 or $40.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
19
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
66) Consider a textile factory operating in the short run. Classify the following costs that the mill incurs as
variable costs, sunk costs, and fixed costs.
a) Cost of issuing identity cards to all workers
b) Wages paid to workers of the factory.
c) Yearly rent paid for production space
d) Tax paid on the sale of its products
Answer:
a) Cost of issuing identity cards to all employees is a sunk cost as it is not to be considered while
making future production decisions of the firm.
b) Wages paid to workers at the mill are variable costs as they change with changes in the output of the
production unit.
c) Yearly rent paid for the production space is a fixed cost as the mill has to pay this rent irrespective of
the output produced.
d) Tax paid on the sale of its products is a variable cost as the tax will vary depending on the output
sold by the firm.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Seller's Problem
20
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
67) The following table shows the output and employment figures for a bakery. Calculate the missing
values in the table.
Number Output Marginal Variable Fixed Total Average Average Average Marginal
of Per Product Cost ($) Cost ($) Cost ($) Total Fixed Variable Cost ($)
Workers Day Cost ($) Costs ($) Cost ($)
(units)
0 0 0 300 300
1 150 150 20 300 320 2.133 2 0.133 0.133
2 315 165 40 300 340 1.079 0.952 0.127 0.121
3 475 160 60 300 360 0.758 0.631 0.126 0.125
4 615 140 80 300 380 0.617 0.488 0.130 0.143
5 730 115 100 300 400 0.548 0.411 0.136 0.174
6 830 100 120 300 420 0.506 0.361 0.145 0.2
7 900 70 140 300 440 0.489 0.333 0.156 0.286
8 960 60 160 300 460 0.479 0.312 0.166 0.333
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: The Cost of Doing Business: Introducing Cost Curves
21
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
68) Given the following cost and revenue figures, estimate the profit maximizing output assuming that
the firm is participating in a perfectly competitive market. What is the fixed cost that the firm faces? What
is the profit at this output?
Answer: Fixed cost is the cost that a firm has to incur irrespective of the output it is producing. The total
cost of the firm when quantity sold is 0 is $15; hence, the fixed cost is $15.
Under perfect competition, a firm maximizes profits at the level of production where its marginal
revenue is equal to its marginal cost. This is displayed in the following table.
The marginal revenue is equal to the marginal cost when 6 units are sold at a price of $10 each.
Hence, 6 units is the profit maximizing quantity of output. The profit at this output is
total revenue – total cost = $60 - $51 = $9.
Difficulty: Hard
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
22
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
69) Assume that the market demand for pens is given by QD = 650 - 25P and the market supply of pens is
given by QS = 200 + 20P. If a firm sells 20 pens and faces an average total cost of $6, calculate the firm's
profit.
Answer: To determine the firm's profit, it is essential to determine the equilibrium price that the firm
faces. At equilibrium QD = QS or, 650 - 25P = 200 + 20P or, 450 = 45P or, P = $10.
Profits = Total Revenues - Total Cost
= Price × Quantity - Average Total Cost × Quantity
= 10 × 20 - 6 × 20
= 200 - 120
= $80
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Putting It All Together: Using the Three Components to Do the Best You Can
3) When the price of a good increases by 300%, the quantity supplied of the good increases from 200 units
to 900 units. The price elasticity of supply of the good is:
A) 1.17.
B) 1.5.
C) 3.
D) 4.5.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Price Elasticity of Supply
23
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
4) If the price elasticity of supply of a good is 2, a 200% increase in the price of the good, will change the
quantity supplied by:
A) 50%.
B) 100%.
C) 200%.
D) 400%.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Price Elasticity of Supply
5) A good is said to have an elastic supply if its price elasticity of supply is:
A) equal to zero.
B) between zero and one.
C) equal to one.
D) greater than one.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Price Elasticity of Supply
6) If the percentage change in the quantity supplied of a good is less than the percentage change in price
of the good, the good is said to have a(n):
A) inelastic supply.
