A risk averse individual prefers

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Microeconomics, 8e (Pindyck/Rubinfeld)

Chapter 5 Uncertainty and Consumer Behavior

5.1 Describing Risk

Scenario 5.1:

Aline and Sarah decide to go into business together as economic consultants. Aline believes they have a 50-50 chance of earning $200,000 a year, and that if they don’t, they’ll earn $0. Sarah believes they have a 75% chance of earning $100,000 and a 25% chance of earning $10,000.

1) Refer to Scenario 5.1. The expected value of the undertaking,

A) according to Sarah, is $75,000.
B) according to Sarah, is $100,000.
C) according to Sarah, is $110,000.
D) according to Aline, is $200,000.
E) according to Aline, is $100,000.
Answer: E

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

2) Refer to Scenario 5.1. The probabilities discussed in the information above are

A) objective because they are single numbers rather than ranges.
B) objective because they have been explicitly articulated by the individuals involved.
C) objective because the event hasn’t happened yet.
D) subjective because the event hasn’t happened yet.
E) subjective because they are estimates made by individuals based upon personal judgment or experience.
Answer: E

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

Scenario 5.2:

Randy and Samantha are shopping for new cars (one each). Randy expects to pay $15,000 with 1/5 probability and $20,000 with 4/5 probability. Samantha expects to pay $12,000 with 1/4 probability and $20,000 with 3/4 probability.

3) Refer to Scenario 5.2. Which of the following is true?

A) Randy has a higher expected expense than Samantha for the car.
B) Randy has a lower expected expense than Samantha for the car.
C) Randy and Samantha have the same expected expense for the car, and it is somewhat less than $20,000.
D) Randy and Samantha have the same expected expense for the car: $20,000.
E) It is not possible to calculate the expected expense for the car until the true probabilities are known.
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

4) Refer to Scenario 5.2. Randy’s expected expense for his car is

A) $20,000.
B) $19,000.
C) $18,000.
D) $17,500.
E) $15,000.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

5) Refer to Scenario 5.2. Samantha’s expected expense for her car is

A) $20,000.
B) $19,000.
C) $18,000.
D) $17,500.
E) $15,000.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

Consider the following information about job opportunities for new college graduates in Megalopolis:

Table 5.1

MajorProbability of Receiving

an Offer in One Year

Average Salary OfferAccounting.95$25,000Economics.90$30,000English.70$24,000Poli Sci.60$18,000Mathematics1.00$21,000

6) Refer to Table 5.1. Expected income for the first year is

A) highest in accounting.
B) highest in mathematics.
C) higher in English than in mathematics.
D) higher in political science than in economics.
E) highest in economics.
Answer: E

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

7) Refer to Table 5.1. Ranked highest to lowest in expected income, the majors are

A) economics, accounting, English, mathematics, political science.
B) mathematics, English, political science, accounting, economics.
C) economics, accounting, mathematics, English, political science.
D) English, economics, mathematics, accounting, political science.
E) accounting, English, mathematics, political science, economics.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

Scenario 5.3:

Wanting to invest in the computer games industry, you select Whizbo, Yowzo and Zowiebo as the three best firms. Over the past 10 years, the three firms have had good years and bad years. The following table shows their performance:

CompanyGood Year RevenueBad Year RevenueNumber of Good YearsWhizbo$8 million$6 million8Yowzo$10 million$4 million4Zowiebo$30 million$1 million1

8) Refer to Scenario 5.3. Where is the highest expected revenue, based on the 10 years’ past performance?

A) Whizbo
B) Yowzo
C) Zowiebo
D) Whizbo and Yowzo
E) Yowzo and Zowiebo
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

9) Refer to Scenario 5.3. Based on the 10 years’ past performance, what is the probability of a good year for Zowiebo?

