1. It would be reasonable for a typical purely competitive wheat farmer to lower his price per bushel in order to sell more. The higher sales level will cause average fixed cost to decrease and this will result in more profit for the individual farmer. True or false, and why?

2. In other situations it would be reasonable for a purely competitive wheat farmer to raise his price per bushel because he could reduce his variable costs by selling less at a higher price. True or false, and why?

3. Using the tableas a guide, can you make a reasonable guess as to what percentage of the US labor force is currently employed in agriculture? Hint: Look at the numbers for the developed or wealthy nations and use them as your guide.

4. Look at the graph. Is the market demand curve in this graph elastic or inelastic? Can you calculate the elasticity value in the $3 to $5 price range using the midpoints formula for elasticity? El = (Q1-Q2)/(Q1+Q2) divided by (P1-P2)/(P1+P2) For the purpose of this calculation, assume that Q1 = 3 and Q2 = 3.50. Hint: Your numerical result should be inelastic.

6. Suppose that a price support system for cotton requires the federal government to pay farmers $3,000 per acre to not plant cotton. How would you shift either the supply or demand curve for cotton to illustrate the effect of this action? In your answer describe only one shift.