How often Consumer behaviour and utility is asked

Where it was asked

What costs marks here

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The questions

  1. Oct/Nov 2017, QB.172 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B of the ECS1501 October/November 2017 examination, consisting of 35 compulsory multiple-choice items, each worth 2 marks (70 marks in total, 84 minutes allowed). For each item, select the correct option from those listed. Which of the following words is a synonym for 'utility' as used in economics?

  2. Oct/Nov 2017, QB.182 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B of the ECS1501 October/November 2017 examination, consisting of 35 compulsory multiple-choice items, each worth 2 marks (70 marks in total, 84 minutes allowed). For each item, select the correct option from those listed. A table records units consumed of cold drinks and burgers alongside their total utility, marginal utility and weighted marginal utility. For cold drinks: at 0 units, total utility is 0; at 1 unit, total utility is 200 (marginal utility 200, weighted marginal utility 20); at 2 units, total utility is 380 (marginal utility 180, weighted marginal utility 18); at 3 units, total utility is 430 (marginal utility 50, weighted marginal utility 5); at 4 units, total utility is 380 (marginal utility -50, weighted marginal utility -5). For burgers: at 0 units, total utility is 0; at 1 unit, total utility is 1 375 (marginal utility 1 375, weighted marginal utility 55); at 2 units, total utility is 1 875 (marginal utility 500, weighted marginal utility 20); at 3 units, total utility is 2 325 (marginal utility 450, weighted marginal utility 18); at 4 units, total utility is 2 450 (marginal utility 125, weighted marginal utility 5). Based on this table, at which unit of consumption does the law of diminishing marginal utility for cold drinks set in?

  3. Oct/Nov 2017, QB.192 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B of the ECS1501 October/November 2017 examination, consisting of 35 compulsory multiple-choice items, each worth 2 marks (70 marks in total, 84 minutes allowed). For each item, select the correct option from those listed. Using the same utility table for cold drinks and burgers, if a cold drink costs R10 and a burger costs R25, and Lindiwe has a total budget of R95, which of the following combinations of goods will she NOT be able to afford: 1 cold drink and 3 burgers; 2 cold drinks and 3 burgers; 3 cold drinks and 4 burgers; or 4 cold drinks and 2 burgers?

  4. Oct/Nov 2017, QB.202 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B of the ECS1501 October/November 2017 examination, consisting of 35 compulsory multiple-choice items, each worth 2 marks (70 marks in total, 84 minutes allowed). For each item, select the correct option from those listed. Given Lindiwe's budget of R95 (with a cold drink costing R10 and a burger costing R25) and the weighted marginal utility figures from the same table, which combination of cold drinks and burgers will maximise her total utility?

  5. May/Jun 2017, QB172 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B, the compulsory multiple-choice component of the ECS1501 May/June 2017 exam, consisting of 35 items worth 70 marks in total (2 marks each, since the paper does not print individual marks per item but states the section is compulsory). What is the difference between cardinal utility and ordinal utility?

  6. May/Jun 2017, QB182 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B, the compulsory multiple-choice component of the ECS1501 May/June 2017 exam, consisting of 35 items worth 70 marks in total (2 marks each, since the paper does not print individual marks per item but states the section is compulsory). Moses enjoys steak and beer, and a table records the utility he gets from consuming up to 5 units of each. For steak, total utility at 0 to 5 units is 0, 100, 170, 200, 195, 175, giving marginal utilities of 100, 70, 30, -5 and -20 for units 1 to 5 (with weighted marginal utilities of 2, 1.4, 0.6, -0.1 and -0.4). For beer, total utility at 0 to 5 units is 0, 105, 195, 240, 261, 261, giving marginal utilities of 105, 90, 45, 21 and 0 for units 1 to 5 (with weighted marginal utilities of 7, 6, 3, 1.4 and 0). At which beer does the law of diminishing marginal utility for beers set in?

