According to marginal thinking, an individual will stop buying more of a good when the ________ of the next unit exceeds the ________.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Marginal cost exceeds marginal benefit, so an individual stops buying when the extra (marginal) cost of one more unit is greater than the extra (marginal) benefit received.

1. Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Marginal thinking: decisions are made by comparing marginal benefit (MB) to marginal cost (MC) of an additional unit.
- Optimal consumption rule: consume additional units while MB ≥ MC; stop when MC > MB.
- Diminishing marginal benefit: MB typically falls with each additional unit, while MC may be constant or rise.

2. Step-by-step reasoning
- For each potential extra unit, compute MB and MC.
- If MB ≥ MC, purchasing the unit increases net benefit (or at least does not reduce it), so buy.
- When you reach a unit where MC > MB, buying reduces net benefit, so stop.

3. Example calculation (intermediate steps)
- Suppose MB for successive slices of pizza: 1st = 8 utils, 2nd = 5 utils, 3rd = 3 utils.
- Price (marginal cost) per slice = $4 (assume utils-to-dollar conversion = 1 util = $1 for simplicity).
- Compare:
  - 1st slice: MB(1)=8 ≥ MC=4 → buy.
  - 2nd slice: MB(2)=5 ≥ MC=4 → buy.
  - 3rd slice: MB(3)=3 < MC=4 → do not buy.
- Stop after the 2nd because the cost of the next slice (4) exceeds its benefit (3).

4. Why the correct answer is correct
- Option a (“cost; benefit”) directly describes the marginal decision: stop when the cost of the next unit exceeds its benefit (i.e., MC > MB). This matches standard microeconomic marginal analysis.

5. Why other options are incorrect
- b (“economic value; price”): vague and reverses the focus; marginal decision compares incremental benefit to incremental cost, not abstract “economic value” vs “price.”
- c (“comparative advantage; comparative disadvantage”): these terms apply to production and trade, not to marginal consumption choices.
- d (“trade-off; opportunity cost”): while trade-offs and opportunity cost are related concepts, the specific marginal rule concerns marginal cost vs marginal benefit, not the general trade-off/opportunity-cost phrasing.

Conclusion: The correct choice is a. cost; benefit, which matches the provided answer.

According to marginal thinking, an individual will stop buying more of a good when the of the next unit exceeds the .单项选择题

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According to marginal thinking, an individual will stop buying more of a good when the ________ of the next unit exceeds the ________.单项选择题