B) unit elastic supply.
C) elastic supply.
D) perfectly elastic supply.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Price Elasticity of Supply
7) If with a small decrease in the price of a good, the quantity supplied falls to zero, the supply of the
good is said to be:
A) unit elastic.
B) inelastic.
C) perfectly inelastic.
D) perfectly elastic.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Elasticity of Supply
24
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
8) Which of the following best describes a good with perfectly elastic supply?
A) Any increase in the price of the good leads to an increase in the seller's revenue.
B) Any increase in the price of the good decreases the quantity supplied of the good by more than the
price change.
C) Any increase in the price of the good will induce the firm to supply an infinite quantity of the good.
D) Any increase in the price of the good increases the quantity supplied of the good exactly by the
amount of the price change.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Elasticity of Supply
11) Firm A and Firm B produce the same goods but with different inputs. If the inputs used by firm A are
more easily available than the inputs used by firm B, then which of the following statements is true?
A) The elasticity of supply of firm A and firm B will be equal.
B) The elasticity of supply of firm A will be higher than the elasticity of supply of firm B.
C) The elasticity of supply of firm A will be lower than the elasticity of supply of firm B.
D) The elasticity of supply of firm A and firm B cannot be compared without information on price
change.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Elasticity of Supply
25
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
12) A short-run decision by a firm to not produce anything during a specific period is referred to as a(n):
A) lockout.
B) shut down.
C) buyout.
D) exit.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Shut Down
13) A firm should shut down in the short run if the price is:
A) less than average fixed cost.
B) less than average total cost.
C) less than average variable cost.
D) less than marginal cost.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Shut Down
14) A firm with a fixed cost of $300 every month, and variable cost of $200 every month decides to shut
down. In such a situation it would lose:
A) $200 every month.
B) $300 every month.
C) $500 every month.
D) $0 every month.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Shut Down
16) ________ are costs that, once committed, can never be recovered and should not affect current and
future production costs.
A) Opportunity costs
B) Marginal costs
C) Sunk costs
D) Variable costs
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Shut Down
26
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
17) Which of the following is an example of a sunk cost?
A) The cost incurred in painting a new office space
B) The wage paid to workers in a mill
C) The cost of raw materials used in a factory
D) The cost of electricity used in the office
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Shut Down
19) The short-run supply curve of a competitive firm is the portion of:
A) its average cost curve which lies above its marginal cost curve.
B) its average cost curve which lies below its marginal cost curve.
C) its marginal cost curve which lies above its average variable cost curve.
D) its marginal cost curve which lies below its average cost curve.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: From the Seller's Problem to the Supply Curve
20) Differentiate between perfectly elastic supply and perfectly inelastic supply. When the price of a good
is $100, 50 units are supplied. When the price increases to $300, 250 units are supplied. Calculate the price
elasticity of supply of the good.
Answer: A good is said to have a perfectly elastic supply when a very small change in the good's price
leads to an infinite change in the good's quantity supplied. The price elasticity of supply of such goods
equals infinity. On the other hand, a good is said to have a perfectly inelastic supply when the quantity
supplied of a good does not change with changes in its price, in which case the price elasticity of supply
equals zero.
Percentage change in price of the good when price increases from $100 to $300 = 200%
Percentage change in quantity supplied of the good from 50 units to 250 units = 400%
Hence price elasticity of supply of the good = 400/200 = 2.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Elasticity of Supply
27
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
21) Are the terms "shut down" and "exit" synonymous? What is the optimal shut down rule for a firm?
Answer: No, the terms "shut down" and "exit" are not synonymous. Shut down refers to a short-run
decision to not produce anything during a specific period of time. When a firm shuts down, it still incurs
its fixed costs. On the other hand, exit refers to a long-run decision by a firm to leave the market. The
optimal shut down rule for a firm suggests that a firm should shut down if the price of the good it
produces falls below its average variable cost. In situations, where the price is less than the average
variable cost, for every unit of a good that the firm sells, it is paying its variable inputs more than what it
is receiving from the sale of the good. As a result, the firm would lose more than the fixed cost that it
would lose by shutting down—it would also lose a portion of the variable cost.
