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2) ________ is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue.
A) Price
B) Product
C) Place
D) Fixed costs
E) Variable costs
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.1: Answer the question "What is a price?" and discuss the importance of
pricing in today's fast-changing environment.
Difficulty: Easy
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4) Prices have a direct impact on a firm's bottom line.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.1: Answer the question "What is a price?" and discuss the importance of
pricing in today's fast-changing environment.
Difficulty: Easy
6) Why is price considered one of the most flexible elements of the marketing mix?
Answer: Unlike product features and channel commitments, prices can be changed quickly.
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.1: Answer the question "What is a price?" and discuss the importance of
pricing in today's fast-changing environment.
Difficulty: Easy
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7) Define price. Discuss its importance.
Answer: In the narrowest sense, price is the amount of money charged for a product or a service.
More broadly, price is the sum of all the values that customers give up to gain the benefits of
having or using a product or service. Historically, price has been the major factor affecting buyer
choice. In recent decades, however, nonprice factors have gained increasing importance. Even
so, price remains one of the most important elements that determines a firm's market share and
profitability.
Price is the only element in the marketing mix that produces revenue; all other elements
represent costs. Price is also one of the most flexible marketing mix elements. Unlike product
features and channel commitments, prices can be changed quickly. At the same time, pricing is
the number one problem facing many marketing executives, and many companies do not handle
pricing well. Some managers view pricing as a big headache, preferring instead to focus on other
marketing mix elements. However, smart managers treat pricing as a key strategic tool for
creating and capturing customer value. Prices have a direct impact on a firm's bottom line. A
small percentage improvement in price can generate a large percentage increase in profitability.
More important, as part of a company's overall value proposition, price plays a key role in
creating customer value and building customer relationships.
AACSB: Analytical thinking; Written and oral communications
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.1: Answer the question "What is a price?" and discuss the importance of
pricing in today's fast-changing environment.
Difficulty: Moderate
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9) What sets the floor for product prices?
A) consumer perceptions of the product's value
B) product costs
C) competitors' strategies
D) advertising budgets
E) market competition
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
10) Effective ________ pricing involves understanding how much value consumers place on the
benefits they receive from the product and setting a price that captures that value.
A) competition-oriented
B) cost-based
C) time-based
D) customer-oriented
E) marketer-oriented
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
11) ________ pricing uses buyers' perceptions of value as the key to pricing.
A) Customer value-based
B) Cost-based
C) Time-based
D) Markup
E) Target return
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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12) Which of the following is true of value-based pricing?
A) The targeted value and price drive decisions about what costs can be incurred and the
resulting product design.
B) Value-based pricing is mostly product driven.
C) Value-based pricing involves setting prices based on the costs of producing, distributing, and
selling the product plus a fair rate of return for its effort and risk.
D) The marketer usually designs a product and marketing program and then sets the price.
E) A company using value-based pricing designs what it considers to be a good product, adds up
the costs of making the product, and sets a price that covers costs plus a target profit.
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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14) A pharmaceutical company in Utah recently released a new and expensive anti-ulcer drug in
the market. The company justifies the high price of the drug by claiming that it is highly
effective for treating all kinds of ulcers. The company also claims that the new drug will help
bring down the need for invasive surgeries, an additional benefit for patients. Which of the
following pricing strategies is the pharmaceutical company most likely using in this instance?
A) target pricing
B) markup pricing
C) cost-based pricing
D) value-based pricing
E) break-even pricing
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
15) The perceived value of different product offers can be reasonably assessed by ________.
A) conducting a SWOT analysis
B) preparing demand curves
C) conducting surveys and experiments
D) collecting data about competitors' offers
E) setting a benchmark for product quality
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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17) Which of the following involves introducing less-expensive versions of established, brand
name products?
A) markup pricing
B) good-value pricing
C) time-based pricing
D) cost-based pricing
E) target profit pricing
Answer: B
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
18) ________ pricing refers to offering just the right combination of quality and gratifying
service at a fair price.
A) Markup
B) Good-value
C) Cost-plus
D) Target profit
E) Break-even
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
19) When McDonald's and other fast food restaurants offer "value menu" items at surprisingly
low prices, they are most likely using ________ pricing.
A) break-even
B) target profit
C) good-value
D) cost-plus
E) target return
Answer: C
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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20) Azure Air, an airline company, offers attractive prices to customers with tighter budgets. A
no-frills airline, it charges for all other additional services, such as baggage handling and in-
flight refreshments. Which of the following best describes Azure Air's pricing method?
A) target profit pricing
B) good-value pricing
C) cost-based pricing
D) break-even pricing
E) penetration pricing
Answer: B
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
21) Retailers such as Costco and Walmart charge a constant, daily low price with few or no
temporary price discounts. This is an example of ________ pricing.
