Assume that the marginal utility from good x is 10 units and the price of good x is $5 per unit....
Question:
Assume that the marginal utility from good x is 10 units and the price of good x is $5 per unit. The marginal utility from good y is 15 units and its unit price is $7. In this situation, a utility-maximizing consumer should:
a. consume more of good x.
b. consume only good y.
c. consume more of good y.
d. consume neither x nor y.
Utility
Utility is a term in consumer theory used to describe the satisfaction/benefit consumers obtain from consuming goods and services. The maximizing utility rule for a consumer is that the marginal utility per dollar spent on one good is equal to the marginal utility per dollar spent on the other good.
Answer and Explanation: 1
Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer! Create your account
View this answer
The answer is C: consume more of good y
A utility-maximizing consumer should allocate spending so that the marginal utility per last dollar spent...
See full answer below.
Ask a question
Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions.
Ask a question Ask a questionSearch Answers
Learn more about this topic:

from
Chapter 1 / Lesson 27Learn about utility theory. Study utility in economics, examine utility economics examples, and discover how utility affects the decisions customers make.
Related to this Question
- Suppose the marginal utility of good A is 4 utils, and its price is $2. The marginal utility of good B is 6 utils, and its price is $1. Is the individual consumer maximizing (total) utility if she spends a total of $3 by buying one unit of each good? If n
- The marginal utility of good A is 4 utils, and its price is $2. The marginal utility of good B is 6 utils, and its price is $1. Is the individual consumer maximizing (total) utility if she spends a total of $3 by buying one unit of each good? If not, how
- Suppose that marginal utility of Good X = 100, the price of X is $10 per unit, and the price of Y is $5 per unit. Assuming that the consumer is in equilibrium and is consuming both X and Y, what must the marginal utility of Y be?
- Suppose that marginal utility of Good X = 100, the price of X is $10 per unit, and the price of Y is $5 per unit. Assuming that the consumer's in equilibrium and is consuming both X and Y, what must the marginal utility of Y be?
- The marginal utility of good A is 4 utils and its price is $2. The marginal utility of good B is 6 utils and its price is $1. Is the individual consumer maximizing (total) utility if she spends a total of $3 by buying one unit of each good? If not, how ca
- Assume the marginal utility of good A is 4 utils and its price is $2 and that the marginal utility of good B is 6 utils and its price is $1. Complete the sentences to describe how the consumer should maximize her utility. The individual consumer [{Blank
- Suppose that a consumer is currently spending all of her income on 10 units of good A and 5 units of good B. The price of good A is $4 per unit, the price of good B is $10 per unit, the marginal utility of the last unit of good A consumed is 20, and the m
- Suppose that the marginal utility of Good X = 100, the price of X is $10 per unit, and the price of Y is $5. Assuming that the consumer is in equilibrium and is consuming both X and Y, what must the marginal utility of Y be?
- Imagine that two goods make you happy: Good A and good B. The marginal utility of good A is 10 at a price of $2 per unit and the marginal utility of good B is 5 at a price of $1 per unit. To satisfy the optimal consumption rule, you would want twice as ma
- Suppose the marginal utility of a unit of good x = MUx, the marginal utility of a unit of good y = MUy, Px = the price of a unit of good x, and Py = the price of a unit of a good y. If MUx/Px greater than MUy/Py, the consumer should maintain his or her c
- A consumer with an income of $240 is spending it all on 12 units of good X and 18 units of good Y. The price of X is $5 and the price of Y is $10. The marginal utility of the last X is 20 and the marginal utility of the last Y is $30. What should the cons
- Suppose the weighted marginal utility for two goods, X and Y at a position of consumer equilibrium is 70. if the price of good X is R 10 and the relevant marginal utility for Y is 140, what is the price of good Y and the relevant marginal utility for good
- The price of good X is $1.50 and that of good Y is $1. If a particular consumer's marginal utility for Y is 30, and he is currently maximizing his total utility, then what must be his marginal utility of X?