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Shut Down
22) Calculate the price elasticity of supply for the following goods. Also comment on the elasticity in each
case.
a) When the price of a good is $100, 200 units are supplied. But when the price increases to $300, 220
units are supplied.
b) When the price of a good is $50, 50 units are supplied. But when the price decreases to $30, 10 units
are supplied.
Answer:
a) Percentage change in price = 200%
Percentage change in quantity supplied = 10%
Price elasticity of supply = 10/200 = 0.05.
The good has a relatively inelastic supply.
b) Percentage change in price = -40%.
Percentage change in quantity supplied = -80%
Price elasticity of supply = -80/-40 = 2.
The good has a relatively elastic supply.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Price Elasticity of Supply
28
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
The following figure shows the supply curve of a shoe manufacturing firm.
2) Refer to the figure above. What is the producer surplus when the price is $50?
A) $100
B) $200
C) $400
D) $1,000
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Producer Surplus
3) Refer to the figure above. What is the producer surplus when the price is $70?
A) $800
B) $1,600
C) $2,000
D) $2,800
Answer: A
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Producer Surplus
29
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) Define producer surplus. Calculate the producer surplus from the following figure.
Answer: Producer surplus is the area between the supply curve and the equilibrium price of the good. It
represents a useful tool for measuring the net benefits that sellers receive from participating in the
market. In the figure, producer surplus = 1/2 × (70 - 30) × 50 = 1/2 × 40 × 50 = $1,000.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Producer Surplus
30
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
6) The following figure shows the individual supply curve, S 1 , of a firm manufacturing cell phones.
Calculate the firm's producer surplus when the price of one cell phone is $60. If the price of cell phones
increases to $100 per unit, what happens to the producer surplus? Later, due to a fall in the price of
inputs, the supply curve of the firm shifts to S2, calculate the new producer surplus at a price of $60 per
unit.
Answer: Producer surplus for a firm is the difference between its supply curve and the price that the firm
receives for its product.
When the price of a cell phone is $60 and the supply curve of the factory is S 1, the producer surplus = 1/2
× $(60 - 20) × 50 = $1,000.
When the price of a cell phone increases to $100, the producer surplus is expected to increase. The new
producer surplus = 1/2 × $(100 - 20) × 110 = $4,400.
When the supply curve shifts to S2 and the price of a calculator is $60,
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Producer Surplus
31
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
7) Explain the impact of an increase in demand for Good X on producer surplus with the help of a
suitable diagram.
Answer: Change in producer surplus can be explained by the difference of the areas of the producer
surplus before the shift in the demand curve and the producer surplus after the shift.
The initial demand curve is D1 and it intersects the supply curve, S, at point B. The equilibrium price is
P1 and the equilibrium quantity is Q1.
Producer surplus for the firm is the area between its supply curve and the market price line. Therefore,
the initial producer surplus is equal to the area of the triangle ABP 1.
After the demand curve shifts to D2, the equilibrium price and quantity change. D 2 intersects S at C, and
the new equilibrium price is P2 and the new equilibrium quantity is Q2. The producer surplus is now
equal to the area of the triangle ACP2.
The area of triangle ACP2 is greater than the area of triangle ABP1. Using this information, it can be
concluded that, everything else remaining unchanged, when there is an outward shift in the demand for
Good X, the producer surplus increases.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Producer Surplus
32
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
6.5 From the Short Run to the Long Run
3) Short-run average total cost curves lie above the long-run average cost curves because:
A) prices of inputs are less when hired for a longer time period.
B) in the long run, firms have more flexibility to change input combinations.
C) specialization of inputs increases productivity only in the long run.
