CBSE Past Year Paper - Foreign 2017 (Set 1), Class 12 Economics | Economics for Grade 12 PDF Download

CBSE Class 12 Economics

General Instructions:
All questions in both the sections are compulsory.
Marks for questions are indicated against each question.
Questions No. 1 – 5 and 16 – 20 are very short-answer questions carrying 1 mark each.
They are required to be answered in one sentence each.
Questions No. 6 – 8 and 21 – 23 are short-answer questions carrying 3 marks each.
Answers to them should normally not exceed 60 words each.
Questions No. 9 – 11 and 24 – 26 are also short-answer questions carrying 4 marks
each. Answers to them should normally not exceed 70 words each.
Questions No. 12 – 15 and 27 – 30 are long-answer questions carrying 6 marks each.
Answers to them should normally not exceed 100 words each.
Answers should be brief and to the point and the above word limits should be adhered to as far as possible.

SECTION A
Q1. In which form of market, is the demand of a firm perfectly elastic?
Ans. Perfect competition

Q2. There are only a few sellers under
(a) Perfect competition
(b) Monopolistic competition
(c) Monopoly
(d) Oligopoly
Ans. (d) Oligopoly

Q3. State the law of demand.
Ans. Other things remaining the same,there is an inverse relationship between price of a good and its quantity demanded.

4. When marginal utility is zero, total utility is
(a) zero
(b) minimum
(c) maximum
(d) negative
Ans. (c)Maximum

Q5. The expenditure on a good would change in the opposite direction as the price changes only when demand is
(a) elastic
(b) inelastic
(c) perfectly inelastic
(d) unitary elastic
Ans. (a) Elastic

Q6. Explain the meaning of opportunity cost with the help of an example.
Ans. Opportunity cost is defined as the value of the next best alternative foregone in availing the best. Suppose an individual is offered three jobs of Rs 10,000, Rs 8000 and Rs 6000 per month. He will avail Rs 10,000 a month job. In availing the best, he foregoes the next best job of Rs 8000 which is the opportunity cost of choosing the best.

Q7. Why is a Production Possibility Curve concave to the origin? Explain.
OR
Why does an economic problem arise? Explain.
Ans. It is concave to the origin because of increasing MOC (MRT) i.e. in producing an additional unit of a commodity more and more units of the other commodity are to be
sacrified, as no resource is not equally efficient in production of both the goods.
OR
Economic problem arises because (a) wants are unlimited, (b) resources are limited and (c) resources have alternative uses.

Q8. Give any three factors that can cause a rightward shift of demand curve.
Ans. Rightwards shift of demand curve can be caused by:
1) Fall in price of complementary goods.
2) Rise in price of substitute good.
3) Change in preference in favour of the good.
4) Any other

Q9. Explain the meaning of marginal rate of substitution. Why does it diminish as one good is substituted for the other? Explain.
OR
Explain the meaning of budget line. What can cause a change in it? Explain.
Ans. MRS is the rate at which units of one good are sacrificed by the consumer to consume
one more unit of the other good. MRS diminishes because the utility of the good consumed
more falls due to law of diminishing marginal utility.
OR
A budget line is the locus of points that represent such combinations of two goods on which total expenditure equals total income.
Causes of change in budget line are –
1) Change in income of the consumer.
2) Change in prices of one or both the commodities.

Explanation
(1) Change in income shifts the budget line parallel because consumer can now buy more or less of either of the goods in the same proportion.
(2) Change in price changes the maximum consumer can buy of one or both the goods, changing one or both the ends of budget line.

Q10. State the different phases in the behaviour of total product in the law of variable proportions. Also, show the same in a diagram.
Ans. 

