📚 Learning Guide
Consumer Spending and Price Elasticity
easy

If the price of a necessity like bread increases and demand is inelastic, what is likely to happen to total consumer spending?

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Learning Path
Learning Path

Question & Answer
1
Understand Question
2
Review Options
3
Learn Explanation
4
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Choose the Best Answer

A

Total consumer spending will increase

B

Total consumer spending will decrease

C

Total consumer spending will remain unchanged

D

Total consumer spending will fluctuate unpredictably

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

When the price of a necessity like bread goes up and demand is inelastic, it means that people will still buy nearly the same amount of bread, even though it costs more. This is because bread is essential for many people, so they have to keep purchasing it despite the higher price. As a result, total consumer spending on bread will increase because the higher price leads to more money being spent overall, even if the quantity bought stays mostly the same. For example, if a loaf of bread goes from $2 to $3, and people still buy 10 loaves, their total spending rises from $20 to $30. This shows how inelastic demand can lead to increased spending when prices rise.

Detailed Explanation

When the price of something we need goes up, we still buy it. Other options are incorrect because Some might think that higher prices mean we buy less; It's easy to think that spending stays the same when prices change.

Key Concepts

Price Elasticity of Demand
Consumer Spending
Inelastic Demand
Topic

Consumer Spending and Price Elasticity

Difficulty

easy level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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