Cambridge A Level Economics 9708 — 2018 May/June Paper 3 · Variant 3

9708/33/M/J/18 · 30 marks · ≈34 min

The question paper and its mark scheme, free to read here and free to download. This is Cambridge’s own paper, exactly as it was sat.

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Question paper12 pages

Cambridge A Level Economics 9708 2018 May/June Paper 3 · Variant 3 question paper, page 1 of 12
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Mark scheme3 pages

Answers below. Sit the paper first if you are practising.

Mark scheme, page 1 of 3
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Paper as text

Question paper, page 1

This document consists of 10 printed pages and 2 blank pages. IB18 06_9708_33/RP © UCLES 2018 [Turn over *7251090885* Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level ECONOMICS 9708/33 Paper 3 Multiple Choice May/June 2018 1 hour 15 minutes Additional Materials: Multiple Choice Answer Sheet Soft clean eraser Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended) READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST Write in soft pencil. Do not use staples, paper clips, glue or correction fluid. Write your name, Centre number and candidate number on the Answer Sheet in the spaces provided unless this has been done for you. DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES. There are thirty questions on this paper. Answer all questions. For each question there are four possible answers A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct and record your choice in soft pencil on the separate Answer Sheet. Read the instructions on the Answer Sheet very carefully. Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer. Any rough working should be done in this booklet.

Question paper, page 2

2 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 1 What is an example of external benefits? A personal benefits from drinking tea with friends B the benefits of education to both the individual and society as a whole C the benefits to third parties of vaccinations D welfare benefit payments such as government provided pensions 2 The diagram shows the marginal private benefit (MPB), the marginal private cost (MPC) and the marginal social cost (MSC) for firms in an industry. The equilibrium price is point X. price quantity O MPB = MSB MPC MSC X What should happen to achieve allocative efficiency? A a decrease in consumption and an increase in price B a decrease in production and no change in price C an increase in consumption and a decrease in production D an increase in price and no change in production 3 In deciding whether to invest in a new project, what would be taken into account in government cost-benefit analysis but not by a private company? A consultancy fees B consumer surplus C interest charges D tax payments

Question paper, page 3

3 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 [Turn over 4 What is not held constant when calculating the income effect of a change in the price of a good? A the consumer’s money income B the consumer’s preferences C the consumer’s real income D the prices of other goods 5 The diagram shows a consumer’s initial budget line is GH and a set of indifference curves IC1, IC2 and IC3 for goods R and S. The original equilibrium for the consumer is point X. The inflation rate is rising faster than money incomes. What will be the most likely new equilibrium for the consumer if income is spent? O G H A X IC2 IC1 IC3 B C D good R good S 6 Firms X, Y and Z are profit maximising private firms. X operates in a perfectly competitive industry, Y in a monopolistically competitive industry and Z is a single monopolist. Which statement is correct? A Only X satisfies the condition for allocative efficiency. B Only X faces no barriers to entry in the long run. C Only Y and Z can make a supernormal profit in the long run. D Only Z has a product differentiation.

Question paper, page 4

4 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 7 What are the correct formulae for calculating average cost (AC) and average revenue (AR)? AC AR A MC TC MR TR key MC = marginal cost MR = marginal revenue P = price Q = quantity TC = total cost TR = total revenue B P TC P × Q C Q TC Q Q P × D Q TC P TR 8 A Hawker Centre where there are many outdoor stalls is a popular and cheap place to eat in Singapore. They sell a large variety of food but many sell the same dishes cooked in different ways. The cost of setting up a stall is low and prices charged are very similar. Of which market structure is this an example? A monopolistic competition B monopoly C oligopoly D perfect competition 9 What is an example of horizontal integration? A A bank takes over a travel agent. B A car manufacturer buys a component supplier. C A cotton mill doubles its output of existing products. D Two breweries merge.

Question paper, page 5

5 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 [Turn over 10 The diagram shows a firm that is a sales revenue maximiser. O R S T $ output total costs total revenue What is correct for this firm? A Output takes place at R and price is at its highest. B Output takes place at S and profits are maximised. C Output takes place at T and price is equal to the profit maximising price. D Output takes place at T and price is lower than the profit maximising price. 11 What is an essential feature of the principal-agent problem? A the aim of the firm is profit maximisation B the need for co-operation between firms in the same industry C the separation of ownership and control D the uncertainty about a rival competitor’s pricing policy 12 Which characteristic of an industry works towards reducing the barriers to entry for new firms? A significant advertising expenditure by existing firms B significant economies of scale C the absence of large costs associated with investment in capital assets D the possession by existing firms of product and process patents

Question paper, page 6

6 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 13 The government wishes to increase the use of a service with positive externalities. Which policy measure is most likely to produce the desired outcome? A decreasing income tax B increasing transfer payments to the consumer C leaving the provision of the service to the private sector D subsidising the producers of the service 14 The government imposes a maximum wage limit on recording artists. What must result in the short-run if the measure is effective? A a decrease in the demand for recording artists B a decrease in the economic rent earned by recording artists C a decrease in the profits of record companies D a decrease in the supply of recording artists 15 The diagram shows the market for labour in an industry in the short-run. O W Q D S R quantity of labour wages What does the area OWRQ represent? A consumers’ surplus B economic rent C the opportunity cost of labour D transfer earnings

Question paper, page 7

7 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 [Turn over 16 A country introduces a national minimum wage (NMW) of $10 per hour. In which industry is the NMW likely to cause the most unemployment? equilibrium wage rate before NMW ($ per hour) wage elasticity of demand for labour wage elasticity of supply of labour A 8 >1 >1 B 8 <1 <1 C 9 >1 >1 D 10 >1 >1 17 Economics textbooks state that for a firm in imperfect competition labour is a derived demand. How is the demand curve for labour derived? A by multiplying the average physical product by the average revenue B by multiplying the average physical product by the marginal revenue C by multiplying the marginal physical product by the marginal cost D by multiplying the marginal physical product by the marginal revenue 18 The diagram shows changes in the numbers employed in four different industries in a city between 2012 and 2017. 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 employment (000s) finance manufacturing education leisure What can be concluded from the diagram? A Finance was always the largest employer. B Leisure had the fastest growth rate in employment. C Manufacturing was the only industry to show signs of decline. D Total employment in the four industries decreased over the period.

