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Free Questions › CFA › Economics
Free CFA Economics Practice Questions & Answers
2,050 exam-style Economics questions. Pick your answer, hit Check answer, and see the worked solution — free to start, no signup.
100% free · No login to startQuestion 901
The effectiveness of monetary policy depends partly on:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Fiscal stance
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Fiscal expansion or contraction affects monetary transmission. Wrong: B, C, D: Not primary.
Question 902
If fiscal policy is easy and monetary policy is tight, interest rates:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Rise
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Tight money raises rates despite fiscal expansion. Wrong: A, C, D: Incorrect.
Question 903
If fiscal policy is tight and monetary policy is easy, interest rates:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Fall
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Easy money lowers rates despite fiscal contraction. Wrong: A, C, D: Incorrect.
Question 904
Easy monetary + easy fiscal policy tends to:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Lower interest rates
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Easy money lowers rates; fiscal expansion raises demand. Wrong: B, C, D: Not typical.
Question 905
Tight monetary + tight fiscal policy tends to:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Raise interest rates
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Tight money raises rates; tight fiscal reduces demand. Wrong: A, C, D: Incorrect.
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Question 906
Monetary policy is more effective when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Banks are willing to lend
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Lending is essential for transmission. Wrong: B, C, D: Reduce effectiveness.
Question 907
Fiscal policy is more effective when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Monetary policy is accommodative
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Low rates amplify fiscal stimulus. Wrong: B, C, D: Not optimal.
Question 908
Monetary policy is less effective when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Banks hold excess reserves
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Excess reserves reduce credit creation. Wrong: A, C, D: Not limiting factors.
Question 909
Fiscal policy is less effective when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Monetary policy is tight
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: High rates offset fiscal stimulus. Wrong: B, C, D: Not limiting.
Question 910
A liquidity trap makes monetary policy ineffective because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Additional money does not lower interest rates or stimulate activity
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: In a liquidity trap, people are willing to hold unlimited money balances, so extra money does not reduce rates or boost lending. ✘ Why others wrong: A: Rates can rise; the issue is they cannot fall further. C: Deposits still occur. D: Fiscal policy does not automatically expand.
Question 911
Deflation makes monetary policy difficult because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Nominal interest rates cannot fall far below zero
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: The zero lower bound prevents deep rate cuts needed to fight deflation. ✘ Why others wrong: A: They can raise rates. C: Lending slows but does not necessarily stop. D: Deflation lowers, not raises, inflation expectations.
Question 912
A deflationary trap is characterized by:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Falling prices, weak demand, and rising real debt burdens
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Deflation reduces spending and increases the real value of debt, reinforcing the downturn. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: Opposite of deflationary conditions.
Question 913
Quantitative easing (QE) is used when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Interest rates are already at or near zero
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: QE is an unconventional tool used when conventional rate cuts are no longer possible. ✘ Why others wrong: B: QE is not used to fight high inflation. C & D: Not related to QE.
Question 914
A risk of QE is that:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Central banks may accumulate risky assets that could lose value
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Buying risky assets exposes the central bank to potential losses, threatening confidence in fiat money. ✘ Why others wrong: A: QE does not automatically cause hyperinflation. C: QE does not eliminate the multiplier. D: Banks may still choose not to lend.
Question 915
A key limitation of monetary policy is that central banks cannot control:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — How much banks are willing to lend
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Even with high reserves, banks may choose not to lend, limiting monetary policy’s effectiveness. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: These are fiscal or government functions, not monetary limitations.
Question 916
A policy mix that encourages private investment typically involves:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Accommodative monetary policy and tight fiscal policy
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Low interest rates support investment, while tight fiscal policy frees resources for the private sector. ✘ Why others wrong: A: High rates discourage investment. C: Risks inflation. D: Restrictive for growth.
Question 917
Governments may increase spending on training and infrastructure when:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Workforce skills or capital infrastructure are inadequate
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Improving human and physical capital boosts potential output. ✘ Why others wrong: A, C, D: Not the primary motivation.
Question 918
If government increases spending without raising taxes, fiscal policy becomes:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: C — Expansionary
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Higher spending without offsetting taxes increases aggregate demand. Wrong: A & B: Opposite. D: Fiscal stance always matters.
Question 919
Combining expansionary fiscal policy with loose monetary policy risks:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Inflation
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Both policies raise demand, increasing inflationary pressure. Wrong: A, C, D: Opposite effects.
Question 920
The appropriate mix of monetary and fiscal policy is difficult to judge because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Policymakers lack precise knowledge of the economy’s current state
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Economic data are lagged and revised, making real-time assessment difficult. Wrong: A, C, D: All false.
Question 921
Fiscal policy is harder to use quickly because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Capital projects take time to plan and implement
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Infrastructure and spending programs require long lead times. Wrong: A, C, D: Not accurate.
Question 922
It is politically easier to:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Loosen fiscal policy
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Politicians prefer spending increases or tax cuts over austerity. Wrong: A, C, D: Politically unpopular.
Question 923
Fiscal tightening often occurs through:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Automatic stabilizers
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Rising incomes automatically raise taxes; falling benefits reduce spending. Wrong: A: Expansionary. C & D: Not fiscal tools.
Question 924
Monetary policy decisions are often easier politically because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: A — Central banks are independent
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Independence removes political pressure from rate decisions. Wrong: B, C, D: Incorrect.
Question 925
Ricardian equivalence suggests tax cuts may fail to stimulate demand because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — People save more in anticipation of future tax increases
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Households expect future taxes to rise and save instead of spend. Wrong: A, C, D: Not Ricardian logic.
Question 926
IMF research on coordinated fiscal loosening found that:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Government spending increases have the largest GDP impact
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Government spending had the strongest multiplier in the IMF model. Wrong: A, C, D: Not supported by findings.
Question 927
Without monetary accommodation, social transfers have a smaller effect because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — They are viewed as temporary
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Temporary transfers lead households to save rather than spend. Wrong: A, C, D: Not accurate.
Question 928
Targeted social transfers have a larger effect than general transfers because:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — The poor spend a higher share of income
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Lower-income households have higher marginal propensities to consume. Wrong: A, C, D: Incorrect.
Question 929
Labor tax cuts have:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — A slightly larger effect than general transfers
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: IMF findings show labor tax cuts outperform general transfers but not spending. Wrong: A, C, D: Not supported.
Question 930
With monetary accommodation, fiscal multipliers:
Select an option first.
Correct answer: B — Become much larger
Explanation: ✔ Why correct: Low interest rates amplify fiscal stimulus. Wrong: A, C, D: Opposite.
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