Economics MCQs – Set 20: Economic & Social Development for UPSC/PCS

  1. Money is neutral in the long run according to –
    (A) Classical theory
    (B) Keynesian theory
    (C) Monetarism
    (D) New Keynesian
    Answer: (A)
  2. Factor income from abroad is added to –
    (A) GDP to get GNP
    (B) NNP to get GDP
    (C) GNP to get NNP
    (D) Disposable income to get national income
    Answer: (A)
  3. Involuntary unemployment arises when –
    (A) Workers refuse jobs
    (B) Willing workers can’t find jobs at prevailing wage
    (C) Workers are overqualified
    (D) Seasonal jobs increase
    Answer: (B)
  4. Net exports equal –
    (A) Imports – exports
    (B) Exports – imports
    (C) GDP – GNP
    (D) GNP – depreciation
    Answer: (B)
  5. Okun’s Law shows relationship between –
    (A) Inflation and unemployment
    (B) Interest rate and savings
    (C) GDP and unemployment
    (D) Tax and fiscal deficit
    Answer: (C)
  6. Dutch disease occurs when –
    (A) Currency weakens with trade surplus
    (B) A resource boom leads to decline in manufacturing
    (C) Budget deficit causes inflation
    (D) Productivity falls due to migration
    Answer: (B)
  7. A flat supply curve suggests –
    (A) High elasticity
    (B) Low elasticity
    (C) No elasticity
    (D) Inelastic demand
    Answer: (A)
  8. Capital gains tax is imposed on –
    (A) Salary income
    (B) Profits from asset sales
    (C) Rental income
    (D) Dividends
    Answer: (B)
  9. Depreciation in national income accounting refers to –
    (A) Decline in currency value
    (B) Loss of capital value over time
    (C) Fall in exports
    (D) Tax loss
    Answer: (B)
  10. The poverty gap indicates –
    (A) Number of poor
    (B) Depth of poverty below the poverty line
    (C) Per capita income
    (D) Employment rate
    Answer: (B)
  11. A quasi-fiscal deficit arises due to –
    (A) State government spending
    (B) Central PSU losses
    (C) Off-budget subsidies by central banks or public entities
    (D) Trade imbalance
    Answer: (C)
  12. NAFTA is a –
    (A) Political alliance
    (B) Currency union
    (C) Trade agreement
    (D) Fiscal monitoring group
    Answer: (C)
  13. Price floor causes –
    (A) Shortages
    (B) Black markets
    (C) Surpluses
    (D) Equilibrium
    Answer: (C)
  14. Stagflation features –
    (A) High inflation and high growth
    (B) Low inflation and growth
    (C) High inflation and unemployment
    (D) High exports
    Answer: (C)
  15. Hotelling rule is applied in –
    (A) Renewable resources
    (B) Public finance
    (C) Non-renewable resource pricing
    (D) Welfare economics
    Answer: (C)
  16. Marginal rate of substitution (MRS) declines due to –
    (A) Constant opportunity cost
    (B) Law of diminishing marginal utility
    (C) Tax reform
    (D) Price effect
    Answer: (B)
  17. Bounded rationality suggests –
    (A) Perfect decisions always
    (B) Limited information leads to satisficing
    (C) Full foresight
    (D) Instant optimization
    Answer: (B)
  18. Securities Transaction Tax (STT) is levied on –
    (A) Bank deposits
    (B) Online shopping
    (C) Sale/purchase of securities
    (D) Real estate
    Answer: (C)
  19. Phillips Curve represents trade-off between –
    (A) GDP and growth
    (B) Unemployment and inflation
    (C) Interest and investment
    (D) Exports and imports
    Answer: (B)
  20. A currency depreciation leads to –
    (A) Cheaper imports
    (B) Costlier exports
    (C) Improved trade balance
    (D) Decrease in domestic production
    Answer: (C)
  21. Capital account in BoP includes –
    (A) Merchandise trade
    (B) Services
    (C) FDI, FII, loans
    (D) Remittances
    Answer: (C)
  22. Demographic dividend is –
    (A) High child population
    (B) Declining population
    (C) Rising working-age population
    (D) High dependency ratio
    Answer: (C)
  23. Normal goods have –
    (A) Negative income elasticity
    (B) Zero price elasticity
    (C) Positive income elasticity
    (D) Constant demand
    Answer: (C)
  24. Income method of GDP adds –
    (A) Expenditure
    (B) Output
    (C) Factor incomes like wages, rent, interest, profit
    (D) Subsidies
    Answer: (C)
  25. Giffen goods violate –
    (A) Law of demand
    (B) Law of supply
    (C) Law of marginal utility
    (D) Engel’s law
    Answer: (A)
  26. Value added in GDP is –
