Suppose this individual initially consumes 3 items of clothing. This individual is willing to give up _____ meals to consume an additional unit of clothing.
Understand the Problem
The question is asking how many meals the individual is willing to give up in order to consume one more unit of clothing, based on the consumption data provided. To solve this, we need to analyze the trade-offs outlined in the table.
Answer
The individual is willing to give up $2$ meals to consume an additional unit of clothing.
Answer for screen readers
The individual is willing to give up $2$ meals to consume an additional unit of clothing.
Steps to Solve
- Identify Initial Consumption Level
The individual initially consumes A, B, or C, which corresponds to 3 items of clothing. Looking at the table, this means the individual consumes 11 meals since that is the closest level of clothing above 3.
- Determine Meals for Additional Clothing Item
Next, we need to see how many meals need to be given up to obtain an additional clothing item.
- From C (11 meals) to D (9 meals):
- Giving up 2 meals results in 3 clothing items.
- From D (9 meals) to E (8 meals):
- Giving up 1 meal results in 4 clothing items.
- Calculate Total Meals Given Up for Each Item
- To get from C to D (11 meals to 9 meals), the individual gives up 2 meals to gain 1 extra item of clothing (3 total).
- To get from D to E (9 meals to 8 meals), the individual gives up 1 meal to gain 1 additional clothing item (4 total).
- Summarize the Meals Given Up for 1 More Clothing Item
Summarizing:
- From C to D, giving up 2 meals for 1 clothing item.
- Therefore, from 3 clothing items (initially) to 4 clothing items costs 2 meals.
- This shows that to gain one more unit of clothing, the individual is willing to give up 2 meals.
The individual is willing to give up $2$ meals to consume an additional unit of clothing.
More Information
This analysis involves understanding the trade-offs between meals and clothing items based on marginal utility. When evaluating choices, individuals often consider how much of one good they must sacrifice to gain additional units of another.
Tips
- Confusing the direction of the trade-off: Make sure to differentiate between meals given up and clothing gained.
- Misinterpreting the item levels: Ensure that the count of clothing items relates correctly to meals consumed.
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