A) competition-based
B) everyday low
C) cost-plus
D) break-even
E) penetration
Answer: B
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
22) Bon Vivant offers an assortment of exclusive French wines at incredibly low prices. These
prices are neither limited-time offers nor special discounts, but represent the daily prices of
products sold by Bon Vivant. This reflects Bon Vivant's ________ pricing strategy.
A) everyday low
B) markup
C) penetration
D) break-even
E) cost-based
Answer: A
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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23) ________ pricing involves charging higher prices on an everyday basis but running frequent
promotions to lower prices temporarily on selected items.
A) High-low
B) Everyday low
C) Cost-plus
D) Break-even
E) Penetration
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
24) Department stores such as Kohl's and Macy's practice high-low pricing by ________.
A) charging a constant, everyday low price
B) providing few or no temporary price discounts
C) increasing prices temporarily on select products
D) having frequent sale days for store credit-card holders
E) underpricing most consumer items
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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26) Which of the following is true with regard to value-added pricing?
A) Companies that practice value-added pricing typically match the competition by cutting
prices.
B) Companies practicing value-added pricing differentiate their offers by attaching value-added
features to offerings that, in turn, justify higher prices.
C) The intrinsic value of products sold by companies practicing value-added pricing is far less
than their actual selling price.
D) Companies practicing value-added pricing primarily rely on cost differentiation.
E) Value-added pricing is the most suitable pricing strategy in pure monopolies.
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
27) In an effort to differentiate its offerings from its competitors, Pegasus Computers decided to
add an extra USB port in all its laptops besides providing a free pair of Delphi power bass
headphones with every Pegasus laptop. Although the additional features increased the price of
the laptops by $500, Pegasus was confident that the strategy would help boost demand for its
laptops substantially. This is an example of ________.
A) good-value pricing
B) markup pricing
C) break-even pricing
D) value-added pricing
E) cost-based pricing
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
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28) ________ involves setting prices based on the costs for producing, distributing, and selling
the product plus a fair rate of return for effort and risk.
A) Value-based pricing
B) Competition-based pricing
C) Cost-based pricing
D) Penetration pricing
E) Break-even pricing
Answer: C
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
30) A company must pay each month's bills for rent, heat, interest, and executive salaries
regardless of the company's level of output. This exemplifies its ________ costs.
A) overhead
B) variable
C) target
D) total
E) unit
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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31) Overhead costs ________ as the number of units produced increases.
A) decrease
B) increase steadily
C) fluctuate
D) remain the same
E) increase rapidly
Answer: D
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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34) Costs that change with the level of production are referred to as ________.
A) fixed costs
B) variable costs
C) target costs
D) total costs
E) overhead costs
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
35) In 2011, the fixed costs of a company were $500,000, and its variable costs equaled
$150,000. In 2010, the company made an annual profit of $200,000. It has been predicted that,
despite a steady growth, the company's variable costs will likely equal $300,000 by 2013. The
total costs of the company in 2011 were ________.
A) $350,000
B) $450,000
C) $650,000
D) $800,000
E) $950,000
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
36) The total production costs at Kellner Machine Works are $87,000 out of which $45,000
represent fixed costs. Which of the following is representative of the variable costs incurred by
the company?
A) $35,000
B) $42,000
C) $45,000
D) $87,000
E) $132,000
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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37) The fixed cost in manufacturing a single LED monitor is $40 and the variable cost is $12. If
the company expects to manufacture 5,000 monitors, the total costs would be ________.
A) $60,000
B) $200,000
C) $260,000
D) $420,000
E) $500,000
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
38) As production moves up, the average cost per unit decreases because ________.
A) variable costs decrease
B) of increasing diseconomies of scale
C) fixed costs are spread over more units
D) overhead costs decrease
E) revenue increases
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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39) A cell phone manufacturing firm produced 1,000 cell phones a day but believed that it could
reasonably step up production to 2,000 cell phones a day. Consequently, it built a larger plant
and installed efficient machinery and work arrangements to realize the projected output. Which
of the following can most likely be inferred from this information?
A) The unit cost of producing 2,000 cell phones per day would be twice that of the unit cost of
producing 1,000 units per day.
B) A production plant with the capacity of producing 5,000 cell phones a day would be most
efficient.
C) The unit cost of producing 2,000 cell phones per day would be lower than the unit cost of
producing 1,000 units per day.
D) A 2,000-capacity production plant would be less efficient because of increasing diseconomies
of scale.
E) The fixed costs of the firm are more likely to increase with the increase in output.
Answer: C
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Skill: Critical Thinking
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
40) The long-run average cost (LRAC) curve indicates the ________.
A) per unit cost of output in the long run
B) projected total production costs of competitors
C) variable costs incurred by a firm over time
D) fixed costs incurred by a firm over the long term
E) number of units the market will buy in a given time period, at different prices that might be
charged
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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41) The learning curve is representative of the ________.
