Sec 1.

The Basic Economic Ideas

1.2 Economic Methodology
Section 1: MCQ’S
1. The Indian government operates a pension scheme.
Which statement about this scheme would be classed as normative?

A. To be eligible, individuals must be above the age of 60 and live below

the poverty line.
B. In January 2020, eligible individuals aged over 70 received 500 rupees
per month.
C. In 2018, the Supreme Court said the government must review pension
payments because they are unrealistic.
D. In January 2020, the Indian government announced that it might
increase the payment to 1000rupees per month.

2. Which list has the most words that are more likely to relate to a positive
statement than to a normative statement?
A. describe, better, should, value, emotion
B. bias, objective, ought, opinion, tastes
C. contestable, is, motive, subjective, moral
D. actual, ethics, fact, was, testable

3. What is a normative economic action based on?

A. fact
B. market forces
C. opinion
D. price changes

4. Which statement is a positive statement?

A. Low inflation is preferable to low unemployment as a government aim.
B. Low inflation will provide a more stable macro economy.
C. The government must intervene in all markets to improve resource
allocation.
D. The government should cut income tax so living standards can improve.

5. Which statement would be classified by an economist as a positive

statement?
 A. Balancing the budget cannot be more important than reducing
inflation.
B. Maintaining the real income of pensioners needs to be a priority.
C. The government should increase indirect taxation.
D. The government will not increase direct taxation.

6.In 2015, the Chinese economy grew at 6.9%, the Indian economy at 7.6% and
the US economy at 2.4%. Which economy contains two positive statements?

A. Chinese economic growth exceeded US economic growth by 4.5% in

2015 but was 0.7% less than that in India.
B. Chinese economic growth was more than double that in the US in 2015
but was disappointing compared to that in India.
C. Economic growth in India was better than that of the US.
D. Economic growth in the US was too low in 2015 and economic growth
in India was too high.

7.Which statement is a normative statement?

A. China has never had a balance of payments surplus.
B. Higher interest rates might reduce investment.
C. Perfect competition is allocatively efficient.
D. Welfare payments should be increased.

8.Which statement is a positive statement?

A. The distribution of income and wealth in most western European
countries is unequal.
B. The government ought to increase income tax on high earners.
C. There should be more legal rights given to workers to protect their
status in the workplace.
D. Wages of those on low incomes should be increased.
E.

9.Below are two statements.

• A rise in the price of rice is the best way to give farmers in South-East
Asia higher' living standards.
• A rise in the price of rice will lead to a fall in demand.

Which row correctly describes these two statements?

i ii
 A normative normative

B normative Positive

C positive normative

D positive positive

10. Which comment relating to the introduction of charges for previously free
medical treatment is normative?
A. Fewer people will be able to afford treatment.
B. Richer citizens will pay the higher charges.
C. It will be unfair on lower income groups.
D. Workers' health and productivity will fall.

11. Which statement is normative?

A. A minimum wage is the correct government policy to increase the
incomes of the lowest paid workers.
B. A minimum wage is the lowest amount that employers can legally pay
their workers.
C. In Pakistan, a minimum wage of 15 000 Pakistani Rupees per month
was set on 1 June 2016.
D. Setting the minimum wage rate above the equilibrium will result in an
excess supply of workers.

12. Which statement is correct?

A. Normative economics concerns the description of economic models.
B. Normative economics is objective and factual.
C. Positive economics can be tested by data and evidence.
D. Positive economics is subjective and offers a value judgement.

13. Which is a normative statement?

A. If interest rates fall consumption is likely to increase.
B. If interest rates fall consumption will definitely increase.
C. Interest rates and consumption are usually inversely related.
D. The rate of interest should be reduced.
14. A newspaper article contains the following comments.
• The burden of tax should be shifted more to the highest earners.
2. It is in the public interest that key services are nationalized.
Which type of economic statement is illustrated by each comment?
 1 2

A normative normative

B normative positive

C positive normative

D positive positive

15. Which is a normative economic statement?

A. Money is the least liquid form of wealth.
B. Some firms are subsidized by the government.
C. Some workers earn more than others.
D. Taxes are the best way to discourage smoking.

16. What is correct for a normative statement?

A. It is objective and based on fact.
B. It is objective and can be proved correct.
C. It is subjective and based on opinion
D. It is subjective and can be reliably tested

17. Which is a positive statement?

A. A fall in the value of the Chinese yuan against the US dollar will make
Chinese goods more price competitive in the USA.
B. Direct taxes are the best fiscal instrument to redistribute income in a
developed economy.
C. The most important macroeconomic objective of the government is to
reduce unemployment.
D. The UK government should not renationalize the railway infrastructure.

18. Which statement is not a positive economic statement?

A. An increase in the rate of income tax decreases the wish to save.
B. An increase in the rate of income tax has a greater impact the greater
the level of income.
C. An increase in the rate of income tax causes more hours of work to be
supplied.
D. An increase in the rate of income tax is the fairest way to finance the
national health service.
19. The local government of Tokyo should use a policy of taxation to reduce
traffic congestion in the city centre.
'What can be concluded about this statement and the type of economic
policy?
statement Type of policy

A normative macro

B normative macro

C positive macro

D positive micro

20. The statements refer to the proposal to build another runway at London's
Heathrow airport.
Which statement is normative?
A. Heathrow is the UK's busiest airport and has more flights than any
other European airport.
B. The airport is highly competitive but there is spare capacity.
C. The potential net benefit of expansion is around £5 billion over 70
years.
D. We should concentrate on improving the use of existing capacity not
build another runway.