A) 30/31
B) 1/31
C) 0.9
D) 0.1
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

10) Refer to Scenario 5.3. Based on the 10 years’ past performance, rank the companies’ expected revenue, highest to lowest:

A) Whizbo, Yowzo, Zowiebo
B) Whizbo, Zowiebo, Yowzo
C) Zowiebo, Yowzo, Whizbo
D) Zowiebo, Whizbo, Yowzo
E) Zowiebo, with Whizbo and Yowzo tied for second
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

11) Refer to Scenario 5.3. The expected revenue from all three companies combined is

A) $11 million
B) $17.9 million.
C) $25.5 million.
D) $29.5 million.
E) $48 million.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

The information in the table below describes choices for a new doctor. The outcomes represent different macroeconomic environments, which the individual cannot predict.

Table 5.3

Outcome 1Outcome 2Job ChoiceProb.IncomeProb.IncomeWork for HMO0.95$100,0000.05$60,000Own practice0.2$250,0000.8$30,000Research0.1$500,0000.9$50,000

12) Refer to Table 5.3. The expected returns are highest for the physician who

A) works for an HMO.
B) opens her own practice.
C) does research.
D) either opens her own practice or does research.
E) either works for an HMO or does research.
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

13) Refer to Table 5.3. Rank the doctor’s job options in expected income order, highest first.

A) Work for HMO, open own practice, do research.
B) Work for HMO, do research, open own practice.
C) Do research, open own practice, work for HMO.
D) Do research, work for HMO, open own practice.
E) Open own practice, work for HMO, do research.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

14) In Table 5.3, the standard deviation is

A) highest for the HMO choice, and it is $76,000.
B) lowest for the HMO choice.
C) higher for owning one’s own practice than for going into research.
D) higher for the HMO choice than for going into research.
Answer: B

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

15) Refer to Table 5.3. In order to weigh which of the job choices is riskiest, an individual should look at

A) the deviation, which is the difference between the probabilities of the two outcomes.
B) the deviation, which is the difference between the dollar amounts of the two outcomes.
C) the average deviation, which is found by averaging the dollar amounts of the two outcomes.
D) the standard deviation, which is the square root of the average squared deviation.
E) the standard deviation, which is the squared average square root of the deviation.
Answer: D

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

16) Refer to Table 5.3. Rank the doctor’s job choices in order, least risky first.

A) Work for HMO, open own practice, do research
B) Work for HMO, do research, open own practice
C) Do research, open own practice, work for HMO
D) Do research, work for HMO, open own practice
E) Open own practice, work for HMO, do research
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

17) Upon graduation, you are offered three jobs.

CompanySalaryBonusProbability of Receiving BonusSamsa Exterminators100,00020,000.90Gradgrind Tech100,00030,000.70Goblin Fruits115,000——–——-

Rank the three job offers in terms of expected income, from the highest to the lowest.

A) Samsa Exterminators, Gradgrind Tech, Goblin Fruits
B) Samsa Exterminators, Goblin Fruits, Gradgrind Tech
C) Gradgrind Tech, Samsa Exterminators, Goblin Fruits
D) Gradgrind Tech, Goblin Fruits, Samsa Exterminators
E) Goblin Fruits, Samsa Exterminators, Gradgrind Tech
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

18) As president and CEO of MegaWorld industries, you must decide on some very risky alternative investments:

ProjectProfit if SuccessfulProbability of SuccessLoss if FailureProbability of FailureA$10 million.5-$6 million.5B$50 million.2-$4 million.8C$90 million.1-$10 million.9D$20 million.8-$50 million.2E$15 million.4$0.6

The highest expected return belongs to investment

A) A.
B) B.
C) C.
D) D.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

19) What is the advantage of the standard deviation over the average deviation?