A) per unit cost of output in the long run
B) drop in the average per-unit production cost that comes with accumulated production
experience
C) number of units the market will buy in a given time period, at different prices that might be
charged
D) total market demand resulting from different prices
E) per unit cost of output in the short run
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
42) As production workers become better organized and more familiar with equipment, the
average cost per unit tends to decrease with the ________.
A) increase in the diseconomies of scale
B) accumulated production experience
C) decrease in the economies of scale
D) increase in derived demand
E) increase in primary demand
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
43) With accumulated production experience and a higher volume of production, companies not
only become more efficient but also ________.
A) gain economies of scale
B) incur higher overhead costs
C) create derived demand in the market
D) spend more per unit of produced output
E) tend to routinely spend less on inputs
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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44) The experience curve reveals that ________.
A) repetition in production has no visible impact on production costs
B) repetition in production enhances efficiency
C) the average cost of production remains the same with accumulated production experience
D) repetition in production adds to the costs and thereby increases the prices of outputs
E) the average cost of production increases with accumulated production experience
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
46) Which of the following is most likely a risk associated with experience-curve pricing?
A) High-volume production facilities are unable to meet demand.
B) New technology often leads to productivity problems.
C) Demand for the product fluctuates unpredictably.
D) Consumers tend to prefer new brands over established ones.
E) Aggressive pricing often gives a product a cheap image.
Answer: E
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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47) Experience-curve pricing assumes that ________.
A) competitors are weak and not willing to match price cuts
B) competitors are strong and invincible
C) aggressive pricing adversely affects product image
D) volume-based production slows down organizational learning
E) lower-cost technologies are almost always inferior
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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50) Lawyers, accountants, and other professionals typically price by adding a standard markup
for profit. This exemplifies ________.
A) target pricing
B) cost-plus pricing
C) value-based pricing
D) break-even pricing
E) penetration pricing
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
51) Herbie Inc., a firm manufacturing sandwich makers, has fixed costs of $250,000, variable
costs of $20 per unit of output, and expected unit sales of 50,000 units. What is the unit cost of a
sandwich maker manufactured by Herbie?
A) $15
B) $25
C) $30
D) $50
E) $75
Answer: B
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
52) Samsung Mobile plans to launch a new phone with a unit cost of $270 and wants to earn a 10
percent markup on its sales. Samsung's markup price is ________.
A) $275
B) $280
C) $295
D) $300
E) $335
Answer: D
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
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53) Why is markup pricing most likely impractical?
A) Calculating costs is complicated due to fluctuations.
B) By tying the price to cost, sellers oversimplify pricing.
C) When all firms in the industry use this pricing method, prices tend to be similar.
D) The method ignores demand and competitor prices.
E) With a standard markup, consumers know when they are being overcharged.
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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56) Target return pricing is a variation of which of the following cost-oriented pricing
approaches?
A) cost-plus pricing
B) break-even pricing
C) markup pricing
D) value-based pricing
E) fixed cost pricing
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
57) Target return pricing uses the concept of a(n) ________, which shows the total cost and total
revenue expected at different sales volume levels.
A) BCG matrix
B) break-even chart
C) SWOT analysis
D) demand curve
E) experience curve
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
58) John assured his venture capitalists an earning of 25-percent return on equity when he began
his IT startup. In order to achieve this result, he will most likely use which of the following
pricing approaches?
A) value-based pricing
B) markup pricing
C) EDLP
D) customer-based pricing
E) target return pricing
Answer: E
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
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59) The break-even volume is the point at which ________.
A) the total revenue and total cost curves intersect
B) demand equals supply
C) the production of one more unit will not lead to increase in demand
D) the company can pay off all its long-term debt
E) a firm exceeds the sales forecast
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
61) A company faces fixed costs of $100,000 and variable costs of $8 per unit. It plans to
directly sell its product in the market for $12. How many units must it produce and sell to break
even?
A) 20,000
B) 25,000
C) 30,000
D) 35,000
E) 40,000
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
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62) As a manufacturer increases the price, ________.
A) efficiency drops
B) the break-even volume drops
C) competition is minimized
D) the total costs increase
E) the profit margin shrinks
Answer: B
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
63) Mansfield Pharmaceuticals markets Zipro, an antibiotic. The firm has fixed costs of
$1,000,000 and variable costs of $2 per bottle of 50 tablets priced at $10 per bottle. What is the
break-even volume?
A) 25,000
B) 55,000
C) 100,000
D) 115,000
E) 125,000
Answer: E
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
64) A manufacturer has fixed costs of $100,000, a variable cost of $10 per unit of output, and
break-even volume of 50,000 units. What should the manufacturer's unit cost be in order to break
even?
A) $10
B) $12
C) $14
D) $16
E) $20
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
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65) Which of the following involves setting prices based on a rival firm's strategies, costs, prices,
and market offerings?
A) target return pricing
B) good-value pricing
C) competitor value-added pricing
D) market-based pricing
E) competition-based pricing
Answer: E
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
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Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s).