- If the marginal utility of good A is 15 and its price is $3, and the marginal utility of good B is 12 and its price is $4, then the consumer: a. has achieved a consumer optimum. b. should increase his or her consumption of good A. c. should increase his o
- The price of good A is $1, the price of good B is $2. The marginal utility you get from good A is 40; the marginal utility you get from good B is 60. You should: a. Keep consuming equal amounts of both goods. b. Consume more of good A and less of good B
- Suppose that the marginal utility of good A is 4 times the marginal utility of good B, but the price of good A is only 2 times the price of good B. Is this point consumer equilibrium? If not, what will occur?
- If the price of a good falls, then in the new consumer equilibrium: a. the marginal utility from consuming the good will be higher than before. b. the quantity of the good consumed decreases. c. the marginal utility from substitutes will be lower than bef
- Suppose that the total utility from consuming one unit of good X is 54 utils, the total utility of two units of good X is 74 utils, and the total utility of three units of good X is 84 utils. The marginal utility of the third unit is: a. 70.67 utils. b. 1
- For a consumer to maximize utility from a given income,: a) the marginal utility from each good must be maximized. b) the total utility from each good must be maximized. c) the marginal utilities of all goods and services consumed must be equal. d) the ma
- If the marginal utilities from two goods are not equal, then the consumer A) cannot be in equilibrium. B) should increase consumption of the good with the lower marginal utility. C) should decrease consumption of the good with the lower marginal utilit
- Suppose the marginal utility of good A is 20, its price is $4, and the marginal utility of good B is 50, and its price is $5. The individual to whom this information applies is spending $20 on each good. Is he or she maximizing satisfaction? If not, what
- The utility-maximizing rule is to choose the basket of goods that: A. has the highest marginal utility of each good in the basket. B. has the lowest prices for the goods. C. has the highest value of marginal utility to price for each good. D. the marginal
- Suppose that Fiona spends all of her income on 10 units of good X and 14 units of good Y. Fiona's marginal utility from the 10th unit of good X is 24 utils, and her marginal utility from the 14th unit of good Y is 20 utils. If the price of good X is $8 pe
- From a consumers utility function, the marginal utility of each good may be determined. Marginal utility refers to the: A.change in total utility from consuming each additional unit of a good B.tota
- The amount of added utility that a consumer gains from consumption of one more unit of a good is called a. incremental utility. b. total utility. c. diminishing utility. d. marginal utility.
- The amount of added utility that a consumer gains from the consumption of one more unit of a good is called a. incremental utility. b. total utility. c. diminishing utility. d. marginal utility.
- 1. Assume your marginal rate of substitution between goods 1 and 2 is =1. If your consumption choice is optimal, (a) the price of good 1 must exceed the price of good 2. (b) the price of good 2 must
- A consumer with a given income will maximize utility when each good is purchased in amounts such that the: (a) total utility is the same for each good. (b) marginal utility of each good is maximized. (c) marginal utility per dollar spent is the same for
- The marginal cost of the last unit that is traded is equal to (a) The average value of a unit of the good. (b) The price of a unit of the good. (c) The average expenditure of a unit of the good. (d) The average cost of a unit of the good. (e) The margina
- Marginal utility is the, a) utility obtained from the consumption of all but the last unit of a good. b) relative value of two goods when a utility-maximizing decision has been made. c) change in t
- If a consumer buys a good, the expected: A. total utility derived from the consumption of the good is less than its price B. marginal utility of per dollar spent on the good equals its price C. mar
- The law of diminishing marginal utility states that: a. the marginal utility of all products consumed must be equal. b. as more of a good or service is consumed, the marginal utility derived from it
- Marginal utility is measured as A) utility per unit of production. B) extra output divided by extra utility. C) output of a good or service divided by price. D) extra utility from each additional good
- Assume that a consumer derives more utility by spending an additional dollar on Good A rather than on Good B. We can assume that: A. the price of Good A is less than the price of Good B. B. the marginal utility per dollar spent on Good A is equal to the m
- Total utility is maximized in the consumption of two goods by equating the a. prices of both goods for the last dollar spent on each good. b. marginal utilities of both goods for the last dollar spent on each good. c. ratios of marginal utility to the
- When deciding consumption levels of more than one good, the utility-maximizing rule states that you are maximizing utility when: a) the ratio of marginal utility to price of two goods is zero b) the marginal utility of two goods are equal c) the ratio of
- Law of equi-marginal utility says that A. marginal utility should be same from all goods. B. marginal utilities should be equal to the price ratio. C. marginal rate of substitution should be equal to the price ratio. D. marginal utility of the last dollar
- A utility-maximizing consumer would never purchase a good if the a. MU/P were positive. b. marginal utility were positive. c. marginal utility were negative. d. None of the above answers are correct.
