Globalisation, Free Trade & Protection (CIE IGCSE Economics)

Topic Questions

11 mark

What is the least likely feature of globalisation?

  • integration of trade

  • international capital flows

  • the spread of multinational companies

  • unrestricted movement of labour

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21 mark

What is the most likely effect of a decrease in tariffs?

  • increased inflation rates

  • increased consumer choices

  • increased government revenue from tariffs

  • increased revenues of domestic firms

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31 mark

What is a disadvantage of trade protection of manufactured goods?

  • It can lead to retaliation from trading partners.

  • It encourages infant industries to grow.

  • It increases demand for domestic manufactured goods.

  • It reduces outflows of currencies to pay for imports.

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41 mark

A country imposes tariffs and quotas on imported goods.
What will citizens of that country experience?

  • higher prices

  • higher unemployment

  • higher welfare

  • wider consumer choice

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51 mark

What is a valid economic argument in favour of trade protection?

  • It allows greater consumer choice.

  • It encourages trade liberalisation.

  • It helps support infant industries.

  • It keeps prices lower.

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61 mark

A government imposes a limit of 2 million on the number of smartphones imported into the country.

Which term is given to this limitation?

  • ban

  • embargo

  • quota

  • tariff

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11 mark

The US government decides to reduce the size of the quota on a good it buys from China. What is likely to happen?

  • The good will become cheaper in the US.

  • The US balance of trade will worsen.

  • The US government’s revenue will decline.

  • There will be less of the good imported into the US.

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21 mark

In 2013, the European Union (EU) levied a 48% tariff on low-priced Chinese solar panels because the low price was the result of subsidies from the Chinese government.

Which argument for protectionism was the EU using?

  • the anti-dumping argument

  • the infant industry argument

  • the strategic industry argument

  • the sunset industry argument

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31 mark

The table shows the tariffs imposed on imported tropical fruit in the European Union (EU) according to the degree of processing.

  EU tariffs
(% rate)

fresh tropical fruit

canned tropical fruit

bottled tropical fruit drinks

8.0

11.3

23.6


What might be the reason for this pattern of tariffs?

  • to encourage imports of processed products into the EU

  • to encourage tropical countries’ exports

  • to help manufacturing industries in the EU

  • to help tropical countries develop manufacturing industries

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41 mark

Which combination of government policies is most likely to increase the rate of growth of domestic production in an economy?

  • an increase in expenditure on infrastructure and an increase in income tax

  • an increase in interest rates and an increase in quotas on imported goods

  • an increase in sales tax and an increase in education expenditure

  • an increase in subsidies to domestic industry and an increase in tariffs

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51 mark

What would reduce the volume of international trade in the world economy?

  • a German bank making a loan to a Nigerian company

  • a Japanese car manufacturer establishing a factory in the Czech Republic

  • the Canadian government introducing quotas on Malaysian electronics products

  • the Swedish government granting aid to Somalia

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11 mark

A country changes to a policy of self-sufficiency in agriculture, instead of relying on world supplies.
What is likely to happen in the country as a result?

  • Agricultural prices will rise.

  • Farm output will fall.

  • More farmers will be unemployed.

  • More food will be imported.

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21 mark

Many low-income countries rely on multinational companies (MNCs) to provide economic development.

What is a disadvantage of this for the low-income country?

  • Local firms close because MNCs are more efficient.

  • New production techniques are introduced.

  • The balance of payments may improve.

  • The MNCs have to pay taxes on their profits.

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31 mark

Protectionist policies reduce the level of global economic growth.

What is a possible reason for this?

  • Incomes earned from trading decline.

  • Tariffs encourage trade.

  • The average cost of production decreases.

  • The production possibility of an economy expands.

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41 mark

A newspaper headline stated ‘Free trade helps the world’s poorest’.

Why might this be correct?

  • Employment will be focused in hi-tech industries.

  • Environmental disasters will be avoided.

  • Free trade reduces competitiveness for domestic firms.

  • The cost of living is likely to go down with free trade.

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51 mark

Which action might be taken by an economy wishing to produce a greater range of products?

  • concentrate on the production of primary products

  • encourage imports of manufactured goods

  • encourage investment by multinational companies

  • increase interest rates

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61 mark

The government of a developing country allows a multinational mining company to mine minerals in order to improve the standard of living of the local people.

Which action by the multinational company (MNC) will not lead to an improvement in the standard of living of the local people?

  • building roads to assist transport

  • exporting mineral ore

  • providing skills training

  • returning profits overseas

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71 mark

A country has decided that it wants to increase free trade with its trading partners.

Which measure would help it achieve this objective?

  • a higher quota on imported cars

  • a subsidy to domestic car producers

  • an embargo on cars produced in other countries

  • higher tariffs on imported goods

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