📚 Learning Guide
Market Structures Overview
medium

In a competitive market, how does a shift in the demand curve to the right affect consumer surplus?

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Learning Path
Learning Path

Question & Answer
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Choose the Best Answer

A

Consumer surplus always decreases

B

Consumer surplus remains unchanged

C

Consumer surplus increases

D

Consumer surplus becomes negative

Understanding the Answer

Let's break down why this is correct

Answer

In a competitive market, when the demand curve shifts to the right, it means that more consumers want to buy a product at every price level. This increase in demand often leads to higher prices, as sellers respond to the greater interest. Consumer surplus is the difference between what consumers are willing to pay and what they actually pay. When the demand increases, some consumers may still buy the product at the old price, which gives them a larger consumer surplus. For example, if the price of a popular toy rises but more people are willing to buy it, those who still purchase it at the previous lower price enjoy a greater surplus, reflecting the extra benefit they receive from paying less than what they would be willing to pay.

Detailed Explanation

When demand increases, more people want to buy a product. Other options are incorrect because Some might think that consumer surplus always goes down when demand changes; It's a common mistake to think that changes in demand don't affect consumer surplus.

Key Concepts

Demand curve
Consumer surplus
Topic

Market Structures Overview

Difficulty

medium level question

Cognitive Level

understand

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