📚 Learning Guide
Absolute and Comparative Advantage
hard

In the context of international trade, which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of comparative advantage and its relationship with terms of trade and trade-offs?

Master this concept with our detailed explanation and step-by-step learning approach

Learning Path
Learning Path

Question & Answer
1
Understand Question
2
Review Options
3
Learn Explanation
4
Explore Topic

Choose the Best Answer

A

Country A specializes in producing wine and Country B specializes in producing cloth, and they trade based on their production efficiencies.

B

Country A can produce both wine and cloth but chooses to only produce cloth due to higher demand.

C

Country A has a larger population than Country B, thus it trades more regardless of production efficiency.

D

Country A decides to stop trading with Country B because they can produce all goods domestically.

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

Comparative advantage is when a country can produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another country. This means that even if one country is better at making everything (absolute advantage), it still benefits from specializing in what it can produce most efficiently. For example, if Country A can produce both wine and cheese but is much better at making wine, while Country B is not as good at making wine but can produce cheese more efficiently, they can trade. Country A should focus on wine, and Country B should focus on cheese, allowing both to enjoy more of both products than if they tried to make everything themselves. This relationship shows how countries can benefit from trading based on their strengths, leading to better terms of trade and fewer trade-offs.

Detailed Explanation

This example shows how two countries can benefit by focusing on what they do best. Other options are incorrect because This option suggests that producing only one good is always better; This choice confuses size with efficiency.

Key Concepts

Comparative advantage
Terms of trade
Trade-offs
Topic

Absolute and Comparative Advantage

Difficulty

hard level question

Cognitive Level

understand

Ready to Master More Topics?

Join thousands of students using Seekh's interactive learning platform to excel in their studies with personalized practice and detailed explanations.