📚 Learning Guide
Absolute and Comparative Advantage
hard

Country A can produce either 50 units of wine or 100 units of cloth using the same resources, while Country B can produce 30 units of wine or 60 units of cloth. If both countries decide to specialize according to their comparative advantages, which scenario best illustrates the potential benefits of trade between them?

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Choose the Best Answer

A

Country A focuses on wine and Country B on cloth; both trade to acquire the goods they lack, leading to increased overall production.

B

Country A produces only wine and Country B produces only cloth, resulting in both countries being unable to meet their own needs.

C

Both countries produce wine and cloth equally without trade, maximizing their individual outputs.

D

Country A produces cloth while Country B focuses on wine, despite neither having a comparative advantage.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

To understand the benefits of trade between Country A and Country B, we first look at what each country can produce more efficiently. Country A has an absolute advantage in both wine and cloth since it can produce more of each than Country B. However, to find comparative advantage, we compare their opportunity costs. Country A gives up 1 unit of wine to produce 2 units of cloth, while Country B gives up 1 unit of wine to produce 2 units of cloth as well. This means Country A should specialize in cloth, while Country B should focus on wine, allowing them to trade and enjoy more of both goods than they could produce alone.

Detailed Explanation

When Country A makes wine and Country B makes cloth, they can trade. Other options are incorrect because This option suggests that both countries can't meet their needs; Here, both countries make the same things.

Key Concepts

Absolute Advantage
Comparative Advantage
Opportunity Cost
Topic

Absolute and Comparative Advantage

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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