Question paper, page 8

8 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 19 What is likely to make the national income of a country less reliable as an indicator of the standard of living? A a decline in the numbers engaged in subsistence farming B an increase in negative externalities C an increase in the employment of domestic servants D an increase in the numbers eating restaurant meals rather than home-cooked meals 20 What is not included as a weighted indicator of poverty in the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)? A cooking fuel B electricity C medication D water 21 What term is given to short-term unemployment when people are changing jobs? A cyclical B frictional C seasonal D voluntary 22 Why might GDP remain unchanged despite a rise in labour productivity? A an increase in the birth rate B an increase in the population of working age C a reduction in the number of unemployed people D a reduction in the retirement age 23 When is an increase in national income most likely to induce an increase in investment spending? A when firms have spare production capacity B when firms use labour intensive production C when the increase in income is regarded as permanent D when the increase in income is regarded as temporary

Question paper, page 9

9 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 [Turn over 24 In a four sector economy in equilibrium, these values exist. $m investment 15 exports 40 government expenditure 50 savings 15 imports 45 taxes X What is the tax revenue, $X m? A 20 B 35 C 45 D 60 25 In a closed economy with no government C = 40 + 0.7 Y and I = 50, where C is consumption, Y is income and I is investment. What is the equilibrium level of income? A 90 B 210 C 300 D 640 26 An increase in the money supply leaves the price level unchanged. What could explain this? A a fall in the level of employment B a fall in the level of real output C a fall in the velocity of circulation D a fall in the volume of transactions 27 The table shows the elasticity of demand for money and the elasticity of demand for investment with respect to a change in the interest rate for four countries. Which country is closest to a Keynesian model of the economy? elasticity of demand for money with respect to a low interest rate elasticity of demand for investment with respect to any interest rate A elastic elastic B elastic relatively inelastic C inelastic elastic D inelastic relatively inelastic

Question paper, page 10

10 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 28 When making comparisons of living standards between different countries, what is not a reason why they may be misleading? A Different countries have different amounts of unrecorded economic activity. B Different countries have different rates of economic growth. C Less developed countries have limited resources to calculate accurate estimates. D There are different rates of inflation between countries. 29 The table shows the annual rate of inflation (consumer prices) and the annual rate of unemployment for five countries in a recent year. rate of inflation % rate of unemployment % Japan Greece USA South Africa Brazil What conclusion can be made about the relationship between inflation and unemployment? A Higher inflation is always correlated with higher unemployment. B Higher inflation is always correlated with lower unemployment. C Lower inflation is always correlated with higher unemployment. D No consistent correlation can be established. 30 An economy has a balance of payments trade surplus and a high level of inflation. What is most likely to be an appropriate action for the government to take? A devalue the currency B reduce direct taxes C increase the money supply D remove tariffs on imports Content removed due to copyright restrictions

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11 © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 BLANK PAGE

Question paper, page 12

12 Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity. To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge International Examinations Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download at www.cie.org.uk after the live examination series. Cambridge International Examinations is part of the Cambridge Assessment Group. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is itself a department of the University of Cambridge. © UCLES 2018 9708/33/M/J/18 BLANK PAGE

Mark scheme, page 1

IGCSE™ is a registered trademark. This document consists of 3 printed pages. © UCLES 2018 [Turn over Cambridge Assessment International Education Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level ECONOMICS 9708/33 Paper 3 Multiple Choice May/June 2018 MARK SCHEME Maximum Mark: 30 Published This mark scheme is published as an aid to teachers and candidates, to indicate the requirements of the examination. Mark schemes should be read in conjunction with the question paper and the Principal Examiner Report for Teachers. Cambridge International will not enter into discussions about these mark schemes. Cambridge International is publishing the mark schemes for the May/June 2018 series for most Cambridge IGCSE™, Cambridge International A and AS Level and Cambridge Pre-U components, and some Cambridge O Level components.

Mark scheme, page 2

9708/33 Cambridge International AS/A Level – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2018 © UCLES 2018 Page 2 of 3 Question Answer Marks 1 C 1 2 A 1 3 B 1 4 C 1 5 D 1 6 A 1 7 C 1 8 A 1 9 D 1 10 D 1 11 C 1 12 C 1 13 D 1 14 B 1 15 B 1 16 A 1 17 D 1 18 B 1 19 B 1 20 C 1 21 B 1 22 D 1 23 C 1 24 C 1 25 C 1 26 C 1 27 B 1 28 B 1

Mark scheme, page 3

9708/33 Cambridge International AS/A Level – Mark Scheme PUBLISHED May/June 2018 © UCLES 2018 Page 3 of 3 Question Answer Marks 29 D 1 30 D 1

What you needed in this session

Cambridge’s own grade thresholds for 2018 May/June, Paper 3 · Variant 3. A higher threshold means an easier paper — the bar moves with how the cohort did.

A25/30
B21/30
C18/30
D15/30
E13/30