Which of the following is a characteristic of a competitive market for a fast food chain?

• A. Products are highly differentiated.
• B. Firms can easily influence the market price.
• C. There are significant barriers to entry.
• D. There are many buyers and sellers in the market.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definition of a competitive market: It is a market structure characterized by many buyers and sellers, where no single participant can influence the market price significantly.
2. Identify key characteristics of competitive markets, such as homogeneous (not highly differentiated) products, free entry and exit (no significant barriers), and price-taking behavior by firms.
3. Analyze each option given in the problem and compare it to the characteristics of a competitive market:
4. - 'Products are highly differentiated' contradicts the idea of homogeneous products in competitive markets.
5. - 'Firms can easily influence the market price' contradicts the price-taking nature of firms in competitive markets.
6. - 'There are significant barriers to entry' contradicts the free entry and exit condition.
7. - 'There are many buyers and sellers in the market' aligns perfectly with the definition of a competitive market.
8. Conclude that the correct characteristic of a competitive market for a fast food chain is that there are many buyers and sellers in the market.