- A utility maximizing person has a utility function such that their marginal rate of substitution equals the amount of good Y they consume divided by the amount of good X that they consume (i.e. MRS = Y/X). If the prices of goods X and Y are the same, then
- Total utility is maximized in the consumption of two goods by equating the: a. prices of both goods for the last dollar spent on each good. b. marginal utilities of both goods for the last dollar spent on each good. c. ratios of marginal utility to the pr
- To determine consumer equilibrium we need to know only: A) total utility and income. B) prices and marginal utility. C) prices, income, and marginal utility. D) marginal utility and income. E) prices and income.
- A. Define marginal utility, average utility, and total utility. B. What is the law of diminishing marginal utility? How is it related to consumer choice?
- The law of diminishing marginal utility implies that the: a. marginal utility of a good diminishes over time. b. first unit of a good consumed will contribute most to the consumer's satisfaction. c. last unit of a good consumed will contribute most to the
- The change in total utility resulting from a unit change in the consumption of a good or services is called: Marginal utility Marginal value utility Diminishing marginal utility Absolute utility
- The value of a good relates to: A) total utility, while price relates to consumer surplus. B) consumer surplus, while price relates to total utility. C) marginal utility, while price relates to consumer surplus. D) marginal utility, while price relate
- Suppose that the utility function is u(x, y) = Ax + By where A and B are constants. Also suppose that the marginal utility of x is 10 and the marginal utility of y is 20. Further suppose that the price of x is $20 and the price of y is $25 per unit. Suppo
- Suppose you are consuming a particular good, and you could somehow give back the last unit you consumed. What would happen to total and marginal utility (assuming that the marginal utility of the unit given back is positive)?
- If a consumer's budget constraint has a slope that is less than -1: a) the consumer gets more utility from good X than from good Y. b) the price of good X is less than the price of good Y. c) the consumer gets less utility from good X than from good Y. d)
- In a two-good model, total utility is maximized when: a. the marginal utilities per dollar spent on each good are equal. b. the total utilities per dollar spent on each good are equal. c. the marginal utilities per dollar spent on each good are maximized.
- The Total utility from consuming 8 units of a good is 155. The marginal utility of the 8th unit is 7 and the marginal utility of the 7th unit is 11. The total utility from consuming 6 units of the good is Blank.
- Consumers should allocate their scarce income so that: A) the marginal utility for all goods consumed is zero. B) the marginal utility for all goods consumed is equal. C) the marginal utility divided by price is equal for all goods consumed. D) the ma
- In microeconomics the term utility references the: i. Relative scarcity of good service. ii. Usefulness of a good or service. iii. Satisfaction is derived from the consumption of a good or service. iv. Slope of a consumer's demand curve for a good servic
- A consumer has an income of $300. Good X costs $10 per unit and good Y costs $20 per unit. Suppose the price of good X increases to $15 per unit and the price of good Y decreases to $15 per unit. Which of the following statement is true? A. The slope of
- In economics, the term marginal utility is defined as the: a. change in total satisfaction caused by the consumption of an additional unit of the good. b. average utility of each unit of a good consumed. c. inverse of the measure of total utility. d.
- Rational consumers will continue to consume two goods until a. the marginal utility per dollar's worth of the two goods is same. b. the marginal utility is the same for each good. c. the prices of the two goods are equal. d. the prices of the two good
- Suppose we have the utility function U(x, y) = x^{0.1}y^{0.9}. A. What is the marginal utility of x? What is the marginal utility of y? What is the marginal rate of substitution? B. Suppose you have $200 to spend, the price of x s $1 and the price of y is
- For the following utility function, * Find the marginal utility of each good. * Determine whether the marginal utility decreases as consumption of each good increases (i.e., does the utility function
- Suppose the marginal utility of a Coke is 15 utils and its price is $1. The marginal utility of a pizza is 20 utils, and its price is $2. If you buy 1 unit of each good, will you achieve consumer equilibrium? If not, how can greater total utility be obtai
- If a competitive firm's marginal profit is positive at an output of 1000 units: a. at 1000 units, Marginal revenue MC b. it will not produce 1000 units c. at 1000 units, marginal price derivative
- If utility-maximizing consumers face identical prices, they will have identical ________. (a) marginal utilities for each good (b) the ratio of marginal utilities for each good (c) preferences (d) ratios of total utilities for each good (e) total utilitie
- Economists are able to determine total utility by: a) multiplying the marginal utility of the last unit consumed by the unit price. b) summing up the marginal utilities of each unit consumed. c) multiplying the marginal utility of the last unit consumed b
- The marginal utility associated with the additional consumption of X is given by the partial derivatives of the utility function with respect to good X. How is this related to optimization of utility in business economics?