The three phases of the law of Variable Proportions are:
Phase I: TP increases at increasing rate i.e. upto K on the TP curve
Phase II: TP increases at decreasing rate i.e. from K upto L on the TP curve.
Phase III: TP falls i.e. after L on the TP curve

Q11. Explain the implications of the ‘‘freedom of entry and exit’’ feature of perfect competition.
Ans. There are no obstacles in the way of new firms joining the industry and existing firms leaving the industry in the long run. This ensures that there are neither abnormal profits nor losses by any firm in the long run. In the short run, profits and losses are possible. If firms are making profits, new firms enter and raise the total supply of the industry. This reduces market price and wipes out profits. However, if the firms are incurring losses, the existing firms start leaving the industry and reduce the total supply. This raises the price till all the losses are wiped out.

Q12. When the price of commodity A falls from Rs 10 to Rs 5 per unit, its quantity demanded doubles. Calculate its elasticity of demand. At what price will its quantity demanded fall by 50 percent?
Ans. 



Q13. Explain the conditions of producer’s equilibrium with the help of a numerical example. Use marginal cost and marginal revenue approach.
Ans. 

The conditions for the producer to be in equilibrium are
1) MR and MC must be equal.
2) Beyond the level at which MC = MR, MC must be greater than MR.
In the above example, the producer is in equilibrium when he produces 4 units.

Q14. Complete the following table:

Ans. 

Q15. Explain the meaning and implications of maximum price ceiling and minimum price ceiling.
OR
State whether the following statements are true or false. Give reasons for your answer:
(i) When equilibrium price is greater than market price there will be excess supply in
the market.
(ii) X and Y are complementary goods. A fall in the price of Y will result in a rise in the
price of X.
Ans. When the government imposes upper limit on the price of a good it is called maximum price ceiling. It is fixed below the equilibrium price.
Implication (maximum price ceiling): It will lead to excess demand. This in turn may lead to black marketing of goods.
When the government imposes lower limit on the price of a good, it is called minimum price ceiling.
Implication (minimum price ceiling) : It leads to excess supply. This in turn may lead to illegal selling below the ceiling price as the producers are not able to sell what they desire to sell.

OR
(i) False, because since market price is lower than equilibrium price, market demand will be higher than market supply leading to excess demand.
(ii)True. When price of Y falls, its demand rises. Since X is complementary of Y, and both must be used together, demand for X increases. Since the rise in demand for X is due to a factor other than own price of X, price of X increases.

SECTION B

Q16. Repo rate is the rate at which
(a) commercial banks purchase government securities from the central bank
(b) commercial banks can take loans from the central bank
(c) commercial banks can keep their deposits with the central bank
(d) short-term loans are given by commercial banks
Ans. (b) Commercial Banks can take loan from the central bank.

Q17. When aggregate demand is greater than aggregate supply, inventories
(a) fall
(b) rise
(c) do not change
(d) first fall, then rise
Ans. (a) Fall.

Q18. Give the meaning of under-employment equilibrium.
Ans. When aggregate demand and aggregate supply are equal at below full employment level, it is called under-employment equilibrium.

Q19. What are capital receipts?
Ans. Government/Budgetary receipts that either create a liability or reduce assets are called capital receipts.

Q20. What is meant by trade deficit ?
Ans. It is excess of imports of goods over exports of goods.

Q21. State any three functions of money.
OR
Define money. List its components.
Ans.
1. Medium of Exchange
2. Unit of account.
3. Store of value.
4. Standard of deferred payments.
OR
Anything that serves as a medium of exchange is money.

Q22. Distinguish between stocks and flows. Give an example of each.
Ans. Stocks are economic variables measured at a point of time. Flows are economic variable
measured over a period of time.
Example: Stock - Wealth, etc
Flow - Income, etc

Q23. Giving reasons, classify the following into revenue receipts and capital receipts :
(i) Recovery of loans
(ii) Profits of public sector undertakings
(iii) Borrowings58/2/1 9 P.T.O.
Ans. i. It is capital receipt as it reduces assets.
ii. It is revenue receipt as it neither reduces an asset nor creates a liability.
iii. Borrowings is a capital receipt as it creates a liability.

