Econ 152
Spring 2000
Sample Exam 3 Questions
 

____ 1. "Discretionary" fiscal policy is so named because it:
    A. is undertaken at the option of the nation’s central bank.
    B. involves specific changes in taxes and government spending expressly for stabilization purposes at the option of Congress.
    C. occurs automatically as the nation’s level of GDP changes.
    D. is invoked secretly by the Council of Economic Advisors.

____ 2. Which of the following best describes non-discretionary fiscal policy as it functions in the US?
    A. Personal and corporate income tax collection rise automatically as GDP rises.
    B. Congressional decisions to alter current levels of taxes and government spending.
    C. The size of the balanced budget multiplier varies inversely with the level of GDP.
    D. Personal and corporate income tax collections fall automatically as GDP rises.

____ 3. If AD intersects the AS curve in the AS curve’s intermediate range, an increase in AD will cause:
    A. lower prices and higher unemployment.
    B. a higher price level and higher unemployment.
    C. higher prices and no change in employment.
    D. a higher price level and lower unemployment.

____ 4. The "crowding out effect" suggests that:
    A. it is very difficult to have excessive aggregate spending in our economy.
    B. consumer and investment spending always vary inversely.
    C. tax increases are paid primarily out of savings and therefore are not an effective fiscal policy.
    D. increases in government spending financed through borrowing will increase the interest rate and thereby reduce investment.

____ 5. The goldsmith’s ability to create money was based on the fact that:
            A. the goldsmith was required to keep 100 percent gold reserves.
            B. paper money was rarely redeemed for gold.
            C. withdraws of gold tended to exceed deposits of gold in any given time period.
            D. consumers and merchants preferred to use gold for transactions, rather than paper money.

____ 6. In the US economy the money supply is controlled by the:
            A. President.
            B. US Treasury.
            C. Federal Reserve System.
            D. Senate Committee on Banking and Finance.
            E. Congress.
            F. Bill Gates.

____ 7. The reserve ratio refers to the ratio of a bank’s:
            A. demand deposits to its total liabilities.
            B. required reserves to its total demand deposits.
            C. required reserves to its liabilities and net worth.
            D. capital stock to its total assets

____ 8. The discount rate is the interest:
            A. rate at which the central banks lend to the US Treasury.
            B. rate at which commercial banks lend to the public.
            C. rate at which the Federal Reserve Banks lend to commercial banks.
            D. yield on long-term government bonds.

____ 9. Monetary policy:
            A. is less politically acceptable than is fiscal policy.
            B. will be weakened if the velocity of money changes in the opposite direction as the money supply.
            C. will be weakened if the velocity of money changes in the same direction as the money supply.
            D. is designed primarily to alter the velocity of money.

____ 10. An easy money policy may be less effective than a tight money policy because:
            A. commercial banks may not be able to find loan customers.
            B. the Federal Reserve Banks are always willing to make loans to commercial banks which are short of reserves.
            C. fiscal policy always works at cross purposes with an easy money policy.
            D. the circularity or feedback problem complicates an easy money policy more than it does a tight money policy.

____ 11. Which of the following is correct?
            A. An easy money policy will cause the dollar to appreciate and will increase American net exports.
            B. An easy money policy will cause the dollar to appreciate and will decrease American net exports.
            C. An easy money policy will cause the dollar to depreciate and will increase American net exports.
            D. An easy money policy will cause the dollar to depreciate and will decrease American net exports.
 
 

Answers:  1.B     2.A     3.D     4.D   5. B    6. C    7. B    8. C    9. B    10. A    11. C

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