- Assume that Mr. Ken Cleanairsystems has marginal utility schedules for good X and Y as given below, that the price of X is $1 and the price of Y is $2. Mr. Cleanairsystems has an income of $9. When total utility is being maximized, Mr. Cleanairsystems wil
- Complete the following table. ||Units Consumed of Good A||Total Utility (TU)||Marginal Utility (MU) |1|20| |2|35| |3|45| |4|50| |5|50| |6|45| |7|35| a) What is the Marginal Utility by consuming 3 units of Good A? b) At what level of consumption Marginal U
- 1. A consumer's spending is restricted because of? A) marginal utility. B) total utility. C) a budget constraint. D) utility maximization. 2. Utility is maximized in the consumption of two goods by equating the? A) marginal utility of one good to the pric
- If the value of the marginal product of a worker is $20 and the market price of the good she produces is $5, her marginal product is: a. 10 units, b. 25 units, c. 4 units, d. 100 units.
- Can we conclude that people will consume goods until the marginal utility of each good is zero? a. Yes, because at that point total utility is maximum. b. Yes, because at that point marginal utility is minimum. c. No, because consumption is determined by
- Rational consumers will continue to consume two goods until a. the marginal utility per dollar s worth of the two goods is the same. b. the marginal utility is the same for each good. c. the prices of the two goods are equal. d. the prices of the two good
- A consumer buys only two goods, __X__ and __Y__. a. If the __MRS__ between __X__ and __Y__ is 4 and the marginal utility of __X__ is 20, what is the marginal utility of __Y__? b. If the __MRS__ between __X__ and __Y__ is 3 and the marginal utility of Y i
- Consider two goods, A and B, that have diminishing marginal utility and are bought and sold in a market with per-unit prices, p_A = 3 and p_B = 2, respectively. You currently own enough of A and B so that your marginal rate of substitution (MRS) \Delta B/
- Suppose the marginal cost to produce a good is $10. There is only one person who is willing to purchase the good, and she is willing to pay $90 each for two units, and $30 for the third unit. Accordin
- The production or consumption of an economic good that generates a negative externality results in: A. underproduction of the good and a price that is lower than marginal social cost. B. overproduction of the good and a price that is lower than marginal s
- An indifference curve has a negative slope because movement along the curve requires the consumer to give up the: a. marginal utility of one good. b. total utility of one good. c. marginal substitution value (MSV). d. marginal transitivity of one good.
- An indifference curve has a negative slope because movement along the curve requires the consumer to give up the: a. marginal utility of one good. b. total utility of one good. c. marginal substitution value. d. marginal transitivity of one good.
- The law of diminishing marginal utility (LODMU) states that: a. as more and more of a good is consumed, beyond a point marginal utility will increase at a decreasing rate b. the quantity of a good d
- A utility-maximizing consumer will: a. consume more of a good only if its price rises b. stop consuming any good whose price rises c. consume each good until its marginal utility is zero d. consum
- Consider the following information for a consumer who is trying to allocate her income between goods X and Y so as to maximize utility. The price of X is $2 and the price of Y is $1 per unit. When all income is spent, the marginal utility of the last unit
- Suppose that the price of X is twice the price of Y. Mr. Cleary is a utility maximizer who allocates his budget between the two goods. a. What must be true about the equilibrium relationship between the marginal utility levels of the last unit consumed o
- The budget allocation rule states that: a) The marginal utility of x equals the marginal utility of y at maximum utility. b) The marginal utility of x divided by its price be equal to marginal utility of all other goods divided by their prices. c) The mar
- According to the principle of diminishing marginal utility: A. marginal utility stays the same. B. total utility stays the same. C. marginal utility decreases with each additional unit of a good that is consumed. D. marginal utility and total utility both
- A rational consumer will never purchase a product when its: a. marginal utility is decreasing. b. total utility is decreasing. c. marginal utility is slightly positive. d. marginal utility is negative.
