The Following Appeared in a Florida Newspaper a Week After

question 214

Multiple Choice

The following appeared in a Florida newspaper a week after a hurricane hit the state."Floridians are relieved that the storm produced no fatalities but homeowners face weeks, if not months, of rebuilding.Matters are made worse by the soaring prices of plywood and other building materials that always follow in a hurricane's path.Complaints of profiteering and price gouging have not deterred firms from raising their prices by over 100 percent." Which of the following offers the best explanation for the price increases referred to in the article?

• A)The hurricane reduced the number of suppliers of building materials.
• B)The hurricane created an artificial shortage of building materials.
• C)The hurricane caused an increase in the demand for building materials.
• D)There was a reduction in supply as firms shipped plywood and other materials to locations not affected by the storm.

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Definitions:

Interest-Rate Effect

The interest-rate effect describes how changes in the price level lead to changes in interest rates and thus in the quantity of goods and services demanded.

Aggregate Demand Curve

Represents the total demand for all goods and services within a certain market at various price levels, holding all else equal.

Aggregate Demand

The total demand for all goods and services within a particular market or economy at current price levels.

Wealth Effect

The phenomenon where consumers spend more as the value of their assets, such as real estate or stocks, increases.