  7. May/Jun 2017, QB192 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B, the compulsory multiple-choice component of the ECS1501 May/June 2017 exam, consisting of 35 items worth 70 marks in total (2 marks each, since the paper does not print individual marks per item but states the section is compulsory). Using Moses's steak and beer utility table (steak total utility 0,100,170,200,195,175 for 0-5 units with marginal utilities 100,70,30,-5,-20 and weighted marginal utilities 2,1.4,0.6,-0.1,-0.4; beer total utility 0,105,195,240,261,261 for 0-5 units with marginal utilities 105,90,45,21,0 and weighted marginal utilities 7,6,3,1.4,0), what must the price of a beer and the price of a steak be, respectively, for Moses to be maximising his utility according to the weighted marginal utility figures given?

  8. May/Jun 2017, QB202 marks · multiple choice

    This is Section B, the compulsory multiple-choice component of the ECS1501 May/June 2017 exam, consisting of 35 items worth 70 marks in total (2 marks each, since the paper does not print individual marks per item but states the section is compulsory). Using the same steak and beer utility table for Moses, which combination of steak and beer would maximise his total utility if he has a budget of R160 to spend on beer and steak?

  9. May/Jun 2016, Q321.43 marks · multiple choice

    Complete the statement: marginal utility is ___.

  10. May/Jun 2016, Q331.43 marks · multiple choice

    Complete the statement: cardinal utility means ___.

  11. May/Jun 2016, Q341.43 marks · multiple choice

    Identify which one of the following is a feature of utility.

  12. May/Jun 2016, Q351.43 marks · multiple choice

    Complete the statement: the total utility gained from consuming additional units of a good will increase if ___.

  13. May/Jun 2016, Q361.43 marks · multiple choice

    Consider the following statements: (i) the more units a consumer consumes consecutively of a product, the greater the marginal utility; (ii) the more units a consumer consumes consecutively of a product, the smaller the total utility; (iii) when the marginal utility becomes negative, it is called disutility. Which one of the following combinations is correct?

  14. May/Jun 2016, Q371.43 marks · multiple choice

    Complete the statement: a consumer is in equilibrium when ___.

  15. May/Jun 2016, Q381.43 marks · multiple choice

    Suppose John has R100 available to spend on apples, bananas and oranges, and each of these products costs R10 per kilogram. The total utility (in utils) for consuming 1 to 5 kg of each fruit is as follows: apples give 120, 188, 226, 256 and 280 utils for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 kg respectively; bananas give 64, 94, 119, 134 and 144 utils for the same quantities; oranges give 100, 144, 180, 210 and 234 utils for the same quantities. If John spends the full R100 on these three products, he will be in equilibrium if he buys ___.

  16. May/Jun 2016, Q391.43 marks · multiple choice

    Using the same total-utility data for apples, bananas and oranges given for John (who has R100 to spend at R10 per kilogram on each fruit), what will John's total utility be at equilibrium?

  17. May/Jun 2016, Q401.43 marks · multiple choice

    Sipho consumes two goods, A and B. Let PA and PB represent their prices, MUA and MUB their marginal utilities, and TUA and TUB their total utilities. Under what condition will Sipho achieve consumer equilibrium?

  18. May/Jun 2016, Q411.43 marks · multiple choice

    Referring to a table where quantity consumed (1 to 5 units) yields a total utility of 5, 16, 40, 60 and 65 utils respectively, at what quantity consumed will diminishing marginal utility begin?

  19. May/Jun 2015, Q331.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. Determine what economists understand utility from consuming a good to mean.

  20. May/Jun 2015, Q341.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. If marginal utility is positive with increasing consumption of a certain product, determine what will happen to total utility.

  21. May/Jun 2015, Q351.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. Consider three statements: (a) an increase in the consumption of a good will always increase both the total utility and marginal utility; (b) an increase in the consumption of a good will usually decrease the marginal utility and increase the total utility; (c) when the marginal utility becomes negative, the total utility will decrease. Determine which combination of these statements is/are correct.

  22. May/Jun 2015, Q361.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. A table shows Maria Botha's total utility (TU) and marginal utility (MU) from consuming bananas and apples. For bananas: at 1 unit, TU=24, MU=24; at 2 units, TU=40, MU=16; at 3 units, TU=52, MU=12; at 4 units, TU=58, MU=6; at 5 units, TU=62, MU=4. For apples: at 1 unit, TU=16, MU=16; at 2 units, TU=29, MU=13; at 3 units, TU=41, MU=12; at 4 units, TU=49, MU=8; at 5 units, TU=54, MU=5. The price of bananas is R2 per unit and the price of apples is R1 per unit. Maria has R8 available to spend. If Maria Botha spends her total income of R8, determine which statement about her consumer equilibrium is correct.

