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Table 18-1 Number of Workers Output Marginal Product of Labour Value of Marginal

ID: 2439925 • Letter: T

Question

Table 18-1

Number of

Workers

Output

Marginal Product

of Labour

Value of Marginal

Product of Labour

Wage

Marginal

Profit

0

0

1

100

$1000

$500

$500

2

80

$800

$500

3

60

$500

$100

4

280

$400

$500

5

20

$500

____   22.   Refer to Table 18-1. What is the marginal product of the fourth worker?

a.

30

b.

40

c.

60

d.

100

____   23.   If hiring more workers results in each additional worker contributing successively smaller amounts of output, then which of the following applies?

a.

diminishing profitability

b.

diminishing marginal cost

c.

diminishing marginal product

d.

diminishing average product

____   24.   What most easily explains the shape of the value-of-marginal-product curve?

a.

tight labour markets

b.

a surplus of workers

c.

diminishing marginal product

d.

downward-sloping labour demand

____   25.   Which of the following is most likely if a profit-maximizing firm starts with 25 employees and then decreases employment?

a.

The firm is losing market share.

b.

The firm is not likely to be minimizing losses.

c.

The wage exceeds the value of the marginal product of labour.

d.

The value of the marginal product of labour exceeds the wage.

Number of

Workers

Output

Marginal Product

of Labour

Value of Marginal

Product of Labour

Wage

Marginal

Profit

0

0

1

100

$1000

$500

$500

2

80

$800

$500

3

60

$500

$100

4

280

$400

$500

5

20

$500

Explanation / Answer

22. Change in output per unit change in labour

Output as the number of workers increases

0 - 0

1 - 100

2 - 180

3 - 240

4 - 280

5 - 300

The marginal product of labour for the fourth worker is 40

b) 40

Output change for the increase in the number of workers from 3 to 4 is 40

23 c) Diminishing Marginal product

Marginal utility declines as available supply decreases

This is the increase in output keeping other factors constant; with further increments, marginal returns to labour diminish as other factors remain constant

24 c) diminishing marginal product

downward sloping curve explained by the diminishing marginal product

25 c) wage exceeds the value of the marginal product of labour

Increase in output per unit increase in labour decreases; for all other factors being kept constant

This is known as the law of diminishing marginal returns