D) the firms earn positive profits in the long run.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: From the Short Run to the Long Run
4) ________ occur when the average total cost falls as the quantity produced increases.
A) Increasing marginal returns
B) Decreasing marginal returns
C) Economies of scale
D) Diseconomies of scale
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: From the Short Run to the Long Run
33
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) Which of the following situations depicts diseconomies of scale?
A) The average total cost of a firm increases from $50 to $55 when it increases its production from 10 units
to 20 units.
B) The average total cost of a firm decreases from $50 to $40 when it increases its production from 10
units to 20 units.
C) The average total cost of a firm remains at $50 when it increases its production from 10 units to 20
units.
D) The average total cost of a firm remains at $50 when it decreases its production from 20 units to 10
units.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: From the Short Run to the Long Run
8) Define the terms "economies of scale," "constant returns to scale," and "diseconomies of scale."
Among these three situations, operating in which stage is likely to be most profitable for a firm?
Answer: Economies of scale occur when the average total cost falls when as the quantity produced
increases.
Constant returns to scale exist when the average total cost does not change as the quantity produced
changes.
Diseconomies of scale occur when average total cost rises as the quantity produced increases.
Operating at a stage where economies of scale occur is likely to be most profitable from a firm's point of
view. This is because it allows a firm to expand its productions with a decrease in the cost incurred per
unit of additional output produced.
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: From the Short Run to the Long Run
34
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
9) If the market for bottled water is perfectly competitive, how will the following aspects differ in the
short run and in the long run?
a. Use of inputs
b. Market supply curve of bottled water when firms have identical cost structures
c. Profitability of firms with identical cost structures
d. Condition to stop production
e. Average cost curves of a firm
f. Number of firms
Answer:
a. Firms producing bottled water can change only its variable inputs like the labor employed in
production in the short run, while a few other inputs remain fixed. On the other hand, in the long run,
there are no fixed inputs and the firm can vary the quantity of all inputs used.
b. The market supply curve of bottled water when firms have identical cost structures is upward
sloping in the short run. Whereas, in the long run the market supply curve of firms with identical cost
structures is horizontal.
c. Firms with identical cost structures can earn positive economic profits in the short run. On the other
hand, in the long run, all firms with identical cost participating in the market for bottled water will earn
zero economic profits.
d. In the short run, firms should continue production as long as the price of bottled water is greater than
or equal to the average variable cost the firm faces. If the price falls below the average variable cost, the
firm should stop production in the short run. In the long run, a firm should stop producing bottled water
or exit from the market if the price of bottled water is less than the average total cost of the firm, or if the
total cost exceeds total revenue.
e. The short-run average cost curves of firms will lie above the long-run average cost curves of the
firms. This happens because, in the short run, a few inputs are fixed and do not allow for an optimal
combination of fixed and variable inputs at times. On the other hand, in the long run, all inputs are
variable thus allowing for better input combinations and thus lower costs.
f. The number of firms operating in the market is fixed in the short run. In the long run, there is
possible entry and exit of firms, and as such the number of firms operating in the market can change.
Difficulty: Hard
Topic: From the Short Run to the Long Run
1) Which of the following statements about the short run and long run is true?
A) The number of firms in the industry is fixed in the short run, but in the long run the number can
change.
B) Free entry and exit of firms is possible in the short run, but entry and exit of firms is restricted in the
long run.
C) The short-run average cost curves lies below the long-run average cost curves.
D) A firm can vary all of its factors of production in both the short run and the long run.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Firm Entry
35
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
2) The entry and exit of firms in a perfectly competitive market is mostly dependent on:
A) the number of firms in the market.
B) government regulations.
C) profitability.
D) the number of consumers in the market.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: From the Firm to the Market: Long-Run Equilibrium
6) When price is less than the firms' minimum average total cost, ________.
A) new firms will enter the market
B) existing firms will leave the market
C) prices are likely to fall further
D) firms' profits are likely to be maximum
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Firm Exit
36
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
7) In a perfectly competitive market, the price in the long run:
A) will always be more than the minimum average total cost of the industry.
