Economics MCQs – Set 10: Economic & Social Development for UPSC/PCS

  1. Which of the following is not an instrument of monetary policy?
    (A) CRR
    (B) SLR
    (C) Government spending
    (D) Repo Rate
    Answer: (C)
  2. “Balance of Payment” is a statement that includes –
    (A) Only exports
    (B) All economic transactions with the rest of the world
    (C) Internal trade
    (D) Only imports
    Answer: (B)
  3. The concept of “consumer sovereignty” is most relevant under –
    (A) Monopoly
    (B) Oligopoly
    (C) Perfect competition
    (D) Monopolistic competition
    Answer: (C)
  4. What does CPI measure?
    (A) Retail inflation
    (B) Wholesale prices
    (C) Industrial production
    (D) Fiscal deficit
    Answer: (A)
  5. When price falls and demand rises, it indicates –
    (A) Law of diminishing returns
    (B) Law of supply
    (C) Law of demand
    (D) Law of utility
    Answer: (C)
  6. What is meant by “public debt”?
    (A) Borrowings of government
    (B) Borrowings of private firms
    (C) External aid
    (D) Budget surplus
    Answer: (A)
  7. A tax burden that rises more than proportionally with income is –
    (A) Regressive
    (B) Progressive
    (C) Proportional
    (D) Indirect
    Answer: (B)
  8. The elasticity of demand for necessity goods is –
    (A) Greater than 1
    (B) Equal to 1
    (C) Less than 1
    (D) Infinite
    Answer: (C)
  9. The shape of the average cost curve in the short run is –
    (A) U-shaped
    (B) L-shaped
    (C) Vertical
    (D) Horizontal
    Answer: (A)
  10. When MPC is 0.75, the multiplier is –
    (A) 1.33
    (B) 4
    (C) 0.75
    (D) 3
    Answer: (B)
  11. Which is not included in the calculation of national income?
    (A) Rent
    (B) Wages
    (C) Pension
    (D) Profits
    Answer: (C)
  12. Public goods are those which –
    (A) Are provided only by the private sector
    (B) Are rival and excludable
    (C) Are non-rival and non-excludable
    (D) Have fixed price
    Answer: (C)
  13. The average product is maximum when –
    (A) Total product is increasing
    (B) Marginal product equals average product
    (C) Marginal product is zero
    (D) Total product is zero
    Answer: (B)
  14. The term “crowding-in” refers to –
    (A) Private investment increases with public investment
    (B) Private savings crowd out demand
    (C) Public investment reduces private spending
    (D) None of the above
    Answer: (A)
  15. The intersection of MC and AC curves occurs at –
    (A) Minimum of MC
    (B) Maximum of MC
    (C) Minimum of AC
    (D) Maximum of AC
    Answer: (C)
  16. A person’s real income increases when –
    (A) Money income rises and prices remain constant
    (B) Prices rise faster than income
    (C) Income and prices rise equally
    (D) Income falls and prices fall
    Answer: (A)
  17. Which of the following is not a function of money?
    (A) Medium of exchange
    (B) Store of value
    (C) Measure of value
    (D) Creation of demand
    Answer: (D)
  18. The “invisible hand” in economics suggests –
    (A) Government control of markets
    (B) Regulation by central bank
    (C) Self-regulating nature of markets
    (D) Price controls
    Answer: (C)
  19. “Say’s Law” states that –
    (A) Supply creates its own demand
    (B) Demand creates its own supply
    (C) Production equals consumption
    (D) Investment equals saving
    Answer: (A)
  20. A steep demand curve implies –
    (A) Perfect elasticity
    (B) Perfect inelasticity
    (C) Inelastic demand
    (D) High responsiveness to price
    Answer: (C)
  21. Which of the following are included in Net Domestic Product at factor cost?
    (A) Indirect taxes
    (B) Depreciation
    (C) Net indirect taxes
    (D) Wages, rent, interest, and profit
    Answer: (D)
  22. If marginal cost is greater than average cost, then –
    (A) Average cost is rising
    (B) Average cost is falling
    (C) Total cost is constant
    (D) Output is minimized
    Answer: (A)
  23. Which of the following is a capital receipt in the budget?
    (A) Income tax
    (B) Borrowings
    (C) GST
    (D) Corporation tax
    Answer: (B)
  24. “Value Added Tax” (VAT) is imposed –
    (A) At final sale point
    (B) On imports only
    (C) At each stage of production
    (D) Only on exports
    Answer: (C)
  25. A movement along the supply curve is caused by –
    (A) Change in input costs
    (B) Change in price of good
    (C) Change in technology
    (D) Change in taxes
    Answer: (B)
  26. The production function explains –
    (A) Relationship between input and output
    (B) Law of demand
    (C) Law of diminishing utility
    (D) Fiscal deficit
    Answer: (A)