A) Because the standard deviation requires squaring of deviations before further computation, positive and negative deviations do not cancel out.
B) Because the standard deviation does not require squaring of deviations, it is easy to tell whether deviations are positive or negative.
C) The standard deviation removes the units from the calculation, and delivers a pure number.
D) The standard deviation expresses the average deviation in percentage terms, so that different choices can be more easily compared.
E) The standard deviation transforms subjective probabilities into objective ones so that calculations can be performed.
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

Table 5.4

JobOutcome 1DeviationOutcome 2DeviationA$40W$60XB$20Y$50Z

20) Refer to Table 5.4. If outcomes 1 and 2 are equally likely at Job A, then in absolute value

A) W = X = $10.
B) W = X = $20.
C) W = Y = $100.
D) W = Y = $200.
E) W = Y = $300.
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

21) Refer to Table 5.4. If outcomes 1 and 2 are equally likely at Job A, then the standard deviation of payoffs at Job A is

A) $1.
B) $10.
C) $40.
D) $50.
E) $60.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

22) Refer to Table 5.4. If at Job B the $20 outcome occurs with probability .2, and the $50 outcome occurs with probability .8, then in absolute value

A) Y = Z = $6.
B) Y = Z = $24.
C) Y = Z = $35.
D) Y = $24; Z = $6.
E) Y = $6; Z = $24.
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

23) Refer to Table 5.4. If at Job B the $20 outcome occurs with probability .2, and the $50 outcome occurs with probability .8, then the standard deviation of payoffs at Job B is nearest which value?

A) $10
B) $12
C) $20
D) $35
E) $44
Answer: B

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

24) Refer to Table 5.4. If outcomes 1 and 2 are equally likely at Job A, and if at Job B the $20 outcome occurs with probability .1, and the $50 outcome occurs with probability .9, then

A) Job A is safer because the difference in the probabilities is lower.
B) Job A is riskier only because the expected value is lower.
C) Job A is riskier because the standard deviation is higher.
D) Job B is riskier because the difference in the probabilities is higher.
E) There is no definite way given this information to tell how risky the two jobs are.
Answer: C

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

25) The expected value is a measure of

A) risk.
B) variability.
C) uncertainty.
D) central tendency.
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

26) Assume that one of two possible outcomes will follow a decision. One outcome yields a $75 payoff and has a probability of 0.3; the other outcome has a $125 payoff and has a probability of 0.7. In this case the expected value is

A) $85.
B) $60.
C) $110.
D) $35.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

27) The weighted average of all possible outcomes of a project, with the probabilities of the outcomes used as weights, is known as the

A) variance.
B) standard deviation.
C) expected value.
D) coefficient of variation.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

28) Which of the following is NOT a generally accepted measure of the riskiness of an investment?

A) Standard deviation
B) Expected value
C) Variance
D) none of the above
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

29) The expected value of a project is always the

A) median value of the project.
B) modal value of the project.
C) standard deviation of the project.
D) weighted average of the outcomes, with probabilities of the outcomes used as weights.
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

30) An investment opportunity has two possible outcomes, and the value of the investment opportunity is $250. One outcome yields a $100 payoff and has a probability of 0.25. What is the probability of the other outcome?

A) 0
B) 0.25
C) 0.5
D) 0.75
E) 1.0
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

31) The variance of an investment opportunity:

A) cannot be negative.
B) has the same unit of measure as the variable from which it is derived.
C) is a measure of central tendency.
D) is unrelated to the standard deviation.
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

32) An investment opportunity is a sure thing; it will pay off $100 regardless of which of the three possible outcomes comes to pass. The variance of this investment opportunity:

A) is 0.
B) is 1.
C) is 2.
D) is -1.
E) cannot be determined without knowing the probabilities of each of the outcomes.
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

33) An investment opportunity has two possible outcomes. The expected value of the investment opportunity is $250. One outcome yields a $100 payoff and has a probability of 0.25. What is the payoff of the other outcome?

A) -$400
B) $0
C) $150
D) $300
E) none of the above
Answer: D

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

Scenario 5.4:

Suppose an individual is considering an investment in which there are exactly three possible outcomes, whose probabilities and pay-offs are given below:

OutcomeProbabilityPay-offsA.3$100B?50C.2?