B) will always be less than the minimum average total cost of the industry.
C) will always equal the minimum average total cost of the industry.
D) will always equal the average fixed cost of the industry.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Zero Profits in the Long Run
8) The long-run supply curve for a firm in a perfectly competitive industry is:
A) negatively sloped.
B) positively sloped.
C) vertical.
D) horizontal.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Zero Profits in the Long Run
10) In a perfectly competitive market, all firms in the long run earn:
A) positive economic profit.
B) positive accounting profit.
C) zero economic profit.
D) zero accounting profit.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Zero Profits in the Long Run
37
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
12) A ________ is a payment or a tax break used as an incentive for an agent to complete an activity.
A) tariff
B) subsidy
C) wage
D) rent
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Evidence-Based Economics
13) In a perfectly competitive market, firms in the long run earn zero economic profits. Why?
Answer: In a perfectly competitive market, firms in the long run earn zero economic profits because of
free entry and exit. Whenever a few firms earn positive economic profits, it acts as an incentive for new
firms to enter the market. As there are no entry and exit restrictions in a perfectly competitive market,
firms can enter and exit at their will. The entry of new firms into the market shifts the market supply
curve to the right, which causes a fall in the market price. This process continues until the market price
equals the minimum average total cost of the market and all firms earn zero economic profits. Similarly,
when firms are earning negative economic profits, a few firms will leave the market shifting the market
supply to the left, and thus increasing the price. This process will continue until all existing firms in the
market earn zero economic profits. Zero economic profit means that all opportunity costs are covered,
including even a normal profit. This means that the firm is paying all of its bills and covering its implicit
costs, including the normal return on its investment. Such a firm is earning enough of an accounting
profit to keep it in the industry–no more and no less.
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: From the Firm to the Market: Long-Run Equilibrium
38
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
14) A firm is interested in entering a perfectly competitive market where all its competitors have cost
structures identical to this firm and are earning positive economic profits. Using graphs, comment on the
long-run profitability of the firms in this scenario.
Answer: All the firms with identical cost structures earn zero economic profits in the long run.
In the graph, D1 and S1 represent the initial industry supply and demand curves. The price determined at
the intersection of the two curves is P2 which is higher than the minimum average total cost curve of the
industry, ATC. Therefore, existing firms earn positive economic profits. Being attracted by the positive
profits earned by the existing firms, new firms enter the market in the long run. Similar to the firm in
question, there will be other firms who would want to enter the market. The entry of new firms will shift
the industry supply curve outward. New firms will continue to enter and supply will continue to
increase. This will continue until the supply curve reaches S 2 and the market price equals the minimum
average total cost of the industry. Therefore, the free entry and exit of firms will push the long-run price
down to the minimum average cost of the industry and the firms at that point earn zero profits.
Whenever the price is greater than the minimum average cost of the industry, the firms in the industry
earn positive economic profits, which attracts more firms into the market, and the price falls until all
firms earn zero economic profits.
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Firm Entry
39
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
2) Which of the following statements is true?
A) The marginal entrant in a market earns the highest profit.
B) The marginal entrant has the lowest cost among all firms in the market.
C) Difference in technology and experience can lead to firms having non-identical costs even under
perfect competition.
D) In a market which has identical cost structures for all firms, there is possibility of positive economic
profits in both the short run and the long run.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
3) In a competitive industry where different firms have different cost structures, the industry supply
curve is:
A) upward sloping.
B) downward sloping.
C) vertical.
D) horizontal.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
4) In a competitive industry some firms earn positive economic profits while some earn zero economic
profit in the long run because:
A) there exist free entry and exit of firms.
B) the firms have different cost structures.
C) the firms sell their output at different prices.
D) the industry supply curve is perfectly elastic.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Medium
AACSB: Application of Knowledge
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
40
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
6) Which of the following statements is true of the long run?
