JAMB UTME - Economics - 2019

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Maelezo ya Majibu

Capitalism is an economic system that uses the market mechanism. In a capitalist economy, individuals and businesses own and operate the means of production, and the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand in the marketplace. In simple terms, this means that people are free to produce and sell whatever they want, and consumers are free to buy whatever they want, at prices that are determined by the market. This creates an economy that is driven by competition and innovation, and is often associated with growth and prosperity. It is important to note that capitalism can take on different forms, ranging from a more laissez-faire approach with minimal government intervention, to a more regulated form with a larger role for the government in managing the economy.

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Inductive reasoning is a method of analysis that draws conclusions from data rather than general principles already known. In simple terms, inductive reasoning takes specific observations or pieces of evidence and uses them to form a general conclusion or pattern. For example, if you observe that every time it rains, the streets get wet, you can use inductive reasoning to conclude that rain causes the streets to get wet. In contrast, deductive reasoning starts with a general principle or premise and uses it to reach a specific conclusion. For example, if you know that all birds have feathers and you observe a creature with feathers, you can use deductive reasoning to conclude that it's a bird. Inductive reasoning is often used in scientific research, where data is collected and analyzed to form hypotheses or theories that can then be tested through further experimentation.

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Economics is a social science concerned with the proper use and allocation of resources for growth. Economics is the study of how society uses its limited resources to satisfy its unlimited wants and needs. It is concerned with how individuals, businesses, and governments make choices about how to use resources to produce goods and services, and how these goods and services are distributed among the members of society. The proper use and allocation of resources are essential for economic growth, which is the increase in the production and consumption of goods and services over time. This growth is achieved through the efficient use of resources to create more goods and services, which can then be distributed to meet the needs of society. Economics helps us to understand how resources are allocated and used in different economies and how these decisions affect the overall well-being of individuals and societies.

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A contractionary monetary policy is used to control inflation. Inflation is a sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over time. It occurs when there is too much money chasing too few goods, leading to an increase in demand and upward pressure on prices. A contractionary monetary policy is a type of economic policy used by central banks to reduce the money supply and increase the cost of borrowing, with the aim of slowing down the economy and reducing inflationary pressures. This can be achieved through several measures, such as raising interest rates, increasing reserve requirements for banks, and selling government securities in the open market. By reducing the supply of money and making it more expensive to borrow, the central bank aims to reduce spending and investment in the economy, which can help to lower inflation. A contractionary monetary policy is the opposite of an expansionary monetary policy, which is used to stimulate economic growth by increasing the money supply and lowering interest rates.

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A supply curve that slopes upwards from left to right indicates a positive slope. This means that as the price of a good or service increases, the quantity supplied by suppliers also increases. In other words, producers are willing to supply more of a good or service at higher prices. To understand why this is the case, think about it from the perspective of a supplier. If the price of a good or service goes up, it becomes more profitable for suppliers to produce and sell that good or service. As a result, suppliers are incentivized to increase their production in order to take advantage of the higher prices and earn more profits. This is why the quantity supplied by suppliers tends to increase as the price of a good or service increases. It's important to note that this explanation applies to the long run. In the short run, supply may be relatively fixed and a supply curve may be upward sloping or even backward sloping, indicating that the quantity supplied doesn't change much in response to changes in price. However, over the long run, suppliers have more time to adjust their production levels and the supply curve typically slopes upward.

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In a perfect competition, the market price is determined by the market supply and demand junctions. This means that the price is set by the intersection of the supply of goods and services offered by producers and the demand for those goods and services by consumers. When there is a high demand for a good or service, the price will go up, and when there is a low demand, the price will go down. This is because producers will raise their prices when there is high demand in order to make more profit, and they will lower their prices when there is low demand to try to sell more goods. On the other hand, consumers will be willing to pay more for a good or service when there is high demand and they will be less willing to pay when there is low demand. The market price is a result of the negotiation between producers and consumers, and it reflects the balance between supply and demand in the market.

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In 1976, there were 8 live births for every 1,000 people in the population of the country. This means that for a population of 10 million people, there would be 8 x 10,000 = 80,000 live births in the country.