- Economic efficiency is defined as a market outcome in which the marginal benefit to consumers of the last unit produced is equal to the marginal cost of production, and in which: a. the sum of consumer surplus and producer surplus is at a maximum. b. econ
- Explain why a rational consumer who had diminishing marginal utility for a good would not consume an additional unit when it generates negative marginal utility, even when that unit is free. Include a detailed example in your explanation.
- The marginal utility for the third unit of X is 60 utils, and the marginal utility for the fourth unit of X is 45 utils. If the law of diminishing marginal utility holds, what is the minimum total utility of X?
- 1) The rate at which a consumer will exchange one good for another is called: a) Marginal utility. b) The marginal rate of transformation. c) The rate of sustainability. d) The marginal rate of
- The marginal revenue curve of a monopoly crosses its marginal cost curve at $30 per unit and an output of 2 million units. The price that consumers are willing and able to pay for this output is $40 per unit. If it produces this output, the firm's average
- If the marginal utility per dollar is not the same for each good, the consumer could _____ her utility by spending _____ on goods for which the marginal utility per dollar is higher. A) increase; more B) increase; less C) decrease; more D) minimize; m
- The marginal benefit of a good A) is the additional cost to a consumer of consuming another unit of the good. B) equals the maximum willingness to pay for another unit of the good. C) increases with increased consumption of the good. D) is the benefit
- Consider the marginal benefits (MB) of 3 consumers of the public good sprockets (G): MB_1=50-G MB_2=110-G MB_3=150-G The marginal cost of G is $190 a. What is the optimal level of the provision
- Suppose a consumer has a utility function for two goods, X and Y, given by U(X, Y) = 2X + 3Y. The consumer has $30 to spend and the prices of good X and good Y are P_X = $2 and P_Y = $5, respectively. Draw the consumer's budget constraint and indicate the
- 1. How do rational consumers maximize utility by comparing the marginal utility-to-price ratios of all the products they could possibly purchase? 2. What is the relationship between total utility, marginal utility, and the law of diminishing marginal util
- Marginal utility refers to the: a. change in total utility from consuming each additional unit of a good b. total utility from consuming a bundle of goods divided by the quantity of units consumed
- For utility maximization, consumers will purchase different consumption bundles until their marginal utility per dollar is equal. For example, when the marginal utility of beef is 10 at a price of $5 per pound and the marginal utility of chicken is 8 at a
- If the price of good X rises, then the resulting decrease in the consumer's quantity demanded will the consumer's total utility from consuming X and the consumer's marginal utility from that last unit of X consumed.
- Monica consumes only goods A and B. Her marginal utility from good A is 1/Qa and her marginal utility from good B is 1/Qb. If the price of A is $1, the price of B is $8, and that Monica's income is $240, how much of good A will she purchase? A) 12 B) 24 C
- Suppose you have a utility function u(x1, x2) = x1^(1/2)x2^(1/2). The prices for good 1 and good 2 are p1 and p2, and the consumer's income is m. The prices per unit for the two goods are p1 = p2 = $2, and the consumer's income is m = $100. a. Calculate t
- Marginal cost pricing is a system of pricing in which the price charged equals the marginal cost of: a. the profit-maximization unit. b. the first unit produced. c. the last unit produced. d. each unit produced.
- Suppose a consumer spends $100 of income on two goods: buying 4 units of good X (priced at $10) and 3 units of good Y (priced at $20). Both are substitute goods. a. Using indifference curves and budg
- Suppose a profit-maximizing monopolist is producing 800 units of output and is charging a price of $70 per unit. If the marginal cost of the last unit produced is 50, what will be the elasticity of demand for the product?
- Suppose that, at the current market price of $10, consumers demand 200 units of output. A perfectly competitive firm is currently producing 20 units of output, and at that point, marginal revenue is equal to marginal cost. Given this, the firm (will or wi