  27. Which of the following is the broadest measure of money supply?
    (A) M1
    (B) M2
    (C) M3
    (D) M4
    Answer: (D)
  28. When inflation and unemployment both rise, it is –
    (A) Deflation
    (B) Stagflation
    (C) Disinflation
    (D) Reflation
    Answer: (B)
  29. A fixed cost –
    (A) Varies with output
    (B) Is zero at zero production
    (C) Remains constant regardless of output
    (D) Increases with output
    Answer: (C)
  30. The term “black money” refers to –
    (A) Foreign income
    (B) Income not declared to tax authorities
    (C) Loan defaulters
    (D) Illegal foreign trade
    Answer: (B)
  31. Which of the following is not a direct tax?
    (A) Corporate tax
    (B) Income tax
    (C) Capital gains tax
    (D) Excise duty
    Answer: (D)
  32. “Human Capital” refers to –
    (A) Machines used in production
    (B) Stock of productive knowledge and skills
    (C) Stock of natural resources
    (D) Amount invested in buildings
    Answer: (B)
  33. Which factor causes a shift in the supply curve?
    (A) Price of good
    (B) Production technology
    (C) Quantity demanded
    (D) Equilibrium price
    Answer: (B)
  34. When supply increases and demand remains constant, equilibrium price –
    (A) Increases
    (B) Falls
    (C) Remains the same
    (D) Doubles
    Answer: (B)
  35. What is “disguised unemployment” in agriculture?
    (A) More workers than required
    (B) Skilled workers
    (C) Permanent joblessness
    (D) Structural unemployment
    Answer: (A)
  36. In the short run, the law of diminishing returns applies to –
    (A) All factors
    (B) At least one fixed factor
    (C) All variable factors
    (D) Marginal utility
    Answer: (B)
  37. GDP includes –
    (A) Illegal transactions
    (B) Home services
    (C) Final goods and services
    (D) Intermediate goods
    Answer: (C)
  38. The supply of a good increases due to –
    (A) Rise in input prices
    (B) Improved technology
    (C) Rise in taxes
    (D) Natural disaster
    Answer: (B)
  39. The monetary base includes –
    (A) Currency with public
    (B) Deposits with banks
    (C) Currency in circulation + RBI reserves
    (D) Broad money
    Answer: (C)
  40. The marginal utility of money –
    (A) Rises with income
    (B) Is constant
    (C) Falls with income
    (D) Remains infinite
    Answer: (C)
  41. If two goods are complements, their cross-price elasticity is –
    (A) Zero
    (B) Negative
    (C) Positive
    (D) Infinite
    Answer: (B)
  42. A government budget is said to be balanced when –
    (A) Revenue = expenditure
    (B) Deficit = revenue
    (C) Tax = interest
    (D) GDP = tax
    Answer: (A)
  43. Which of the following is not included in the Human Development Index (HDI)?
    (A) Life expectancy
    (B) Education
    (C) Per capita income
    (D) Environment quality
    Answer: (D)
  44. The full form of SDR is –
    (A) Special Drawing Rights
    (B) Special Deposit Reserve
    (C) Secured Debt Recovery
    (D) Savings and Deposits Ratio
    Answer: (A)
  45. “Dumping” refers to –
    (A) Selling goods at loss in foreign markets
    (B) Exporting with subsidies
    (C) Selling inferior goods
    (D) Import restrictions
    Answer: (A)
  46. Which of the following is not a method to control inflation?
    (A) Increasing taxes
    (B) Increasing CRR
    (C) Reducing interest rate
    (D) Selling government securities
    Answer: (C)
  47. Capital formation means –
    (A) Investment in fixed assets
    (B) Public borrowing
    (C) Government spending
    (D) Tax collection
    Answer: (A)
  48. GDP is the sum of –
    (A) Consumption + investment + government spending + net exports
    (B) Consumption + savings
    (C) Investment + revenue
    (D) Tax + exports
    Answer: (A)
  49. The Central Statistical Office (CSO) is responsible for –
    (A) Formulating monetary policy
    (B) Preparing national income data
    (C) Regulating banking
    (D) Controlling inflation
    Answer: (B)
  50. The term “opportunity cost” was coined by –
    (A) Ricardo
    (B) Robbins
    (C) Haberler
    (D) Keynes
    Answer: (C)

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