Q24. Explain money creation function of commercial banks.
OR
Explain the ‘‘varying reserve requirements’’ method of credit control by the central
bank.
Ans. Money creation refers to the deposit or credit creation by commercial banks as some multiple of initial deposit, depending upon the reserve requirements. Suppose initial deposit is Rs 1000 crore and legal reserve ratio(LRR) is 0.2 Banks keep Rs 200 crore as reserve and lend the remaining Rs 800 crore. Borrowers spend this money. Those who receive the money from borrowers redeposit into banks. This leads to a fresh deposit of Rs 800 crore. Banks again keep 20 percent as reserves and lend the rest Rs 640 crore which ultimately leads to a fresh deposit of Rs 640 crore.In this way new deposit go on being created round by round leading to total deposit creation of Rs 5000 crore which 1/LRR times i.e. 1/0.2 or 5 times.
OR
Commercial banks have the power to create credit on the basis of deposits they receive. The central bank exercises control over this power through changing legal reserve requirement from time to time.There are two components of such reserves: cash reserve ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio(SLR). When the central bank raises CRR or SLR or both less money is left with commercial banks for lending. Opposite happens when CRR or SLR or both are reduced.

Q25. Explain how can government budget be useful in influencing allocation of resources in an economy.
Ans. There are many economic activities which are not undertaken by the private sector either due to lack of profits or due to huge investment expenditure involved. There are many other activities like, water supply, sanitation, etc., which are necessarily undertaken by government in public interest. Government can start these activities on its own. In addition, government can encourage the private sector through tax concessions, subsidies, etc., to undertake certain production in public interest. By doing so, government helps in influencing allocation of resources.

Q26. An economy is in equilibrium. From the following data calculate investment expenditure:
(i) Marginal propensity to consume = 0·9
(ii) Autonomous consumption = 200
(iii) Level of income = 10000
Ans. 26 Y = C + I
= ̅ + mpc (Y) + I
10000 = 200 + (10000) + I
I = 10000 – 200 - 9000 = 800

Q27. Explain the distinction between the flexible exchange rate and the managed floating exchange rate.
OR
Explain by giving examples, the distinction between depreciation and devaluation of
domestic currency.
Ans. Flexible exchange rate is the rate which is determined by the supply and demand forces in foreign exchange market. It is free from intervention other than market forces. Whereas, managed floating exchange rate is the market rate which can be influenced by the intervention of the central bank in the foreign exchange market. It is a tool to control unfavourable impacts of flexible exchange rate.

OR
Depreciation of domestic currency refers to fall in the value of domestic currency in terms of foreign currency caused by rise in foreign exchange rate in the foreign exchange market. Devaluation refers to fall in the value of domestic currency due to deliberate increase in foreign exchange rate by the government which follows fixed exchange rate system. Example: Suppose market rate of one US dollar rises from Rs 60 to Rs 65,the domestic buyers will now have to pay more for imports. It means one rupee can now buy less imports than before depreciation or devaluation.

Q28. What precautions should be taken while estimating national income by expenditure method? Explain.
Ans. i. Expenditure on purchase of second hand goods should not to be included because the value of goods was counted when they were new.
ii. Imputed expenditure on own account output to be included because it results from production activity.
iii. Expenditure on financial assets should not be included because it does not lead to creation of any good or service.
iv. Any other

Q29. In an economy, investment increased by 1,100 and as a result of it income increased by 5,500. Had the marginal propensity to save been 25 percent, what would have been the increase in income?



Q30. Calculate (a) national income, and (b) net national disposable income:

Ans.
N.I. = (i) + (ii) + (iv) + (v) – (vi) + (xi)
= 1000 + 15000 + 400 + 7000 – 100 + 500
= Rs 23800 Crore
NNDI = NNPFC + (ix) – (x)
= 23800 + 800 – 40
= Rs 24560 Crore