Chapter 7 Long Run and Short Run Concerns: Growth, Productivity,

Unemployment, and Inflation

Principles of Macroeconomics, Case/Fair, 8e

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7.1 Long Run Output and Productivity Growth

Multiple Choice

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1)

1


Which of the following is NOT a desirable feature in an economy?

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A)

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Rapid increase in output per worker

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B)

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Rapid increase in the general price level

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C)

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Low unemployment

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D)

1


Low inflation

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2)

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Which of the following is a desirable characteristic in an economy?

1


A)

1


High inflation.

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B)

1


Rapid increase in the general price level

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C)

1


Low unemployment

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D)

1


Low employment.

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3)

1


Output in an economy can be increased by

1


A)

1


adding more workers.

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B)

1


limiting the work week.

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C)

1


using fewer machines

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D)

1


all of the above.

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4)

1


Human capital is

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A)

1


the machines people own.

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B)

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the money people have.

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C)

1


the mental or physical skills people have.

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D)

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the property people own.

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5)

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A prolonged and deep recession is a

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A)

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hyperinflation.

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B)

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slowdown.

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C)

1


contraction.

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D)

1


depression.

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6)

1


Which of the following is considered capital?

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A)

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A factory a company builds to produce other output.

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B)

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A tractor produced by John Deere.

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C)

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The knowledge an individual acquires through education.

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D)

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All of the above

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True/False

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1)

1


The only source of economic growth is growth in the number of workers in the economy.

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2)

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Workers who take a job related training course are enhancing their human capital.

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3)

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If the population is growing as fast the economy, then per capita output is growing.

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4)

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If more workers have more capital to work with, then production will increase.

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5)

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Productivity is output per worker hour.

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7.2 Recessions, Depressions, and Unemployment

Multiple Choice

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1)

1


We can safely say that total output can increase if there is a(n)

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A)

1


increase in the size of the labor force and a decrease in the productivity of workers.

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B)

1


decrease in the size of capital and an increase in the productivity of machines.

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C)

1


increase in the number of machines per worker.

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D)

1


decrease in the number of workers per machine.

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2)

1


The productivity of workers is defined as the

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A)

1


total output produced by the labor force.

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B)

1


output produced by a worker per hour.

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C)

1


number of hours a worker spends at work.

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D)

1


number of hours it takes a worker to produce a unit of output.

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3)

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The capital per worker ratio is a measure of

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A)

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how many tools or machines each worker has to work with.

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B)

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how productive workers are.

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C)

1


how much GDP is growing.

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D)

1


All of the above

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4)

1


Productivity is the ratio of

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A)

1


total output to the total number of worker hours.

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B)

1


total output to the total population.

1


C)

1


total output to the total number of unemployed.

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D)

1


total capital to the total number of workers.

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5)

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Bob is unemployed if he

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A)

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is temporarily laid off.

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B)

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is not looking for a job.

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C)

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has looked for a job for two months and then quit looking.

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D)

1


A and C are correct.

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6)

1


For you to be considered out of the labor force, you can be

1


A)

1


a full-time student.

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B)

1


a full-time retiree.

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C)

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a full-time volunteer.

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D)

1


any of the above.

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7)

1


Janie graduated from college a month ago and is now without work. She accepted a job that will start next month. Today, Janie is

1


A)

1


not in the labor force.

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B)

1


in the labor force.

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C)

1


employed.

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D)

1


a discouraged worker.

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8)

1


The number of people unemployed equals

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A)

1


the number of people employed minus the labor force.

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B)

1


the labor force plus the number of people employed.

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C)

1


the labor force minus the number of people employed.

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D)

1


the number of people employed divided by the labor force.

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9)

1


Bob retired from the police force. He started working an hour or two a day at a paid job in city's courthouse. Bob is

1


A)

1


employed.

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B)

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in the labor force.

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C)

1


unemployed.

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D)

1


not in the labor force.