Maelezo ya Majibu

Maelezo ya Majibu

The basic principle underlying the location of industry is the tendency for production of a commodity to be located on the basis of "relative costs and benefits." The location of industry is determined by a variety of factors such as access to raw materials, labor supply, transportation, energy, and infrastructure. However, the primary factor is the cost and benefit analysis of each potential location. Industries tend to locate where the benefits of the location outweigh the costs. For example, an industry that requires large quantities of water may locate near a river or lake where water is abundant and cheap. An industry that produces heavy goods may locate near a port or railhead to reduce transportation costs. An industry that produces high-value products may locate near a skilled workforce or a research and development center to take advantage of the availability of talent. In general, industries seek to minimize their costs and maximize their benefits by locating in areas that provide the best combination of factors. This is why certain industries tend to be concentrated in particular regions or countries where the relative costs and benefits of production are most favorable.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

An import quota is a permit that allows an importer to bring a certain quantity of foreign goods into a country. It is a government-imposed limit on the quantity of a certain good that can be imported into a country during a specific period of time. The purpose of an import quota is to protect domestic producers and limit the amount of foreign competition in the domestic market. The government sets the quota to regulate the flow of goods into the country and to ensure that domestic producers are not overwhelmed by foreign competition.

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The shape of the demand curve determines whether a monopolist is able to increase their revenue by restricting output. A monopolist is the only seller in the market and has some control over the price of the good or service they provide. If the demand for their product is high, they can increase the price, and if they restrict the quantity of the product they supply, the price will go up even more. The demand curve shows the relationship between the price of a good and the quantity of it that consumers are willing and able to buy. If the demand curve is downward sloping, it means that as the price of the good increases, the quantity demanded decreases. This is because consumers will switch to cheaper alternatives when the price of the good goes up. So, if the monopolist restricts their output, the price will go up and they will make more profit as long as the demand curve remains downward sloping. However, if the demand curve becomes perfectly inelastic, meaning that the quantity demanded does not change with the price, then the monopolist will not be able to increase their revenue by restricting output. Therefore, in simple terms, the shape of the demand curve determines whether a monopolist can increase their revenue by restricting output.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

Maelezo ya Majibu

Maelezo ya Majibu

Maelezo ya Majibu

Maelezo ya Majibu

The purchasing power of money depends upon the "price level". Price level refers to the general level of prices for goods and services in an economy. When the price level increases, the purchasing power of money decreases because it can buy fewer goods and services. Conversely, when the price level decreases, the purchasing power of money increases because it can buy more goods and services. For example, if a cup of coffee costs $2 and the price level remains the same, then $10 can buy 5 cups of coffee. However, if the price of coffee increases to $3, then the purchasing power of $10 decreases and can now only buy 3 and 1/3 cups of coffee. So, the purchasing power of money depends on the price level, because the price level determines how much goods and services money can buy.

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If two commodities are unrelated, a change in the price of one will have no effect on the quantity demanded of the other. This is because unrelated commodities are not substitutes for each other, so a change in the price of one will not affect the demand for the other. For example, if the price of apples increases, it will not affect the demand for bananas, since apples and bananas are not substitutes for each other. Similarly, if the price of bananas decreases, it will not affect the demand for apples. This is because the demand for each commodity is determined by its own factors, such as income, tastes, and preferences, and not by the price of other unrelated commodities.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

An isoquant shows equal level of output. An isoquant is a curve that represents all the possible combinations of inputs (such as labor and capital) that can produce the same level of output for a particular product or service. In other words, it represents all the different ways to produce the same amount of output using different combinations of inputs. So, all points on an isoquant represent the same level of output, and this level of output gives us the same satisfaction or usefulness. As we move along the isoquant, we can produce the same output using different combinations of inputs, but the level of output remains constant. In simple terms, an isoquant is a line that shows the different combinations of inputs that can produce the same level of output.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

Restrictive monetary policy is designed to overcome inflation. Inflation is when the overall price level in an economy is rising, and the value of money is decreasing. The central bank can use restrictive monetary policy to reduce the amount of money in circulation and decrease aggregate demand, which will in turn help to curb inflation. For example, the central bank may increase interest rates, which makes borrowing money more expensive and reduces consumer spending. It may also sell government bonds, which reduces the amount of money available in the banking system. This type of policy is called restrictive because it restricts or slows down the growth of the economy, which helps to control inflation.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

Effective demand for a commodity is the desire or want for that commodity backed by the ability and willingness to pay for it. This means that a person not only wants the commodity, but also has the means to purchase it and is willing to part with their money in exchange for it. For example, if someone wants to buy a new car but does not have the money to pay for it, their desire for the car is not effective demand. Similarly, if someone has the money but is not interested in buying a car, their willingness to pay is not effective demand. Effective demand requires both the desire for the commodity and the ability and willingness to pay for it. It is the combination of these two factors that drives the demand for goods and services in the economy.