A) Identical firms can enjoy positive economic profits.
B) Identical firms face an upward sloping supply curve.
C) Non-identical firms can enjoy positive economic profits.
D) Non-identical firms face a horizontal supply curve.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
7) Is it true that in the long run it is impossible for firms functioning in a perfectly competitive market to
earn positive economic profits? Explain your answer.
Answer: No, even in a perfectly competitive market, firms may earn positive economic profits in the long
run. This happens when firms do not have identical cost structures. For example, whenever there is an
increase in demand for a good in the market, the price of the good goes up. This encourages new firms to
enter the market, but these newer firms have a higher cost of production than the incumbent firms. As
such, the equilibrium price in the market equals the average total cost of the marginal entrant, i.e. the
entrant who earns zero economic profits. This results in an upward-sloping supply curve and causes the
price to be above the average total cost of the firms with a lower average total cost of production. As such,
even in the long run these low cost firms can earn positive economic profits.
Difficulty: Medium
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
8) Why is the profitability of firms under perfect competition different when they have non-identical cost
structures in comparison to identical cost structures?
Answer: When firms have non-identical cost structures, the pattern of entry into the industry is different
from when they have identical cost structures. In the former case, it is the set of firms with the lowest
average total cost curve that enters the market first and earns highest economic profits. The next set of
firms which enter have a higher average total cost than the initial lot of market entrants. Eventually a firm
with even higher average total cost curve enters the market and this firm earns zero economic profits.
This firm is called the marginal entrant, as it is indifferent between entering the market and staying out of
the market. The price in the market is equal to the marginal entrant's long-run average total cost since for
any price below this price there is absolutely no incentive for the firm to enter. Because the price equals
the long-run average total cost curve of the marginal entrant and not the minimum average total cost
curve of the industry, the market supply curve is upward sloping and not horizontal. On the other hand,
in case of a market where all firms have an identical cost structure, the long-run price equals the
minimum average total cost of the industry which is the same for all firms. Hence, the market supply
curve in this case is horizontal and there are no economic profits in the long run. Since, in case of non-
identical cost structures, firms face an upward-sloping market supply curve even in the long run, it
allows for low-cost firms to make positive economic profits.
Difficulty: Hard
Topic: Appendix: When Firms Have Different Cost Structures
41
Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Anatomy and General Characteristics of
the Class Insecta
The body of an insect is divided by means of two marked
narrowings into three parts: the head, the chest, and the abdomen.
The head is a freely movable capsule
bearing four pairs of appendages. Hence it is
regarded as having been formed by the union
of four rings, since the ancestor of the
insects is believed to have consisted of
similar rings, each ring bearing a pair of
unspecialized legs.
The typical mouth parts of an insect
(Fig. 123) named in order from above, are (1)
an upper lip (labrum, ol), (2) a pair of biting
jaws (mandibles, ok), (3) a pair of grasping Fig. 122.—Yellow Fever
jaws (maxillæ, A, B), and (4) a lower lip Mosquito, showing head,
(labium, m, a, b). The grasping jaws bear two thorax, abdomen.
pairs of jointed jaw fingers (maxillary palpi,
D, C), and the lower lip bears a pair of
similar lip fingers (labial palpi, d). The biting jaws move sideways;
they usually have several pointed notches which serve as teeth. Why
should the grasping jaws be beneath the chewing jaws? Why is it
better for the lower lip to have fingers than the upper lip? Why are
the fingers (or palpi) jointed? (Watch a grasshopper or beetle eating.)
Why does an insect need grasping jaws?
The chest, or thorax, consists of three rings (Fig. 124) called the
front thorax (prothorax), middle thorax (mesothorax) and hind
thorax (metathorax), or first, second, and third rings. The first ring
bears the first pair of legs, the second ring bears the second pair of
legs and the upper or front wings, and the third ring bears the third
pair of legs and the under or hind wings.