    (A) Output – intermediate consumption
    (B) Revenue – tax
    (C) Profit – depreciation
    (D) Sales + investment
    Answer: (A)
  27. Vicious cycle of poverty refers to –
    (A) High savings → high investment → poverty
    (B) Low income → low saving → low investment → low income
    (C) High income inequality
    (D) Government failure
    Answer: (B)
  28. Effective exchange rate is –
    (A) Spot rate
    (B) Arbitrary conversion
    (C) Weighted average of bilateral exchange rates
    (D) Real GDP
    Answer: (C)
  29. Equality vs. equity in economics implies –
    (A) Same treatment vs. fair outcomes
    (B) Equal income always
    (C) Minimum wage vs. living wage
    (D) Flat tax vs. progressive tax
    Answer: (A)
  30. Creative destruction is associated with –
    (A) Karl Marx
    (B) John Keynes
    (C) Joseph Schumpeter
    (D) Amartya Sen
    Answer: (C)
  31. Import substitution policy aims at –
    (A) Promoting foreign trade
    (B) Reducing dependence on imports
    (C) Boosting exports
    (D) Increasing FDI
    Answer: (B)
  32. Overvaluation of currency leads to –
    (A) Export competitiveness
    (B) Import increase, export fall
    (C) Improved balance of payments
    (D) Currency appreciation
    Answer: (B)
  33. Tariff escalation occurs when –
    (A) Export taxes exceed import duties
    (B) Duties increase with processing level
    (C) Quotas are applied
    (D) Import costs fall
    Answer: (B)
  34. Welfare economics studies –
    (A) Economic growth
    (B) Government spending
    (C) Efficiency and distribution of resources
    (D) National income only
    Answer: (C)
  35. Progressive tax system leads to –
    (A) Regressive redistribution
    (B) Equal tax across all incomes
    (C) Greater burden on higher incomes
    (D) Tax neutrality
    Answer: (C)
  36. Factor payments are paid for –
    (A) Transfer income
    (B) Contribution of land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship
    (C) Social schemes
    (D) Fiscal correction
    Answer: (B)
  37. Current account of BoP includes –
    (A) Direct investment
    (B) Loans
    (C) Trade in goods and services, remittances
    (D) FII
    Answer: (C)
  38. Base rate is set by –
    (A) RBI
    (B) Commercial banks
    (C) Ministry of Finance
    (D) SEBI
    Answer: (B)
  39. Digital divide is an issue of –
    (A) Technological infrastructure inequality
    (B) Taxation
    (C) Foreign trade
    (D) Consumer behavior
    Answer: (A)
  40. A pure public good is –
    (A) Rival and excludable
    (B) Non-rival and non-excludable
    (C) Private
    (D) Congestible
    Answer: (B)
  41. Transfer payments include –
    (A) Salaries
    (B) Interest
    (C) Pensions and scholarships
    (D) Exports
    Answer: (C)
  42. Subsidies are treated in national income accounting as –
    (A) Income
    (B) Negative taxes
    (C) Depreciation
    (D) Investment
    Answer: (B)
  43. IMF’s primary role is –
    (A) Facilitate trade
    (B) Lend to countries facing BoP problems
    (C) Regulate interest
    (D) Manage inflation
    Answer: (B)
  44. Disguised unemployment refers to –
    (A) More workers than required with zero marginal productivity
    (B) Open unemployment
    (C) Frictional unemployment
    (D) Educated unemployment
    Answer: (A)
  45. Phillips curve flattens due to –
    (A) High inflation
    (B) Anchored expectations
    (C) High GDP
    (D) Tight fiscal policy
    Answer: (B)
  46. Economic infrastructure includes –
    (A) Health, education
    (B) Transport, energy, communication
    (C) Politics
    (D) Media
    Answer: (B)
  47. Laffer curve shows relationship between –
    (A) Interest rate and inflation
    (B) Tax rate and tax revenue
    (C) Price and quantity
    (D) Saving and consumption
    Answer: (B)
  48. Frictional unemployment is –
    (A) Short-term during job search
    (B) Long-term structural
    (C) Due to low wages
    (D) Caused by inflation
    Answer: (A)
  49. Marginal cost is –
    (A) Cost of producing one additional unit
    (B) Total cost
    (C) Fixed cost
    (D) Average cost
    Answer: (A)
  50. Monetary policy transmission mechanism works through –
    (A) Taxation
    (B) Interest rates, liquidity, credit
    (C) Direct subsidies
    (D) Government expenditure
    Answer: (B)

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