The expected value of the investment is $25. Although all the information is correct, information is missing.

34) Refer to Scenario 5.4. What is the probability of outcome B?

A) 0
B) -0.5
C) 0.5
D) 0.4
E) 0.2
Answer: C

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

35) Refer to Scenario 5.4. What is the pay-off of outcome C?

A) -150
B) 0
C) 25
D) 100
E) 150
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

36) Refer to Scenario 5.4. What is the deviation of outcome A?

A) 30
B) 50
C) 75
D) 100
Answer: C

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

37) Refer to Scenario 5.4. What is the variance of the investment?

A) -75
B) 275
C) 3,150
D) 4,637.50
E) 8,125
Answer: E

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

38) Refer to Scenario 5.4. What is the standard deviation of the investment?

A) 0
B) 16.58
C) 56.12
D) 90.14
E) none of the above
Answer: D

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

39) Blanca has her choice of either a certain income of $20,000 or a gamble with a 0.5 probability of $10,000 and a 0.5 probability of $30,000. The expected value of the gamble:

A) is less than $20,000.
B) is $20,000.
C) is greater than $20,000.
D) cannot be determined with the information provided.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

40) Use the following statements to answer this question:

Subjective probabilities are based on individual perceptions about the relative likelihood of an event.
To be useful in microeconomic analysis, all interested parties should agree on the values of the relevant subjective probabilities for a particular problem.
A) I and II are true.
B) I is true and II is false.
C) II is true and I is false.
D) I and II are false.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

41) People often use probability statements to describe events that can only happen once. For example, a political consultant may offer their opinion about the probability that a particular candidate may win the next election. Probability statements like these are based on ________ probabilities.

A) frequency-based
B) objective
C) subjective
D) universally known
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

42) To optimally deter crime, law enforcement authorities should:

A) set higher fines for crimes that have a lower probability of being caught.
B) set the fine equal to the expected benefit, even if it is difficult to catch the offenders.
C) ignore the probabilities of catching offenders and attempt to prevent crime at all costs.
D) set very high fines regardless of the probability that an offender is caught.
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.1

43) Tom Wilson is the operations manager for BiCorp, a real estate investment firm. Tom must decide if BiCorp is to invest in a strip mall in a northeast metropolitan area. If the shopping center is highly successful, after tax profits will be $100,000 per year. Moderate success would yield an annual profit of $50,000, while the project will lose $10,000 per year if it is unsuccessful. Past experience suggests that there is a 40% chance that the project will be highly successful, a 40% chance of moderate success, and a 20% probability that the project will be unsuccessful.

Calculate the expected value and standard deviation of profit.
The project requires an $800,000 investment. If BiCorp has an 8% opportunity cost on invested funds of similar riskiness, should the project be undertaken?
Answer:

a.

Expected Value

=

———————————–

100,000 .4 40,000

50,000 .4 20,000

-10,000 .2 -2,000

_____________

= 58,000

Standard deviation

σ =

[ – ] P

————————————————————————

100,000 42,000 1,764,000,000 705,600,000

50,000 -8,000 64,000,000 25,600,000

-10,000 -68,000 4,624,000,000 924,800,000

= 1,656,000,000

σ = 40,693.98

Bio-Corp’s opportunity cost is 8% of 800,000 or

0.08 × 800,000 = 64,000.

The expected value of the project is less than the opportunity cost.

Bi-Corp should not undertake the project.

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

44) John Smith is considering the purchase of a used car that has a bank book value of $16,000. He believes that there is a 20% chance that the car’s transmission is damaged. If the transmission is damaged, the car would be worth only $12,000 to Smith. What is the expected value of the car to Smith?

Answer: Expected Value = E($) = Pr(X1) + (1 – Pr)(X2),

where Pr is the probability of no transmission damage and Xi is the book value of the car without and with transmission damage, respectively.