21. A.....1......economic statement is an objective statement that ....2...... be

tested using factual evidence, whereas A.....3......economic statement 'is a
subjective statement that ......4...... be tested using factual evidence.
Which words complete gaps 1,2,3 and 4?
1 2 3 4

A normative can Positive cannot

B normative cannot Positive can

C positive can normative cannot

 D positive cannot normative can

22. A government proposes to introduce a road congestion charge which

would require private motorists to pay atoll for road use.
Which statement relating to the proposal is normative?
A. Bus passengers will benefit at the expense of motorists.
B. Motorists with higher incomes will be prepared to pay the charge in
return for reduced journey times.
C. Motorists with lower incomes will not be able to afford to use the
roads.
D. The proposal will be unfair to motorists who have no alternative means
of transport.

23. Which is a normative statement?

A. A reduction in unemployment below a certain level will lead to higher
inflation.
B. An increase in the rate of inflation will lead inevitably to an increase in
unemployment.
C. Inflation can be reduced only by increasing the level of unemployment.
D. Unemployment is more harmful to economic welfare than inflation.

24. Skilled actors deserve to receive a high income because they bring pleasure
to people who attend the theatre
What can be concluded about this statement?
A. It is a normative statement because both services and goods are
economic outputs.
B. It is a normative statement because it expresses an opinion.
C. It is a positive statement because actors do bring pleasure to people.
D. It is a positive statement because greater skill results in higher pay.

25. Which statement is normative?

A. As a general rule, people are happier in more equal societies.
B. Despite a large increase in income per head, people are no happier
today than they were 50 years ago.
C. Happiness depends not on the absolute level of a person's income but
on his relative income.
D. The promotion of happiness is a more important goal than the
maximization of production.
26. Which is a normative statement?
A. Inflation can be reduced only by increasing the level of unemployment.
B. An increase in the rate of inflation will lead inevitably to an increase in
unemployment.
C. Unemployment is more harmful than inflation.
D. If unemployment is reduced below a certain level, this will lead to
higher inflation.

27. Which statement about trade unions is normative?

A. Since trade unions exist to safeguard the interests of their members,
they deserve the legal protection of the state.
B. In countries where trade unions are strong, income distribution is more
equal.
C. Uneven trade union membership has resulted in a widening of the
wage gap between different industries.
D. In industries where trade unions are powerful, technical progress tends
to be much slower.

28. What must be true of a positive statement?

A. It is one that can be shown to be correct or incorrect.
B. It is one that deals with positive changes in economic well being.
C. It is one that is true by definition.
D. It is one with which everyone agrees.

29. Which of the following is a normative statement?

A. If firms spend more on advertising, sales volume may not rise.
B. If firms raise prices, profits will rise.
C. The government should reduce taxes on spending so that economic
welfare will rise.
D. Export volumes will rise if the government lowers the exchange rate.

30. Which is a normative economic statement?

A. Money is the least liquid form of wealth.
B. Some firms are subsidized by the government.
C. Some workers earn more than others.
D. Taxes are the best way to discourage smoking

31. Doctors should be paid highly because they have to undertake a long
period of training.
What can be concluded about this statement?
 A. It is a normative statement because high pay does not always result from
lengthy training.
B. It is a normative statement because it expresses an opinion.
C. It is a positive statement because doctors do have to train for a long
period.
D. It is a positive statement because greater skill results in higher pay.

32. What distinguishes the very long run from the long run?
A. the ability to change resource allocation
B. the ability to change the state of technology
C. the absence of government market intervention
D. the existence of variable factors of production

33. Which statement is correct?

A. In the short run all factors of production are fixed; in the long run all
factors are varied.
B. In the short run at least one factor is fixed; in the long run all factors can
be varied.
C. In the short run at least one factor is varied; in the long run all factors are
fixed.
D. In the short run at least one factor is varied; in the long run at least one
factor is fixed.

34. What does the phrase 'ceteris paribus' mean?

A. All the resources used are of equal quality.
B. Everything else remains unchanged.
C. The price mechanism rations scarce goods.
D. The variable under consideration is held constant.

35. What does the assumption 'ceteris paribus' mean when economists
analyze the way in which the quantity demanded of a good change?
A. Changes in quantity demanded can cause changes in any of the other
variables.
B. Consumer preferences are always assumed to remain unchanged.
C. Only one variable is assumed to change while the others remain the
same.
D. Several variables change simultaneously.

36. What is an example of the use of ceteris paribus?

 A. The rate of increase in wage rates equals the rate of increase in price
levels.
B. There is a constant rise in both wage rates and price levels.
C. Wage rates and the price level remain constant at their original levels.
D. Wage rates rise when the only change is a rise in prices.

37. What does the concept of ceteris paribus allow economists to do?
A. calculate the monetary value of consumer surplus
B. distinguish between economic and free goods
C. distinguish between normative and positive statements
D. isolate the effect of one variable on another variable

38. In which situation would an economist assume ceteris paribus?

A. when calculating the retail prices index
B. when deciding what to include in a cost benefit analysis
C. when making normative statements to advise the government
D. when studying the effect of a price rise on demand

39. What is meant by the ceteris paribus assumption?

A. an assumption that is not supported by the facts
B. an assumption that consumers act rationally
C. an assumption that two factors are in equilibrium
D. an assumption that other factors are held constant