Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first video
Multiple Choice
In a purely competitive industry, the representative firm:
A
is a price taker and cannot influence the market price
B
faces a downward-sloping demand curve for its product
C
can set its own price above the market equilibrium
D
earns long-run economic profits due to barriers to entry
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the characteristics of a purely competitive industry: many firms, identical products, free entry and exit, and perfect information.
Recall that in perfect competition, each firm is a price taker, meaning it accepts the market price as given and cannot influence it.
Recognize that the demand curve faced by an individual firm in perfect competition is perfectly elastic (horizontal) at the market price, not downward-sloping.
Note that firms cannot set prices above the market equilibrium because buyers would switch to other sellers offering the market price.
Understand that in the long run, due to free entry and exit, firms earn zero economic profits, as any short-run profits attract new entrants, driving profits down.