E($) = .80(16,000) + .20(12,000)

= 12,800 + 2,400

= $15,200

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

45) C and S Metal Company produces stainless steel pots and pans. C and S can pursue either of two distribution plans for the coming year. The firm can either produce pots and pans for sale under a discount store label or manufacture a higher quality line for specialty stores and expensive mail order catalogs. High initial setup costs along with C and S’s limited capacity make it impossible for the firm to produce both lines. Profits under each plan depend upon the state of the economy. One of three conditions will prevail:

growth (probability = 0.3)

normal (probability = 0.5)

recession (probability = 0.2)

The outcome under each plan for each state of the economy is given in the table below. Figures in the table are profits measured in dollars. The probabilities for each economic condition represent crude estimates.

Economic Condition Discount Line Specialty Line

Growth 250,000 400,000

Normal 220,000 230,000

Recession 140,000 20,000

Calculate the expected value for each alternative.
Which alternative is more risky? (Calculate the standard deviation of profits for each alternative.)
Taking into account the importance of risk, which alternative should an investor choose?
Answer:

a.

Expected Value Discount Line

0.3(250,000) + 0.5(220,000) + 0.2(140,000)

EV = 213,000 (π = 213,000)

Expected Value Specialty Line

0.3(400,000) + 0.5(230,000) + 0.2(20.000)

EV = 239,000 (π = 239,000)

σ2 for discount line.

[ – ] Pi

—————————————————

250,000 37,000 410,700,000

220,000 7,000 24,500,000

140,000 -73,000 1,065,800,000

———————-

σ2 = 1,501,000,000

σ = 38,743

Expected Value Specialty Line:

[ – ] Pi

——————————————————

400,000 161,000 7,776,300,000

230,000 -9,000 40,500,000

20,000 -219,000 9,592,200,000

———————–

σ2 = 16,809,000,000

σ = 129,650

The discount store opportunity is far less risky.

The specialty store offers a higher expected return but not in proportion to the increased risk (one could compute the coefficient of variation or observe this fact).

Diff: 3

Section: 5.1

46) Calculate the expected value of the following game. If you win the game, your wealth will increase by 36 times your wager. If you lose, you lose your wager amount. The probability of winning is 1/38 Calculate the variance of the game.

Answer: The expected value (EV) of the game is calculated as

EV = (36w) + (-w) = -. The variance of the game is calculated as

Var = + () = w2 + 1.03w2 = 35.09w2.

Diff: 3

Section: 5.1

47) Calculate the expected value of the following game. If you win the game, your wealth will increase by 100,000,000 times your wager. If you lose, you lose your wager amount.

The probability of winning is .

Answer: The expected value of the game is calculated as

EV = (100,000,000w) + (-w) = w ≈ 49w.

Diff: 2

Section: 5.1

5.2 Preferences Toward Risk

1) Assume that two investment opportunities have identical expected values of $100,000. Investment A has a variance of 25,000, while investment B’s variance is 10,000. We would expect most investors (who dislike risk) to prefer investment opportunity

A) A because it has less risk.
B) A because it provides higher potential earnings.
C) B because it has less risk.
D) B because of its higher potential earnings.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

Scenario 5.5:

Engineers at Jalopy Automotive have discovered a safety flaw in their new model car. It would cost $500 per car to fix the flaw, and 10,000 cars have been sold. The company works out the following possible scenarios for what might happen if the car is not fixed, and assigns probabilities to those events:

Scenario Probability Cost

No one discovers flaw .15 $0
Government fines firm .40 $10 million
(no lawsuits)

Resulting lawsuits are lost .30 $12 million
(no government fine)

Resulting lawsuits are won .15 $2 million
(no government fine)

2) Refer to Scenario 5.5. The expected cost to the firm if it does not fix the car is

A) $0.
B) $24 million.
C) $7.9 million.
D) $2 million.
E) $3.6 million.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

3) Refer to Scenario 5.5. Which of the following statements is true?