Alden Manufacturing produces small kitchen appliances—blenders, hand mixers, and electric
skillets—under the brand name First Generation. Alden attempts to target newlyweds and first-
time home buyers with this brand.
Considering that most young households have limited financial resources, Alden attempts to
engage in target costing. "In doing this," says Milt Alden, the co-founder of Alden Electronics,
"we have better control over keeping price right in line with customers."
Alden manufactures a three-speed blender, its top seller, along with a five-speed blender. The
hand mixers are manufactured in two variants—a small handheld mixer with two rotating beaters
and another that comes with an optional stand and an attached mixing bowl. Alden's
temperature-controlled skillets are manufactured in a single style with three color options.
"Our product offerings are narrower," Milt Alden added, "but our line workers know each
product like the back of their hands. This allows us to produce superior products while holding
our prices low.
67) Milt Alden says that his line workers "know each product like the back of their hands," and
that this knowledge helps the company keep its prices low. This indicates that Alden
Manufacturing most likely benefits from the ________.
A) cost-plus pricing
B) value-added pricing
C) experience curve
D) inelastic demand in the market
E) derived demand in the market
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
68) Customer perceptions of the product's value set the floor for prices.
Answer: FALSE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
25
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69) Product costs set the ceiling for prices.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
70) In customer value-based pricing, price is considered along with all other marketing mix
variables before the marketing program is set.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
71) Value-based pricing uses the sellers' perception of value as the key to pricing.
Answer: FALSE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
72) Using value-based pricing, a marketer would not design a product and marketing program
before setting the price.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
26
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
74) Department stores that practice everyday low pricing typically provide frequent sale days,
early-bird savings, and bonus earnings for store credit-card holders.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Moderate
75) Overhead costs are costs that do not vary with production or sales level.
Answer: TRUE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
76) Cost-based pricing involves setting prices based on consumer perception of value.
Answer: FALSE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
27
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79) The simplest pricing method is cost-plus pricing, which involves adding a standard markup
to the cost of the product.
Answer: TRUE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
80) Markup pricing is popular because when all firms in the industry use this pricing method,
prices tend to be similar, so price competition is minimized.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
81) Markup pricing is used when a firm tries to determine the price at which it will break even or
make the target return it is seeking.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
82) A break-even chart shows the total cost and total revenue expected at various sales volume
levels.
Answer: TRUE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
28
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84) Explain the concept of the price ceiling.
Answer: Price ceiling represents the price above which there is no demand.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
29
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88) Define total costs.
Answer: Total costs are the sum of the fixed and variable costs for any given level of
production.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
90) A marketer's fixed costs are $400,000. The variable cost is $16 per unit, and the price of the
product is $24 per unit. If the company wants to make a profit, how many units must it sell and at
what price?
Answer: If the company wants to make a profit, it must sell more than 50,000 units at $24 each.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
91) A marketer's fixed costs are $400,000, the variable cost is $16 per unit, and the price of the
product is $24 per unit. What is the company's break-even point in dollar sales?
Answer: The break-even point in dollar sales is $1,200,000.
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Challenging
30
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92) What is competition-based pricing?
Answer: Competition-based pricing refers to setting prices based on competitors' strategies,
prices, costs, and market offerings.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.2: Identify the three major pricing strategies and discuss the importance of
understanding customer-value perceptions, company costs, and competitor strategies when
setting prices.
Difficulty: Easy
31
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95) Which of the following is an external factor that affects pricing decisions in a company?
A) the company's overall marketing strategy
B) the nature of the market
C) the organizational objectives of the company
D) elements of the company's marketing mix
E) the annual advertising budget of rival firms
Answer: B
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
96) Which of the following is an internal factor that affects pricing decisions in a company?
A) the nature of the market
B) the degree of inflation in the economy
C) the overall marketing strategy of the company
D) the forces of demand and supply in the market
E) consumers' perception of value
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
32
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98) Elmo Inc., a global conglomerate, designed the ElBrush, an electric toothbrush. Sensing
market demand for the electric toothbrush, Elmo started with an ideal selling price of $3 based
on customer value considerations and then targeted costs to ensure that the price was met. This
exemplifies ________.
A) competition-based pricing
B) cost-plus pricing
C) target costing
D) everyday low pricing
E) high-low pricing
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Challenging
99) PoolPak produces climate-control systems for large swimming pools. The company's
customers are more concerned about service support for maintaining their systems than the initial
price of the product. PoolPak specializes in and differentiates itself through both cutting-edge
technologies used to build its high-value climate control systems as well as seamless quality
service. PoolPak's prices are very high, but demand for its climate-control systems seems to be
forever on the rise. This exemplifies ________.
A) target costing
B) a pure monopoly
C) cost-plus pricing
D) a nonprice position
E) break-even pricing
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Challenging
33
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100) DivetheBlue, a company marketing deep-sea diving equipment, charges very high prices for
its products. Despite the availability of many low-priced products in the market, customers seem
to prefer DivetheBlue, which has earned a reputation for selling high-quality products. This
exemplifies ________.