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Refer to the information provided in Table 7.1 below to answer the questions that follow.

Table 7.1

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10)

1


Refer to Table 7.1. The labor force equals

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A)

1


13,000 people.

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B)

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12,500 people.

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C)

1


13,500 people.

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D)

1


15,500 people.

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11)

1


Refer to Table 7.1. The unemployment rate is

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A)

1


20%.

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B)

1


18.5%.

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C)

1


16.1%.

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D)

1


35.5%.

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12)

1


Refer to Table 7.1. The labor-force participation rate is

1


A)

1


71.43%.

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B)

1


81.8%.

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C)

1


90.91%.

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D)

1


80.0%.

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13)

1


Refer to Table 7.1. The employment rate is

1


A)

1


81.5%.

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B)

1


66.7%.

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C)

1


80%.

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D)

1


20%.

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14)

1


Which of the following is correct? The unemployment rate is

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A)

1


unemployed/population × 100.

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B)

1


(employed - unemployed)/labor force × 100.

1


C)

1


(labor force - employed)/labor force × 100.

1


D)

1


(employed - labor force)/employed × 100.

1


15)

1


The number of people classified as employed is 220,000 and the number of people classified as unemployed is 20,000. The size of the labor force

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A)

1


equals 240,000.

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B)

1


equals 250,000.

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C)

1


equals 200,000.

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D)

1


cannot be determined from this information.

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16)

1


The number of people classified as employed is 575,000 and the number of people in the labor force is 700,000. The total number of people classified as unemployed is

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A)

1


200,000.

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B)

1


125,000.

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C)

1


150,000.

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D)

1


1.275 million.

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17)

1


If the number of people classified as unemployed is 50,000 and the number of people classified as employed is 300,000, what is the unemployment rate?

1


A)

1


8%

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B)

1


14.3%

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C)

1


16.67%

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D)

1


11.5%

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18)

1


If the labor force is 260,000 and the total population 16 years of age or older is 300,000, the labor-force participation rate is

1


A)

1


79.5%.

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B)

1


83.3%.

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C)

1


86.7%.

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D)

1


80.9%.

1


19)

1


If the labor-force participation rate is 87% and the total population 16 years of age or older is 1 million people, the labor force is

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A)

1


280,000 people.

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B)

1


870,000 people.

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C)

1


850,000 people.

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D)

1


180,000 people.

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20)

1


If the number of unemployed equals 30,000, the number of employed equals 60,000, and the number not in the labor force is 10,000, the labor-force participation rate

1


A)

1


is 90%.

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B)

1


is 67%.

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C)

1


is 88.9%.

1


D)

1


cannot be determined from this information.

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21)

1


When an individual quits his/her job and decides to stay at home for a while, the labor-force participation rate

1


A)

1


decreases.

1


B)

1


increases.

1


C)

1


stays the same.

1


D)

1


may increase or decrease, depending on the length of time he/she stays at home.

1


22)

1


Discouraged workers are

1


A)

1


part of the labor force.

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B)

1


part of structural unemployment.

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C)

1


part of frictional unemployment.

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D)

1


None of the above

1


23)

1


When 100 people who were previously looking for jobs stop looking for jobs, the

1


A)

1


unemployment rate increases.

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B)

1


size of the labor force decreases.

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C)

1


labor-force participation rate does not change.

1


D)

1


unemployment rate does not change.

1


24)

1


In normal times the number of discouraged workers is approximately ________ of the labor force.

1


A)

1


.5%

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B)

1


4%

1


C)

1


3%

1


D)

1


1%

1


25)

1


Which of the following statements is TRUE?

1


A)

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It is possible for the national unemployment rate to be 10% and a state to have an unemployment rate of only 5%.

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B)

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An unemployment rate of 10% means that the unemployment rate in each sector of the economy is 10%.

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C)

1


An unemployment rate of 10% means that on average people have been unemployed for 10% of the year.