A) The expected cost of not fixing the car is less than the cost of fixing it.
B) The expected cost of not fixing the car is greater than the cost of fixing it.
C) It is not possible to tell whether the expected cost of fixing the car is less than the cost of fixing it, because the probabilities are subjective.
D) It is not possible to tell whether the expected cost of fixing the car is less than the cost of fixing it, because the probabilities are not equal.
Answer: B

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

4) Refer to Scenario 5.5. Jalopy Automotive’s executives,

A) if risk-neutral, would fix the flaw because it enables them to have a sure outcome.
B) if risk-neutral, would fix the flaw because the cost of fixing the flaw is less than the expected cost of not fixing it.
C) if risk-loving, would fix the flaw because it enables them to have a sure outcome.
D) if risk-averse, would not fix the flaw because the cost of fixing the flaw is more than the expected cost of not fixing it.
E) would fix the flaw regardless of their risk preference, because of the large probability of high-cost outcomes.
Answer: B

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

5) Other things equal, expected income can be used as a direct measure of well-being

A) always.
B) no matter what a person’s preference to risk.
C) if and only if individuals are not risk-loving.
D) if and only if individuals are risk averse.
E) if and only if individuals are risk neutral.
Answer: E

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

6) A person with a diminishing marginal utility of income

A) will be risk averse.
B) will be risk neutral.
C) will be risk loving.
D) cannot decide without more information
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

7) An individual with a constant marginal utility of income will be

A) risk averse.
B) risk neutral.
C) risk loving.
D) insufficient information for a decision
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

Figure 5.1

8) In Figure 5.1, the marginal utility of income is

A) increasing as income increases.
B) constant for all levels of income.
C) diminishes as income increases.
D) None of the above is necessarily correct.
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

9) An individual whose attitude toward risk is illustrated in Figure 5.1 is

A) risk averse.
B) risk loving.
C) risk neutral.
D) None of the above is necessarily correct.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

10) The concept of a risk premium applies to a person that is

A) risk averse.
B) risk neutral.
C) risk loving.
D) all of the above
Answer: A

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

11) John Brown’s utility of income function is U = log(I+1), where I represents income. From this information you can say that

A) John Brown is risk neutral.
B) John Brown is risk loving.
C) John Brown is risk averse.
D) We need more information before we can determine John Brown’s preference for risk.
Answer: C

Diff: 3

Section: 5.2

12) Amos Long’s marginal utility of income function is given as: MU(I) = I1.5, where I represents income. From this you would say that he is

A) risk averse.
B) risk loving.
C) risk neutral.
D) none of the above
Answer: B

Diff: 3

Section: 5.2

13) Blanca would prefer a certain income of $20,000 to a gamble with a 0.5 probability of $10,000 and a 0.5 probability of $30,000. Based on this information:

A) we can infer that Blanca neutral.
B) we can infer that Blanca is risk averse.
C) we can infer that Blanca is risk loving.
D) we cannot infer Blanca’s risk preferences.
Answer: B

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

14) The difference between the utility of expected income and expected utility from income is

A) zero because income generates utility.
B) positive because if utility from income is uncertain, it is worth less.
C) negative because if income is uncertain, it is worth less.
D) that expected utility from income is calculated by summing the utilities of possible incomes, weighted by their probability of occurring, and the utility of expected income is calculated by summing the possible incomes, weighted by their probability of occurring, and finding the utility of that figure.
E) that the utility of expected income is calculated by summing the utilities of possible incomes, weighted by their probability of occurring, and the expected utility of income is calculated by summing the possible incomes, weighted by their probability of occurring, and finding the utility of that figure.
Answer: D

Diff: 3

Section: 5.2

Scenario 5.6:

Consider the information in the table below, describing choices for a new doctor. The outcomes represent different macroeconomic environments, which the individual cannot predict.