A) a pure monopoly
B) an oligopoly
C) a nonprice position
D) break-even pricing
E) target costing
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
101) A decision to position the product on high-performance quality will mean that the
________.
A) seller must charge a higher price to cover higher costs
B) seller must charge a lower price to attract more customers
C) producer must step down production
D) marketer must boost derived demand in the market
E) break-even volume will be fairly low
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
34
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103) Price setting is usually determined by ________ in large companies.
A) top managers
B) external stakeholders
C) product managers
D) non-executive employees
E) the sales department
Answer: C
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
104) In industrial markets, ________ typically has the final say in setting the pricing objectives
and policies of a company.
A) the sales manager
B) top management
C) the production manager
D) the HR department
E) the sales staff
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
105) In industries in which pricing is a key factor, ________ often set the best prices or help
others in setting them.
A) sales departments
B) salespeople
C) production managers
D) line managers
E) pricing departments
Answer: E
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
35
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106) Under ________, the market consists of many buyers and sellers trading in a uniform
commodity.
A) pure competition
B) monopolistic competition
C) oligopolistic competition
D) a pure monopoly
E) the dominant firm model
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
36
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
109) In Viña del Mar, Chile, a large number of shops specialize in selling the same quality of
seafood products along the beach frequented by tourists. No individual shop dares charge more
than the going price without fearing loss of business to other shops. This exemplifies ________.
A) pure competition
B) monopolistic competition
C) oligopolistic competition
D) pure monopoly
E) the dominant firm model
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Challenging
110) Under ________, the market consists of many buyers and sellers who trade over a range of
prices rather than a single market price.
A) pure competition
B) monopolistic competition
C) oligopolistic competition
D) a pure monopoly
E) the dominant firm model
Answer: B
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
37
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
112) The movie industry in a country is controlled by six large studios that receive 90 percent of
the annual revenues from movies. This is an example of a(n) ________.
A) pure competition
B) monopolistic competition
C) oligopolistic competition
D) pure monopoly
E) government monopoly
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Challenging
38
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115) Which of the following shows the number of units the market will buy in a given time
period, at different prices that might be charged?
A) demand curve
B) supply curve
C) learning curve
D) break-even pricing
E) target costing
Answer: A
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
117) Bruno Servers has decided to decrease its prices on its popular higher-range servers. The
company can reasonably expect ________ to increase.
A) fixed costs
B) variable costs
C) demand
D) additional value
E) overhead costs
Answer: C
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
39
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118) ________ refers to a measure of the sensitivity of demand to changes in price.
A) Price elasticity
B) A demand curve
C) Price-value equation
D) Marginal utility
E) Income elasticity of demand
Answer: A
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
119) If demand hardly changes with a small change in price, the demand is ________.
A) variable
B) inelastic
C) highly elastic
D) derived
E) negative
Answer: B
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
120) If demand changes greatly with a small change in price, the demand is ________.
A) variable
B) inelastic
C) derived
D) elastic
E) negative
Answer: D
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
40
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121) Dips in the economy and the instant price comparisons made possible by the Internet have
contributed to ________.
A) decreased consumer price sensitivity
B) increased consumer price sensitivity
C) a less direct relationship between supply and demand
D) low brand equity for luxury goods
E) decreased brand loyalty
Answer: B
AACSB: Information technology
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
122) In the aftermath of the Great Recession of 2008 to 2009, consumers ________.
A) have become more value conscious
B) have become less value conscious
C) exhibit great interest in prestige pricing
D) show no interest in price cutting
E) rarely endorse value-for-money deals
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
123) When companies set prices, the government and social concerns are ________ factors
affecting pricing decisions.
A) external
B) internal
C) economic
D) cultural
E) organizational
Answer: A
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
41
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Refer to the scenario below to answer the following question(s).
Alden Manufacturing produces small kitchen appliances—blenders, hand mixers, and electric
skillets—under the brand name First Generation. Alden attempts to target newlyweds and first-
time home buyers with this brand.
Considering that most young households have limited financial resources, Alden attempts to
engage in target costing. "In doing this," says Milt Alden, the co-founder of Alden Electronics,
"we have better control over keeping price right in line with customers."
Alden manufactures a three-speed blender, its top seller, along with a five-speed blender. The
hand mixers are manufactured in two variants—a small handheld mixer with two rotating beaters
and another that comes with an optional stand and an attached mixing bowl. Alden's
temperature-controlled skillets are manufactured in a single style with three color options.
"Our product offerings are narrower," Milt Alden added, "but our line workers know each
product like the back of their hands. This allows us to produce superior products while holding
our prices low.
124) Milt Alden uses which of the following strategies for pricing his products?