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D)

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Both A and C

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26)

1


Which of the following statements is TRUE?

1


A)

1


The unemployment rate does not tell us anything about the duration of unemployment.

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B)

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The duration of unemployment decreases during recessions.

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C)

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The duration of unemployment increases during economic expansions.

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D)

1


Both A and B are correct.

1


1


27)

1


When an economics professor quits his/her job at a university and starts looking for a better job in another university, he/she is

1


A)

1


frictionally unemployed.

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B)

1


structurally unemployed.

1


C)

1


cyclically unemployed.

1


D)

1


naturally unemployed.

1


28)

1


Frictional unemployment arises because

1


A)

1


there is no job for those who seek employment.

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B)

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there is a job for those who seek employment, but they haven't found it yet.

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C)

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those who seek employment are not qualified to perform the jobs they are looking for.

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D)

1


the economy is in a recession.

1


29)

1


Increasing the efficiency of various employment agencies to find better matches for those looking for jobs will

1


A)

1


reduce the natural rate of unemployment.

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B)

1


reduce structural unemployment.

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C)

1


reduce cyclical unemployment.

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D)

1


not affect frictional unemployment.

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30)

1


When the Fed slows the rate of growth of the money supply to slow down the economy, the unemployment type that will be directly affected is the

1


A)

1


frictional unemployment.

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B)

1


structural unemployment.

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C)

1


cyclical unemployment.

1


D)

1


natural rate of unemployment.

1


31)

1


Structural unemployment is the

1


A)

1


portion of unemployment that is due to changes in the structure of the economy that result in a significant loss of jobs in certain industries.

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B)

1


unemployment that occurs during recessions and depressions.

1


C)

1


portion of unemployment that is due to the normal working of the labor market.

1


D)

1


unemployment that results when people become discouraged about their chances of finding a job so they stop looking for work.

1


32)

1


An auto worker in Ohio who loses her job because the company relocated the plant to another country represents an example of

1


A)

1


frictional unemployment.

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B)

1


structural unemployment.

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C)

1


cyclical unemployment.

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D)

1


natural unemployment.

1


33)

1


An individual who cannot find a job because his or her job skills have become obsolete is an example of

1


A)

1


frictional unemployment.

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B)

1


structural unemployment.

1


C)

1


cyclical unemployment.

1


D)

1


seasonal unemployment.

1


34)

1


The natural rate of unemployment is generally thought of as the

1


A)

1


ratio of the frictional unemployment rate to the cyclical unemployment rate.

1


B)

1


sum of structural unemployment and cyclical unemployment.

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C)

1


sum of frictional unemployment and cyclical unemployment.

1


D)

1


sum of frictional unemployment and structural unemployment.

1


1


35)

1


Estimates for the natural rate of unemployment in the United States range from

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A)

1


4% to 6%.

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B)

1


4% to 10%.

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C)

1


4% to 5%.

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D)

1


4% to 8%.

1


36)

1


If the labor market becomes more efficient so that the unemployed are more quickly matched with jobs, then

1


A)

1


the natural rate of unemployment will increase.

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B)

1


the natural rate of unemployment will decrease.

1


C)

1


the natural rate of unemployment will not change.

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D)

1


the natural rate of unemployment could either increase or decrease.

1


37)

1


During the Great Depression, real output fell by approximately ________ and the unemployment rate rose to about ________.

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A)

1


15%; 15%

1


B)

1


25%; 30%

1


C)

1


30%; 40%

1


D)

1


30%; 25%

1


1


True/False

1


1)

1


When more people who are not working start looking for jobs, the labor-force participation rate increases.

1


2)

1


Labor productivity is total output divided by the total number of worker hours.

1


3)

1


An increase in search costs will decrease structural unemployment.

1


4)

1


The natural rate of unemployment is the unemployment rate during a period of full employment.

1


5)

1


Anyone 16 years of age or older who is not classified as employed is classified as unemployed.