Outcome 1Outcome 2Job ChoiceProb.IncomeProb.IncomeWork for HMO0.95$100,0000.05$60,000Own practice0.2$250,0000.8$30,000Research0.1$500,0000.9$50,000

15) Refer to Scenario 5.6. The expected utility of income from research is

A) u($275,000).
B) u($95,000).
C) [u($500,000) + u($50,000)]/2.
D) .1 u($500,000) + .9 u($50,000).
E) dependent on which outcome actually occurs.
Answer: D

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

16) Refer to Scenario 5.6. The utility of expected income from research is

A) U($275,000).
B) U($95,000).
C) [U($500,000) + U($50,000)]/2.
D) .1U($500,000) + .9U($50,000).
E) dependent on which outcome actually occurs.
Answer: B

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

17) Refer to Scenario 5.6. If the doctor is risk-averse, she would accept

A) $50,000 for sure rather than take the risk of being a researcher.
B) $60,000 for sure (the minimum HMO outcome) rather than take the risk of being a researcher.
C) $95,000 for sure rather than face option 1 and option 2 in research.
D) $275,000 for sure (the average of option 1 and option 2 in research), but not less, rather than face the risk of those two options.
E) the research position because it has the highest possible income.
Answer: C

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

18) In the figure below, what is true about the two jobs?

A) Job 1 has a lower standard deviation than Job 2.
B) All outcomes in both jobs have the same probability of occurrence.
C) A risk-averse person would prefer Job 2.
D) A risk-neutral person would prefer Job 1.
E) Job 1 has a higher expected income than Job 2.
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

19) In figure below, what is true about the two jobs?

A) Job 1 has a larger standard deviation than Job 2.
B) All outcomes in both jobs have the same probability of occurrence.
C) A risk-averse person would prefer Job 2.
D) A risk-neutral person would prefer Job 1.
E) Job 1 has the same expected income as Job 2.
Answer: E

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

20) Upon graduation, you are offered three jobs.

CompanySalaryBonusProbability of Receiving BonusSamsa Exterminators100,00020,000.90Gradgrind Tech100,00030,000.70Goblin Fruits115,000——–——-

Which of the following is true?

A) If you’re risk-neutral, you go work for Goblin Fruits.
B) If you’re risk-loving, you go work for Goblin Fruits.
C) If you’re risk-neutral, you go work for Samsa Exterminators.
D) If you’re risk-neutral, you go work for Gradgrind Tech.
Answer: D

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

21) A risk-averse individual prefers

A) the utility of expected income of a risky gamble to the expected utility of income of the same risky gamble.
B) the expected utility of income of a risky gamble to the utility of expected income of the same risky gamble.
C) outcomes with 50-50 odds to those with more divergent probabilities, no matter what the dollar outcomes.
D) outcomes with higher probabilities assigned to more favorable outcomes, no matter what the outcomes are.
E) outcomes with highly divergent probabilities so that one of the outcomes is almost certain.
Answer: A

Diff: 2

Section: 5.2

22) A risk-averse individual has

A) an increasing marginal utility of income.
B) an increasing marginal utility of risk.
C) a diminishing marginal utility of income.
D) a diminishing marginal utility of risk.
E) a constant marginal utility of income, but a diminishing marginal utility of risk.
Answer: C

Diff: 1

Section: 5.2

23) Any risk-averse individual would always

A) take a 10% chance at $100 rather than a sure $10.
B) take a 50% chance at $4 and a 50% chance at $1 rather than a sure $1.
C) take a sure $10 rather than a 10% chance at $100.
D) take a sure $1 rather than a 50% chance at $4 and a 50% chance at losing $1.
E) do C or D above.
Answer: C

Diff: 3

Section: 5.2

24) What would best explain why a generally risk-averse person would bet $100 during a night of blackjack in Las Vegas?

A) Risk aversion relates to income choices only, not expenditure choices.
B) Risk averse people may gamble under some circumstances.
C) The economics of gambling and the economics of income risk are two different things.
D) Risk-averse people attach high subjective probabilities to favorable outcomes, even when objective probabilities are known.