A) basing company price on competitors' prices
B) using everyday low pricing
C) initiating an aggressive promotional campaign
D) starting with customer-value considerations
E) focusing on overall fixed costs of manufacturing
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Challenging
125) If Milt Alden focuses on overall costs of manufacturing plus profit in setting product prices,
which strategy would he employ?
A) break-even pricing
B) competition-based pricing
C) value-added pricing
D) cost-plus pricing
E) good-value pricing
Answer: D
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Application
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
42
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126) Internal factors affecting pricing include the company's overall marketing strategy,
objectives, and marketing mix.
Answer: TRUE
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
127) Price decisions must be coordinated with product design, distribution, and promotion
decisions to form a consistent and effective integrated marketing mix program.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
128) In a pure monopoly, the market consists of many buyers and sellers who trade over a range
of prices rather than a single market price.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
129) A demand curve shows the number of units the market will buy in a given time period at
different prices that could be charged.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
130) If a company faces competition, its demand at different prices will depend on whether
competitors' prices stay constant or change with the company's own prices.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
43
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131) If demand changes greatly with price, the demand is inelastic.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Easy
132) The more elastic the demand, the more it pays for the seller to raise the price.
Answer: FALSE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
133) If demand is elastic rather than inelastic, sellers will consider lowering their prices.
Answer: TRUE
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
44
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136) What are the different internal factors that affect a firm's pricing decisions?
Answer: Beyond customer value perceptions, costs, and competitor strategies, the company
must consider several additional internal and external factors. Internal factors affecting pricing
include the company's overall marketing strategy, objectives, and marketing mix, as well as other
organizational considerations. Price is only one element of the company's broader marketing
strategy. If the company has selected its target market and positioning carefully, then its
marketing mix strategy, including price, will be fairly straightforward. Some companies position
their products on price and then tailor other marketing mix decisions to the prices they want to
charge. Other companies deemphasize price and use other marketing mix tools to create nonprice
positions.
AACSB: Written and oral communication
Skill: Concept
Objective: LO 10.3: Identify and define the other important external and internal factors
affecting a firm's pricing decisions.
Difficulty: Moderate
45
Copyright © 2016 Pearson Education, Inc.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
This theory sounds very plausible at a distance from the places
themselves; but on closer examination on the spot there are found
fatal objections to it. One is, that they happen not to be excavated
either in sand or in stone, but precisely in a rock of intermediate
consistency, too solid to be used as sand, too soft and friable to be
used as building-stone; and perhaps this might be allowed to stand
as a peremptory refutation of the theory in question. But we will add
another argument, not less simple or less conclusive, drawn from the
different forms of the two kinds of excavation. Compare the
subjoined plan with that which has been give before on page 5.
These two excavations occur in the same place. They overlie one
another on the Via Nomentana, and they are here drawn on
precisely the same scale. Could they be mistaken one for the other?
Do they look like parts of the same plan? One represents the long,
narrow, straight streets or galleries and occasional chambers of a
catacomb; the other, the broad, tortuous, and irregular excavations
of a sandpit. The makers of both had each a definite object in their
work, but these objects were distinct from, and even opposed to, one
another; and hence the two systems have distinct, and even
contrary, characteristics. The only point in common between them is,
that both were carried on underground, and both wished to disturb
as little as possible the superficial soil. But the quarryman aimed at
taking out as much of the material as he could, and with the least
trouble; whilst the Christian fossor desired to extract as little of the
material as was consistent with his object of providing hundreds or
thousands of graves. Hence we find in the sandpit broad roads,
admitting the use of horses or carts, and these roads well rounded
off at the corners for the facility of passing to and fro; whereas the
paths of the cemetery cross one another at right angles, that so
every part of their walls may be available for purposes of sepulture,
whilst they are so narrow that two men can scarcely walk abreast in
them. Moreover, in the sandpits the roof is arched, and the vault of
the arch springs from the very ground; whereas in the catacombs the
walls of the galleries are made strictly perpendicular, in order that
horizontal shelves, capable of supporting the bodies of the dead,
might be safely cut in them, and the tiles that shut them in might
have adequate support. In a word, the two kinds of excavation could
hardly be mistaken for one another. A catacomb could only be made
to look like a sandpit or quarry by first destroying all the graves,
widening the paths, and rounding their angles; in a word, by
destroying every characteristic of a catacomb; and a sandpit could
be turned into a cemetery resembling the Catacombs, only by setting
up such a quantity of masonry as must needs remain to tell its own
tale. There are actual examples of this metamorphose to be found in
three or four places of the Catacombs; and here is the
representation of one of them, from the Catacomb of St. Hermes, on
the Via Salara. What an amount of labour and expense was
necessary to effect the change, and, after all, with a result how
clumsy and unsatisfactory as compared with those places which
were excavated directly and primarily for the purpose of burial!—so
unsatisfactory, indeed, that presently the Christians left off
prosecuting the work even here where they had begun it. Though
immense spaces of the sandpit still remained unoccupied, they
chose rather to excavate after their own fashion in the virgin rock
below. We may conclude, then, without a shadow of doubt, that
those excavations which we call the Roman Catacombs were made
solely for the sake of burying the dead.