The six feet of insects are characteristic of them, since no other
adult animals have that number, the spider having eight, the crayfish
and crabs having ten, the centipedes still more, while birds and
beasts have less than
six. Hence the
insects are
sometimes called the
Six-Footed class
(Hexapoda). The
insects are the only
animals that have
the body in three
divisions. Man,
beasts, and birds
Fig. 123.—Mouth
Parts of Beetle.
have only two
divisions (head and
trunk). Worms are Fig. 124.—External
of a Beetle.
Parts
not divided.
Define the class insecta
by the two facts characteristic of them (i.e. possessed
by them alone), viz.: Insects are animals with ————
and ————. Why would it be ambiguous to include
“hard outer skeleton” in this definition? To include
“bilateral symmetry”? “Segmented body”? The
definition of a class must include all the individuals
Fig. 125.—Leg of the class, and exclude all the animals that do not
of Insect. belong to the class.
The leg of an insect (Fig. 125) has five
joints (two short joints, two long, and the foot). Named in
order from above, they are (1) the hip (coxa), (2) thigh ring
(trochanter), (3) thigh (femur), (4) the shin (tibia), (5) the
foot, which has five parts. Which of the five joints of a
wasp’s leg (Fig. 161) is thickest? Slenderest? Shortest? One
joint (which?) of the foot (Fig. 161) is about as long as the
other four joints of the foot combined. Is the relative length Fig. 126.—Foot of
of the joints of the leg the same in grasshoppers, beetles, Fly, with climbing
etc., as in the wasp (Figs.)? Figure 125 is a diagram of an pads.
insect’s leg cut lengthwise. The leg consists of thick-walled
tubes (o, n) with their ends held together by thin, easy-wrinkling membranes
which serve as joints. Thus motion is provided for at the expense of strength. When
handling live insects they should never be held by the legs, as the legs come off very
easily. Does the joint motion of insects most resemble the motion of hinge joints or
ball-and-socket joints? Answer by tests of living insects. There are no muscles in
the foot of an insect. The claw is moved by a muscle (m) in the thigh with which it
is connected by the long tendon (z, s, t, v). In which part are the breathing
muscles? As the wings are developed from folds of the dorsal skin, the wing has
two layers, an upper and a lower layer. These inclose the so-called “nerves” or ribs
of the wing, each of which consists of a blood tube inclosed in an air tube.
The abdomen in various species consists of from five to eleven
overlapping rings with their fold-like joints between them. Does each
ring overlap the ring in front or the one behind it?
The food
tube (Fig. 127)
begins at the
mouth, which
usually bears
salivary glands
(4, Fig. 127,
which
represents
internal organs
of the
grasshopper).
The food tube
expands first
Fig. 127.—Viscera of into a croplike
Grasshopper. Key in text. enlargement; Fig. 128.—Air Tubes of
Compare with Fig. 114. Insect.
next to this is
an organ (6,
Fig. 127), which resembles the gizzard in birds, as its inner wall is
furnished with chitinous teeth (b, Fig. 114). These reduce the food
fragments that were imperfectly broken up by the biting jaws before
swallowing. Glands comparable to the liver of higher animals open
into the food tube where the stomach joins the small intestine. At the
junction of the small and the large intestine (9) are a number of fine
tubes (8) which correspond to kidneys and empty their secretion into
the large intestine.
The breathing organs of the insects are peculiar to them (see
Fig. 128). They consist of tubes which are kept open by having in
their walls continuous spirals of horny material called chitin. Most
noticeable are the two large membranous tubes filled with air and
situated on each side of the body. Do these tubes extend through the
thorax? (Fig. 128.) The air reaches these two main tubes by a number
of pairs of short windpipes, or tracheas, which begin at openings
(spiracles). In which division are the spiracles most numerous? (Fig.
