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Comprehension:

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions based on the passage:

Law of Variable Proportion and Return to Scale.

The law of variable proportions arises because factor proportions change as long as one factor is held constant and the other is increased. What if both factors can change? Remember that this can happen only in the long run. When a proportional increase in all inputs results in an increase in output by the same proportion, the production function is said to display Constant returns to scale (CRS).

When a proportional increase in all inputs results in an increase in output by a larger proportion, the production function is said to display Increasing Returns to Scale (IRS). Decreasing Returns to Scale (DRS) holds when a proportional increase in all inputs results in an increase in output by a smaller proportion.

When output increases with the larger proportion compare to increase in inputs, this return is called?

  1. Decreasing Return to scale.
  2. Increasing return to scale.
  3. Constant Return to scale.
  4. Diminishing Marginal Product.

Solution

✅ Correct Option: 2

Option 1 -> Occurs when output increases by a smaller proportion than inputs.

Option 2 -> Occurs when output increases by a larger proportion than inputs.

Option 3 -> Occurs when output increases by the same proportion as inputs.

Option 4 -> Refers to declining additional output from one variable input while others are fixed.


Hence, Increasing return to scale -> This is a long-run production concept where when all inputs are increased by a certain proportion, output increases by a larger proportion. For example, if a firm doubles all its inputs (labor, capital, materials) and output more than doubles (say, triples), the firm experiences increasing returns to scale. This often occurs due to specialization, efficient use of indivisible inputs, and economies of scale. -> correct

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