Economics MCQs – Set 17: Economic & Social Development for UPSC/PCS

  1. Autarky in international trade refers to –
    (A) Free trade agreements
    (B) Complete trade liberalization
    (C) Economic self-sufficiency and no international trade
    (D) Bilateral trade pacts
    Answer: (C)
  2. Y = C + I + G + (X – M) is the formula for –
    (A) Net Domestic Product
    (B) National Income at factor cost
    (C) GDP (expenditure method)
    (D) GNP
    Answer: (C)
  3. Sticky wages cause –
    (A) Perfect labor mobility
    (B) Smooth price adjustment
    (C) Unemployment during downturns
    (D) Inflation stability
    Answer: (C)
  4. Investment function in Keynesian theory depends primarily on –
    (A) Interest rate and business expectations
    (B) Government deficit
    (C) Tax rate
    (D) Wage level
    Answer: (A)
  5. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) compares –
    (A) GDP at current prices
    (B) Income inequality
    (C) Exchange rates adjusted for price levels
    (D) Real interest rates
    Answer: (C)
  6. Zero coupon bond offers –
    (A) Periodic interest
    (B) No maturity
    (C) No interest but sold at discount
    (D) Variable rate
    Answer: (C)
  7. The Loanable Funds Theory explains –
    (A) Foreign trade
    (B) Tax revenue
    (C) Interest rate determination
    (D) Monetary expansion
    Answer: (C)
  8. A recession is defined by –
    (A) Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth
    (B) Persistent inflation
    (C) Current account surplus
    (D) Rapid tax rise
    Answer: (A)
  9. Indexation is used to –
    (A) Raise prices
    (B) Link payments to inflation
    (C) Encourage savings
    (D) Reduce unemployment
    Answer: (B)
  10. Capital deepening implies –
    (A) More labor per unit of capital
    (B) Increase in capital per worker
    (C) Increase in tax base
    (D) Wage suppression
    Answer: (B)
  11. Monopsony power is held by –
    (A) A single buyer in a market
    (B) Government regulators
    (C) Central banks
    (D) A single seller in a market
    Answer: (A)
  12. Ricardo’s theory of rent is based on –
    (A) Marginal productivity
    (B) Opportunity cost
    (C) Differential fertility of land
    (D) Capital returns
    Answer: (C)
  13. A speculative bubble occurs when –
    (A) Asset prices reflect fundamentals
    (B) Prices are undervalued
    (C) Asset prices rise rapidly due to speculation, not fundamentals
    (D) Inflation is low
    Answer: (C)
  14. Open economy multiplier is lower than closed because –
    (A) Higher savings
    (B) Taxation
    (C) Imports leak demand
    (D) Higher investment
    Answer: (C)
  15. Positive economics deals with –
    (A) Value judgments
    (B) What ought to be
    (C) Objective analysis of facts
    (D) Normative welfare
    Answer: (C)
  16. The Swan diagram is used for –
    (A) Inflation targeting
    (B) Open economy macro policy mix
    (C) Debt management
    (D) Wage setting
    Answer: (B)
  17. A yield curve depicts relationship between –
    (A) Stock returns and dividends
    (B) Bond yields and maturities
    (C) Tax and inflation
    (D) Investment and savings
    Answer: (B)
  18. Unemployment rate is calculated as –
    (A) Unemployed / labor force × 100
    (B) Unemployed / total population × 100
    (C) Labor force / population × 100
    (D) Employed / unemployed × 100
    Answer: (A)
  19. A currency board maintains –
    (A) Multiple exchange rates
    (B) Flexible interest rates
    (C) Fixed exchange rate backed fully by reserves
    (D) Sovereign debt
    Answer: (C)
  20. Capital flight refers to –
    (A) Increased domestic investment
    (B) Rapid outflow of financial capital from a country
    (C) FDI in manufacturing
    (D) Import substitution
    Answer: (B)
  21. Excess capacity is a characteristic of –
    (A) Perfect competition
    (B) Monopoly
    (C) Monopolistic competition
    (D) Public goods
    Answer: (C)
  22. Neutral fiscal policy implies –
    (A) Balanced budget
    (B) Higher deficit
    (C) Lower taxes
    (D) Tax rate equals interest rate
    Answer: (A)
  23. Imputed rent is included in –
    (A) Nominal wages
    (B) GDP calculation
    (C) Capital account
    (D) Black income
    Answer: (B)
  24. Say’s Law implies –
    (A) Demand creates its own supply
    (B) Supply creates its own demand
    (C) Money is neutral
    (D) Markets always fail
    Answer: (B)
  25. The Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) was abolished in India in –
