Productive efficiency requires that goods be produced:

• A. in equal quantities to ensure fairness
• B. at the lowest possible cost using all available resources
• C. at a level where marginal benefit equals marginal cost
• D. only by firms with the highest market share

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of productive efficiency: it means producing goods using the least amount of resources or at the lowest possible cost.
2. Recall that productive efficiency focuses on minimizing production costs, not on the quantities produced or market share.
3. Recognize that productive efficiency is achieved when a firm uses all available resources in the best possible way to produce goods at the lowest cost.
4. Differentiate productive efficiency from allocative efficiency, which involves producing at a level where marginal benefit equals marginal cost.
5. Conclude that the correct definition of productive efficiency is producing goods at the lowest possible cost using all available resources.