the table compares two countries and two products. what might be the best decision for country a?\n| country…

the table compares two countries and two products. what might be the best decision for country a?\n| country | cost (units) | production choices |\n| ---- | ---- | ---- |\n| | | petroleum (units) | seafood (units) |\n| country a | 1 | 16 | 8 |\n| country b | 1 | 8 | 8 |\nfocus both on its petroleum and seafood industries\nfocus on the seafood industry only\nfocus on the petroleum industry only\ndecide to find another industry to focus on

the table compares two countries and two products. what might be the best decision for country a?\n| country | cost (units) | production choices |\n| ---- | ---- | ---- |\n| | | petroleum (units) | seafood (units) |\n| country a | 1 | 16 | 8 |\n| country b | 1 | 8 | 8 |\nfocus both on its petroleum and seafood industries\nfocus on the seafood industry only\nfocus on the petroleum industry only\ndecide to find another industry to focus on

Answer

Explanation:

Step 1: Calculate opportunity costs for Country A

Opportunity cost of 1 unit petroleum: $\frac{8}{16} = 0.5$ units seafood
Opportunity cost of 1 unit seafood: $\frac{16}{8} = 2$ units petroleum

Step 2: Compare with Country B's opportunity costs (1 unit petroleum = 1 unit seafood)

Country A has lower opportunity cost for petroleum (0.5 < 1), indicating comparative advantage in petroleum.

Answer:

focus on the petroleum industry only