    (A) 2010
    (B) 2009
    (C) 2011
    (D) 2008
    Answer: (B)
  26. The broadest measure of money supply in India is –
    (A) M1
    (B) M2
    (C) M3
    (D) M4
    Answer: (D)
  27. A quasi-public good is –
    (A) Fully excludable and rival
    (B) Fully non-rival and non-excludable
    (C) Non-rival but excludable
    (D) Fully free
    Answer: (C)
  28. Lender of last resort is a function of –
    (A) NABARD
    (B) Ministry of Finance
    (C) RBI
    (D) SEBI
    Answer: (C)
  29. Stabilization policy aims at –
    (A) Growth in agriculture
    (B) Reducing inequalities
    (C) Controlling inflation and unemployment
    (D) Enhancing defense expenditure
    Answer: (C)
  30. The accelerator principle is triggered by –
    (A) Rise in income/output levels
    (B) Government borrowing
    (C) Import increase
    (D) Capital depreciation
    Answer: (A)
  31. Debt-to-GDP ratio indicates –
    (A) Export dependency
    (B) Tax elasticity
    (C) Country’s debt sustainability
    (D) Consumption gap
    Answer: (C)
  32. Inclusive growth promotes –
    (A) Growth with equity and participation
    (B) Urban industrial growth
    (C) Higher taxes
    (D) Military investment
    Answer: (A)
  33. A tariff wall means –
    (A) Subsidies to exporters
    (B) Collection of non-tax revenue
    (C) High import duties protecting domestic industry
    (D) Tax reduction
    Answer: (C)
  34. The inflationary gap occurs when –
    (A) Demand < potential GDP
    (B) Demand > potential GDP
    (C) Supply > demand
    (D) Interest rate = inflation
    Answer: (B)
  35. Minimum Reserve System in India requires RBI to maintain –
    (A) Full gold backing
    (B) Minimum reserves of gold and foreign currency
    (C) Only rupees
    (D) Fixed inflation
    Answer: (B)
  36. Tax-GDP ratio reflects –
    (A) Deficit growth
    (B) Tax collection as % of GDP
    (C) Inflation targeting
    (D) Revenue deficit
    Answer: (B)
  37. The classical dichotomy separates –
    (A) Money and goods markets
    (B) Real and nominal variables
    (C) Short-run and long-run
    (D) Wages and prices
    Answer: (B)
  38. Liquidity preference theory was proposed by –
    (A) Ricardo
    (B) Keynes
    (C) Marshall
    (D) Friedman
    Answer: (B)
  39. Disinvestment reduces –
    (A) Trade deficit
    (B) Government ownership in PSUs
    (C) Tax collection
    (D) RBI’s reserves
    Answer: (B)
  40. Marginal efficiency of investment (MEI) falls due to –
    (A) Increasing interest rate
    (B) Declining profitability of new capital
    (C) Tax reduction
    (D) Higher consumption
    Answer: (B)
  41. Price leadership is common in –
    (A) Perfect competition
    (B) Monopoly
    (C) Oligopoly
    (D) Monopsony
    Answer: (C)
  42. Unorganized sector in India includes –
    (A) Corporate firms
    (B) Registered companies
    (C) Street vendors, daily wage laborers
    (D) Government employees
    Answer: (C)
  43. Bond yield and bond price are –
    (A) Positively related
    (B) Negatively related
    (C) Not related
    (D) Constant
    Answer: (B)
  44. Twin track approach in policy means –
    (A) One policy for all
    (B) Different strategies for different sections
    (C) Unified pricing
    (D) Market equilibrium
    Answer: (B)
  45. Dynamic efficiency in economics refers to –
    (A) Allocative efficiency in static sense
    (B) Efficiency over time through innovation
    (C) Price stability
    (D) Labor mobility
    Answer: (B)
  46. Capital budget of government includes –
    (A) Salaries
    (B) Interest payments
    (C) Loans, disinvestment, capital receipts/expenditure
    (D) Welfare schemes
    Answer: (C)
  47. Regressive taxation results in –
    (A) Progressive equity
    (B) Less burden on poor
    (C) Higher burden on lower income groups
    (D) No effect on inequality
    Answer: (C)
  48. E-governance contributes to –
    (A) More physical paperwork
    (B) Digital divide
    (C) Efficiency and transparency
    (D) Less automation
    Answer: (C)
  49. Exchange rate pass-through refers to –
    (A) Effect of exports on interest
    (B) Impact of exchange rate changes on domestic prices
    (C) Black market trade
    (D) Customs policy
    Answer: (B)
  50. Circular debt is mainly associated with –
    (A) Banking sector
    (B) Defense spending
    (C) Power sector liabilities
    (D) Agriculture procurement
    Answer: (C)

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