  23. May/Jun 2015, Q371.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. Using the same table of Maria Botha's total utility (TU) and marginal utility (MU) for bananas (price R2 per unit) and apples (price R1 per unit), with Maria having R8 to spend, consider three statements: (a) weighted marginal utility of bananas is determined when the marginal utility per banana is divided by the price of bananas; (b) at a combination of 5 bananas and 5 apples, Maria cannot be in equilibrium because she needs R15 to buy this combination; (c) at equilibrium the total utility of Maria is 93 utils. Determine which combination of these statements is/are correct.

  24. May/Jun 2015, Q381.4286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the ECS1501 (Economics IA) May/June 2015 examination, a closed-book, multiple-choice paper lasting 2 hours and worth 100 marks in total. It contains 70 questions that must all be answered on a mark-reading sheet using unique number 492522. The paper states each question carries 1,4 marks, though 70 Ă— 1,4 = 98, not 100; the exact weighting must therefore be 100/70 â‰Ë†1,4286 marks per question to reach the stated total of 100 - a minor internal inconsistency in the printed paper. A table represents a consumer's equilibrium position across four goods: good A has a price of R12 and a weighted marginal utility of 4; good B has a price of R8 and a weighted marginal utility of 4; good C has a price of R10 and a weighted marginal utility of 4; good D has a price of R6 and a weighted marginal utility of 4. Determine which one of the following statements is correct.

  25. Oct/Nov 2014, Q321.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. What do economists understand 'utility' from consuming a good to mean?

  26. Oct/Nov 2014, Q331.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. What does the assumption of completeness mean, in consumer theory?

  27. Oct/Nov 2014, Q341.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Why are indifference curves convex to the origin?

  28. Oct/Nov 2014, Q351.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Which of the following statements about indifference curves is true?

  29. Oct/Nov 2014, Q361.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Which of the following statements about budget lines and consumer income/consumption is true?

  30. Oct/Nov 2014, Q371.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Refer to a diagram plotting hamburgers on the vertical axis (P) and chips on the horizontal axis, showing two budget lines starting from the same point on the vertical axis: budget line AB (steeper, meeting the horizontal axis at point B) and budget line AC (flatter, meeting the horizontal axis further out at point C). If the budget line pivots from AB to AC, what does this indicate?

  31. Oct/Nov 2014, Q381.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Refer to a diagram with quantity of bread (loaves) on the vertical axis (0 to 6) and quantity of meat (portions) on the horizontal axis (0 to 5), showing three indifference curves U1, U2 and U3 (with U3 furthest from the origin) and a budget line running from point QB (about 6 loaves of bread on the vertical axis) to point QM (about 4 portions of meat on the horizontal axis), tangent to indifference curve U2 at point B, corresponding to 3 loaves of bread and 2 portions of meat. Which of the following statements are NOT true?

  32. Oct/Nov 2014, Q391.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Referring to the same bread-and-meat indifference-curve diagram described above (curves U1, U2, U3; budget line QBQM; equilibrium at point B with 3 loaves of bread and 2 portions of meat), which of the following statements are true?

  33. Oct/Nov 2014, Q401.4285714285714286 marks · multiple choice

    This is the multiple-choice section of the ECS1501 (Economics 1A) October/November 2014 examination, a closed-book, 2-hour paper worth 100 marks in total, for which a non-programmable pocket calculator may be used. The paper consists of 70 multiple-choice questions numbered 1 to 70 that must all be answered on the supplied mark-reading sheet using unique number 495584. The paper states that each question is worth 1,4 marks so that the 70 questions together make up the stated 100 marks (note: 70 × 1,4 = 98, not exactly 100, which appears to be a rounding inconsistency in the original paper). Below, each of the 70 individual multiple-choice items is reproduced, covering topics from basic economic concepts, demand and supply, elasticity, consumer theory, production and costs, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition) and labour markets. Still referring to the same bread-and-meat indifference-curve diagram (equilibrium point B at 3 loaves of bread and 2 portions of meat), which of the following statements are NOT true?

The full Spot Map and the marks by year.