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"Provision of employment" is not a problem of agriculture. It is actually a benefit of agriculture. Agriculture provides job opportunities for people, from farmers to food processing workers. The other three options listed are actual problems faced by the agriculture industry: - Lack of preservation and storage facilities can lead to food waste and loss of income for farmers. - Land tenure system refers to the rules and regulations governing who can use and own land. In many countries, the land tenure system is not favorable for small farmers and can limit their ability to produce food. - Poor transportation systems can make it difficult for farmers to get their products to market and for consumers to access fresh food.

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The reason why the average curve and the marginal curve are U-shaped in the short-run and flatter in the long-run is due to economies of scale. Economies of scale refer to the cost advantages that firms experience as they increase their production output. In the short-run, firms are often operating at less than their optimal capacity and therefore may experience diseconomies of scale as they increase output, which leads to higher average costs and a U-shaped average curve. Meanwhile, the marginal cost curve intersects the average cost curve at its minimum point, which is why it is also U-shaped in the short-run. However, in the long-run, firms have more time to adjust their inputs and can increase the scale of their operations. As they do so, they can experience economies of scale, which lead to lower average costs and a flatter average curve. This means that the marginal cost curve intersects the average cost curve at a lower point than in the short-run, making it flatter. Overall, this illustrates how economies of scale can affect a firm's production costs and how this can be reflected in the shape of the average and marginal cost curves.

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Capital formation (CF) is equal to P minus C, where P is production and C is consumption. Capital formation refers to the process of creating new capital goods, such as factories, machines, and infrastructure, which are used to produce goods and services. This process requires investment in new capital goods and is therefore reflected as a reduction in consumption. So, CF = P - C, where P is the total amount of goods and services produced and C is the amount consumed by households, businesses, and government. This equation shows that the amount of new capital being formed is equal to the difference between what is produced and what is consumed. In simpler terms, capital formation is the amount of investment made in the economy to increase its productive capacity and support future economic growth.

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Industrialization is the process of transforming an economy from primarily agriculture and handicrafts to one based on the manufacturing of goods. This process usually involves the development of new technologies, the growth of factories, and an increase in the production of goods. The goal of industrialization is to increase economic growth and improve the standard of living for a society. During industrialization, the production of goods becomes more efficient and large-scale, and people move from rural areas to cities to work in factories. In short, industrialization is the transformation of a society from traditional ways of making things to more modern and efficient methods of production.

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A retailer is distinguished by the nature of its sales, which is in units. Retailers sell products in small quantities directly to consumers for their personal or household use. They purchase products from wholesalers or manufacturers and sell them to the end-users at a markup. This type of retailing typically involves a physical store where customers can browse and purchase products, but it can also include online retailing. The focus of retailing is on selling individual units of products to the consumer, rather than selling in bulk to other businesses.

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The determination of wages in a labor market depends on the interaction between the demand for and supply of labor. In simple terms, employers demand labor to produce goods and services, while workers supply their labor to earn wages. The wage rate is then determined by the equilibrium point where the demand for labor meets the supply of labor in the market. When there is a high demand for labor and a low supply, wages tend to increase because employers are competing for a limited number of workers. On the other hand, when there is a low demand for labor and a high supply, wages tend to decrease because there are more workers than jobs available. Other factors such as government policies, economic conditions, and the skills and qualifications of workers can also influence the wage rate, but the main determinant is the interaction between the demand for and supply of labor in the market.

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Maelezo ya Majibu

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The use of government income and expenditure instrument to regulate the economy is called fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is a tool used by the government to influence the economy by changing the level and composition of government spending and taxation. The main aim of fiscal policy is to achieve macroeconomic objectives, such as controlling inflation, promoting economic growth and stability, and reducing unemployment. When the government increases its spending and/or reduces taxes, it injects more money into the economy, which can increase consumer spending and business investment. This can help to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and increase aggregate demand. On the other hand, when the government reduces its spending and/or increases taxes, it takes money out of the economy, which can help to cool down an overheating economy and reduce inflation. In summary, fiscal policy involves using government income (taxation) and expenditure (spending) to influence the economy and achieve macroeconomic objectives.

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If the wage rate is less than the average revenue product (ARP), the firms would be earning a profit. The ARP is the amount of revenue generated by one unit of labor and is typically greater than the wage rate. If the firm is paying its workers less than the amount of revenue they generate, the firm will have extra revenue left over, which is a profit. So, in this situation, the firm would either be earning a normal profit or a super normal profit, depending on the size of the gap between the wage rate and the ARP. A normal profit is the minimum level of profit necessary for a firm to stay in business, while a super normal profit is a profit that is higher than the normal profit.