Answer:
The correct option is B. No, he should shift consumption toward soft drinks and away from pizza to maximize total benefits.
Explanation:
Note: This question is not complete because some important figures and points are missing in it. These figures and points are therefore provided to complete the question before answering it as follows:
Charley spends all of his income on soft drinks and pizza. Suppose he is currently buying these products in amounts such that his marginal benefit from an additional soft drink is $100 and his marginal benefit from an additional slice of pizza is $110. If the price of a soft drink is $2 and the price of a slice of pizza is $3, is Charley maximizing his total benefits?
A. No, he should increase his consumption of both goods.
B. No, he should shift consumption toward soft drinks and away from pizza to maximize total benefits.
C. Yes, there is no other consumption choice that will make his total benefits greater.
D. No, he should shift consumption toward pizza and away from soft drinks to maximize total benefits.'
The explanation of the answer is now provided as follows:
Under utility maximization theory, the condition for the utility or benefit maximization for two goods is as follows:
MBs / Ps = MBp / Pp ……………………………. (1)
Where:
MBs = Marginal benefit from an additional soft drink = $100
MBp = Marginal benefit from an additional slice of pizza =$110
Ps = Price of a soft drink = $2
Pp = Price of a slice of pizza = $3
Subtitling the relevant values, we have:
MBs / Ps = Marginal utility per dollar spent on soft drinks = $100 / $2 = 50
MBp / Pp = Marginal utility per dollar spent on soft pizza = $110 / $3 = 36.67
This implies that 50 = MBs / Ps > MBp / Pp = 36.67
The decision rule is that the limited money income should be spent by a consumer on the good which gives the higher marginal utility per dollar in order to maximize marginal benefit.
Since 50 = MBs / Ps > MBp / Pp = 36.67 above, this implies that Charley is NOT maximizing his total benefits. To maximize his total benefits, Charley should consume more of soft drinks and less of pizza until the condition is consistent with equation (1).
Therefore, the correct option is B. No, he should shift consumption toward soft drinks and away from pizza to maximize total benefits.