128.) Which division is without spiracles? Could an insect be
drowned, i.e. smothered, by holding its body under water? Could it
be drowned by immersing all of it but its head? The motion of the air
through the breathing tubes is caused by a bellowslike motion of the
abdomen. This is readily observed in grasshoppers, beetles, and
wasps. As each ring slips into the ring in front of it, the abdomen is
shortened, and the impure air, laden with carbon dioxide, is forced
out. As the rings slip out, the abdomen is extended and the fresh air
comes in, bringing oxygen.
The Circulation.—
Near the dorsal surface of
the abdomen (Fig. 131)
extends the long, slender
heart (Fig. 129). The heart
has divisions separated by
valvelike partitions. The
blood comes into each of Fig. 130.—Diagrams of Evolution
the heart compartments of Pericardial Sac around insect’s
Fig. 129. through a pair of openings. heart from a number of veins
— The heart contracts from (Lankester).
Insect’s the rear toward the front,
Heart driving the blood forward. The blood contains bodies
(plan).
corresponding to the white corpuscles of human blood, but
lacks the red corpuscles and the
red colour. The blood is sent even
to the wings. The veins in the
wings consist of horny tubes
inclosing air tubes surrounded by
Fig. 131.—Position of Insect’s Heart, blood spaces, and the purification
food tube, and nerve chain. of the blood takes place
throughout the course of the
circulation. Hence the imperfect
circulation is no disadvantage. The perfect provision for supplying
oxygen explains the remarkable activity of which insects are capable
and their great strength, which, considering their size, is unequalled
by any other animals.
The Nervous System.—The
heart in backboned animals, e.g.
man, is ventral and the chief
nerve trunk is dorsal. As already
stated, the heart of an insect is
dorsal; its chief nerve chain,
Fig. 133.—
consisting of a double row of
Feeler of ganglia, is near the ventral
a beetle. surface (Fig. 131). All the ganglia
are below the food tube except
the first pair in the head, which
are above the gullet. This pair may be said
to correspond somewhat to the brain of
backboned animals; the nerves from the Fig. 132.—Nervous
eyes and the feelers lead to it. With social System of Bee.
insects, as bees and ants, it is large and
complex (Fig. 132). In a typical insect they are the largest ganglia.
The Senses.—The sense of smell of most insects is believed to be
located in the feelers. The organ of hearing is variously located in
different insects. Where is it in the grasshopper? The organs of sight
are highly developed, and consist of two compound eyes on the side
of the head and three simple eyes on the top or front of the head
between the compound eyes. The simple eye has nerve cells,
pigments, and a lens resembling the lens in the eyes of vertebrates
(Fig. 134). The compound eye (Fig. 135) has thousands of facets,
usually hexagonal, on its surface, the facets being the outer ends of
cones which have their inner ends directed toward the centre of the
eye. It is probable that the large, or compound, eyes of insects only
serve to distinguish bright objects from dark objects. The simple eyes
afford distinct images of objects within a few inches of the eye. In
general, the sight of insects, contrary to what its complex sight
organs would lead us to expect, is not at all keen. Yet an insect can fly
through a forest without striking a twig or branch. Is it better for the
eyes that are immovable in the head to be large or small? Which has
comparatively larger eyes, an insect or a beast?
Inherited Habit, or Instinct.—Insects and other animals
inherit from their parents their particular form of body and of organs
which perform the different functions. For example, they inherit a
nervous system with a
structure similar to that
of their parents, and
hence with a tendency
to repeat similar
impulses and acts.
Repeated acts constitute
a habit, and an Fig. 134.—
inherited habit is called Diagram of
an instinct. Moths, for simple eye of
example, are used to insect.
Fig. 140.—Silver
Scale. (Order?)
Fig. 146.—
Head of
Butterfly.
Fig. 147.—Section of
Proboscis of butterfly showing
Fig. 149. lapping joint and dovetail joint.
Fig. 152.
Fig. 157.
Fig. 156.
Fig. 158.—Anatomy of bee.
Fig. 163.—
Weevil.