How long the Roman Christians were allowed to bury their dead
where they pleased, and to visit their tombs in peace, we can hardly
say. In Africa there had been a popular outcry against the Christian
cemeteries, and a demand for their destruction, in the beginning of
the third century; and the same thing may have happened in Rome
also at the same or even at an earlier date. The first certain record,
however, of any legal interference with the Roman Catacombs
belongs to a period fifty years later, by which time they must have
been both numerous and extensive; it must also have been very
notorious where they were situated. We have seen how public the
entrance was to the Catacomb of St. Domitilla in the first century,
and there is no reason to suppose that this was an exception to the
general rule. The Cœmeterium Ostrianum, on the Via Nomentana,
was as old, and probably as well known, for it was the place where
St. Peter had baptized; the Catacomb of St. Priscilla, too, of the
noble family of Pudens, on the Via Salara, and several others.
We read of St. Anacletus, who was Bishop of Rome about a.d.
160, that he built some sort of monument over the tomb of St. Peter
on the Vatican, and his predecessors and some few of his
successors till the end of the century were buried in this same place,
juxta corpus Beati Petri, as the old records have it. Around the tomb
of St. Paul, also, on the Via Ostiensis, a cemetery was formed, of
which a few monuments still remain, bearing dates of the first
decade of the second century. Hence a priest, writing in that same
century, calls these tombs of the Apostles “the trophies,” or triumphal
monuments, “of those who had laid the foundation of the Church in
Rome.” About a hundred years later we read of St. Fabian—Pope
a.d. 236-250—that “he caused numerous buildings to be constructed
throughout the cemeteries.” And this expression seems to imply that
the cemeteries were no longer private property (as several of them
undoubtedly were at the first), but belonged to the Church in her
corporate capacity, and were administered, therefore, under the
superintendence of her rulers. We have contemporary evidence that
this was the condition of a cemetery on the Via Appia from the
beginning of the third century, Pope Zephyrinus having set over it his
chief deacon, Callixtus; and the obvious advantages of such an
arrangement may have led to its general, if not universal, adoption.
At any rate, we cannot doubt that “the numerous buildings he caused
to be constructed throughout the cemeteries” were either oratories
for public worship, or chambers for the celebration of the agapæ,
which he caused to be built after the fashion of the scholæ of the
Pagan burial-clubs, in the areæ of cemeteries which had not had
them before; and we can easily understand how this increased
provision of places for assembly had been rendered necessary by
the rapid multiplication of the faithful during the long peace which the
Church had enjoyed since the reign of Caracalla.
At the first beginning of the Church in Rome, the Christians had, of
course, met together only in private houses, “under cover of that
great liberty which invested with a sort of sacred independence the
Roman household;” but as their numbers increased, this could not
have sufficed. Very early in the third century, therefore, and probably
even much earlier, there were places of public Christian worship
within the city; and it seems certain that the faithful were allowed
also to assemble (at least under ordinary circumstances) in the
public areæ of their cemeteries up to the middle of the same century.
The language of Tertullian, complaining that the heathen “had
become acquainted with their days of meeting, and that hence they
were continually besieged, betrayed, and caught unawares in their
most secret congregations,” suggests rather the idea of meetings in
subterranean hiding-places than of public assemblies. But he also
tells us that some congregations used to purchase immunity to
themselves by payment of tribute to the Government, and that for
this purpose they were enrolled on the police registers, where, as he
takes care to remind them, they found themselves in anything but
respectable company. These, of course, must have had public
places of meeting; but under what title they can have met, unless it
was that of burial-clubs, such as were described in our last chapter, it
is not easy to conjecture. They could not be enrolled merely as
professors of the Christian faith; for ever since the first persecution
by Nero, the Roman Government had persistently refused to give
any legal recognition to “the new superstition.” For a while, indeed,
the Jews and Christians had been regarded as professing the same
religion, and this was a great gain to the Christians, for there had
been a decree of Cæsar that the Jews throughout the whole Roman
Empire should be allowed to keep their ancient customs without let
or hindrance. The Jews themselves soon vigorously denounced their
supposed co-religionists, and when Christianity had once
established its independence of Judaism, it fell under the ban of an
illicit religion. Thenceforward, though the Christians were not always
being persecuted, they were always liable to persecution, so that
even when it was forbidden to accuse them, yet, if they were brought
before justice and acknowledged themselves Christians, it was
forbidden to absolve them. This was the state of things under the
reign of Aurelian and Commodus, in the latter half of the second
century, when we read of a certain senator, named Apollonius, that
he was accused of Christianity, and pleading guilty to the charge,
was beheaded, while yet the man who had informed against him was
condemned to death also, but by the more cruel and ignominious
method of breaking on the wheel. The beautiful story of St. Cecilia,
too, belongs (it is now ascertained) to some more active period of
persecution about this same time. The story need not be repeated
here, but one of its details is worth referring to, as it probably gives a
true picture of what was happening not unfrequently in those days,
viz., that some of the clergy lay hid in the Catacombs, and inquirers
after the truth were conducted by trusty guides to their retreat. We
must not suppose, however, that any large number of the faithful
ever took refuge there for any length of time; indeed, such a thing
would have been physically impossible. The Christians assembled
there for purposes of worship when the public exercise of their
religion was interfered with; and then this secrecy, thus cruelly forced
upon them, was cast in their teeth, and they were called “a skulking,
darkness-loving people.”
