Question

Which is not a characteristic of a demand curve?

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is (A) : Positive upward slope.

Explanation: A demand curve is basically a graph like any other with the variables in potted on both the x-axis (left to right) and the y-axis (top to bottom). Understanding the definition of demand would make it easier to understand why the answer is option A and why the demand curve has a negative downward slope.

Demand can be defined as the quantity of a commodity or service that a consumer is willing and able to buy at a given price and at a particular point in time. And the law of demand states that “other factors being held constant, the higher the price of a commodity, the lower the quantity being demanded by the consumer. And the lower the price of a commodity, the higher the quantity being demanded by a consumer.”

This is simply a rational consumer behavior. So if the price of movie tickets were to go up let’s say from $10 to $15 then a consumer who previously could afford to watch 8 movies in a month (that’s $80) would be having second thoughts and so, rather than spend $120 per month on movie tickets, would be more inclined to watch less movies and stay within his/her $80 budget.

Therefore, on the demand curve, as the price of movie tickets moves positively towards the right side (on the x-axis), the quantity demanded would move negatively downwards (on the y-axis). As one variable increases the other one decreases, and vice versa. That explains why the demand curve has a negative downward slope.