At length, in the year 253, Valerian published a decree whereby he
sought to close against them even this subterranean retreat; he
forbade them “either to hold assemblies or to enter those places
which they call their cemeteries.” The edict was, of course,
disobeyed, and Pope Sixtus II., with some of his deacons, was
surprised and martyred in the Catacomb of Pretextatus. This
Catacomb was situated in a vineyard on the opposite side of the
road from the Catacomb of St. Callixtus, and perhaps it had been
selected as the place of meeting because it was less known to the
public than that chief of Christian cemeteries. The secret, however,
had been betrayed, and (as we learn from an inscription by Pope
Damasus) the Holy Pontiff was apprehended whilst in the midst of a
religious function. The faithful who were present vied with one
another in offering themselves to martyrdom, in his company at
least, if not in his stead, but only the deacons obtained the coveted
privilege. The Bishop himself was led before the tribunal,
condemned, and then brought back to the scene of his “crime,”
where he received the crown of martyrdom either in his pontifical
chair itself, or at least so near to it that it was sprinkled by his blood.
The charge on which he was condemned was distinctly this, “that he
had set at nought the commands of Valerian.” But in the following
year these commands were revoked, and during the next fifty or sixty
years the Catacombs come before us in successive periods of
Church history as enjoying good or evil fortune according to the
varying fortunes of the Church herself, of which they became a chief
battle-field. If Valerian interdicted them, Gallienus, his son, restored
them; and thus they were tolerated and forbidden, forbidden and
tolerated again, according to the will of the Government, until at last,
before the end of the century, they were confiscated altogether.
More than two centuries had now elapsed since the Catacombs
were begun, and they had attained a degree of development far
beyond anything that could have been anticipated. Divers
modifications also had been gradually introduced in the execution of
the work, and of these it will be worth while to give some account.
We will take the cemetery of St. Callixtus as a specimen; for
although in almost every Catacomb there is some difference in detail
from the rest, caused either by some local peculiarity, or by the mere
taste or caprice of those who made it, yet, in outline at least, the
process of development must have been the same in all. It seems to
have been something of this kind. At first a plot of ground in some
suitable situation was either given by its Christian proprietor, or
acquired by purchase, and secured by all necessary legal formalities
—probably also enclosed by a wall or other fence—as a place of
burial. A plan of excavation was then determined upon, and the work
begun. Whilst as yet the fossors had had no experience of the
consistency of the material in which they were to labour, and whilst
they imagined themselves to be providing for the burial only of a few,
they would naturally work freely and without much regard to
economy of space. But as time went on the necessity for economy
would become apparent; then they had recourse to various devices
for securing it. They lowered the floors both of the vaults and
galleries, so that they might receive more tiers of graves. They made
the galleries somewhat narrower than before, and closer to one
another. At the angles of their intersection, where the friability of the
rock would not admit of full-sized graves being cut, they made
smaller graves for infants, that the space might not be wasted. They
did the same also even in the shelves of rock which had been left as
a necessary support between the several tiers of graves.
Everywhere unnecessary labour was spared; no more soil was
removed than was absolutely necessary for the purpose required.
The graves were made wider at the head and shoulders, and
narrower at the feet; and if two bodies were to be buried in a double
grave (locus bisomus), the soil was excavated only in exact
proportion, the feet of the one being generally laid by the head of the
other.
These expedients, however, could not materially enlarge the
space available for graves, and the fossors were driven to excavate
another flat (so to speak) either above or below the first. And here
they were enabled more easily to provide chambers in which the
faithful could assemble in time of persecution. The first subterranean
chambers had been made small and plain, and rectangular in shape
—mere family vaults apparently; but in the second and third floors
we find them both more numerous, more spacious, and in a greater
variety of forms, furnished also with luminaria, or shafts
communicating with the surface of the ground, whereby light and air
could be supplied to those who were assembled below. Some of
them were decorated with cornices, columns, pilasters, brackets and
chairs, hewn out of the solid rock. To the period of persecution
belong also those galleries which connect parts of the more
important cemeteries with the sandpits in their immediate
neighbourhood—connections which were both studiously concealed,
and, in some instances at least, designedly rendered dangerous to
the use of strangers.