Question map
Consider the following statements : Other things remaining unchanged, market demand for a good might increase if 1. price of its substitute increases 2. price of its complement increases 3. the good is an inferior good and income of the consumers increases 4. its price falls Which of the above statements are correct?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 1 (1 and 4 only). Market demand for a good increases due to the following reasons mentioned in the statements:
- Statement 1 is correct: Substitutes are goods used in place of each other. If the price of a substitute (e.g., coffee) increases, consumers switch to the original good (e.g., tea), thereby increasing its market demand.
- Statement 4 is correct: According to the Law of Demand, an inverse relationship exists between price and quantity demanded. Other things being equal, a fall in the price of a good leads to an increase in its demand.
Why other statements are incorrect:
- Statement 2 is incorrect: Complements are used together (e.g., cars and petrol). If the price of a complement increases, the demand for the original good decreases.
- Statement 3 is incorrect: For inferior goods, demand decreases as consumer income increases, as consumers shift toward superior or normal goods.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewA classic NCERT-based conceptual question. It tests the definitions of Substitutes, Complements, and Inferior goods. While Statement 4 technically describes a 'movement' rather than a 'shift', the blatant incorrectness of Statements 2 and 3 allows you to solve this purely via elimination.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Does an increase in the price of a substitute good, ceteris paribus, increase the market demand (shift the demand curve) for the original good?
- Statement 2: Does an increase in the price of a complement good, ceteris paribus, increase the market demand (shift the demand curve) for the original good?
- Statement 3: For an inferior good, does an increase in consumers' income, ceteris paribus, increase the market demand (shift the demand curve) for that good?
- Statement 4: Does a fall in a good's own price, ceteris paribus, increase the market demand (shift the demand curve) for that good rather than only increasing quantity demanded along the demand curve?
- Directly asserts that an increase in the price of a substitute good causes the demand curve to shift rightward.
- Provides the directional effect (rightward shift) under ceteris paribus conditions.
- Contrasts substitute effect with complementary goods to clarify sign of the shift.
- States that the demand depends on prices of other goods and that changes in those prices lead to shifts in the demand curve.
- Distinguishes shifts in the demand curve (caused by other factors) from movements along the curve (caused by own-price changes).
- Directly states the effect of a rise in the price of a complement on demand for the original good.
- Explicitly indicates that a rise in the price of a complement lowers demand (opposite of an increase).
- Explains what a shift in the demand curve means (rightward shift = increase in demand).
- Provides the framework to interpret 'lower demand' as a movement of the demand curve (opposite direction to a rightward shift).
States the general rule contrasting substitutes and complements: higher price of a substitute shifts demand right, higher price of a complementary good shifts demand left.
A student can combine this rule with the definition of complements (goods used together) to infer that higher price of the complement reduces joint consumption and thus demand for the original.
Gives the general principle that changes in prices of other goods (holding other things constant) cause shifts in the demand curve rather than movements along it.
Use this to classify the price change of a complement as a cause of a demand-curve shift and then predict its direction using the complements/substitutes rule.
Explains market demand is horizontal summation of individual demands, so aggregate shifts reflect individual-level responses to other goods' price changes.
A student can reason that if individuals reduce quantity demanded of the original good when its complement's price rises, the market demand curve will shift accordingly (leftward).
Discusses responsiveness (elasticity) of demand to price changes, showing that the magnitude of quantity response matters for expenditure and outcomes.
Combine elasticity reasoning with the complement relationship to assess how strongly market demand for the original will fall when the complement's price rises.
Shows that changes in population (or other demand shifters) shift the demand curve and that such shifts do not affect supply β clarifying what counts as a demand shifter.
Use this pattern to treat a complement's price change as another demand shifter and then apply the complements rule to predict direction of the shift in market demand.
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- Explicitly defines inferior good by the relationship between income and demand.
- States that when income increases, demand for an inferior good decreases (inverse relationship).
- Directly implies that income increases do not increase market demand for inferior goods.
- States the comparative effect of income changes on superior vs. inferior goods.
- Specifically says increased income leads to lower demand for inferior goods as consumers switch to superior goods.
- Explains how changes in demand are represented as shifts of the demand curve.
- Allows interpretation that a decrease in demand (from higher income for an inferior good) would shift the demand curve left.
Gives the definition/rule that for inferior goods, demand moves opposite to income: as income increases, individual demand falls.
A student can apply this individual-level rule to infer that if many consumers' incomes rise, individual downward responses would aggregate to lower market demand.
States that changes in income cause shifts in the demand curve and explicitly says normal goods shift right while inferior goods shift left when income rises.
Use this rule to predict the direction of the market demand curve shift for an inferior good when incomes rise.
Contrasts normal and inferior goods: normal-good demand increases with income (rightward shift), while consumers spend less on an inferior good as income increases.
By contrasting normal and inferior cases, a student can reason that the income increase effect for inferiors is the reverse of the normal-good example shown.
Explains that market demand is the horizontal summation of individual demand curves.
Combine this aggregation rule with the individual-level inferior-good response to conclude how individual decreases in demand would translate into a market-level shift.
Summarises key properties: demand curve holds consumer income fixed; reiterates that demand for an inferior good decreases as income increases.
Use this as a general reminder that income changes are a shift factorβso inferior-good income effects produce a leftward shift in demand curves.
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- Directly states that any change in the price leads to movements along the demand curve.
- Explicitly contrasts price changes (movements) with changes in other factors (which cause shifts).
- Defines the demand curve as the relation between quantity demanded and the good's own price when other factors remain unchanged (ceteris paribus).
- By tying quantity chosen directly to price under ceteris paribus, it implies price changes produce changes in quantity demanded, not shifts.
- Lists non-price factors (prices of substitutes/complements, tastes) that cause the demand curve to shift.
- By enumerating shifting determinants other than the good's own price, it implies own-price changes do not shift the demand curve.
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- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly sourced from NCERT Class XII Microeconomics, Chapter 2 (Theory of Consumer Behaviour).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Determinants of Demand: Price of related goods, Income, and Tastes vs. Own Price.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize Cross-Elasticity signs: Substitutes = Positive, Complements = Negative. Memorize Income Elasticity: Normal = Positive, Inferior = Negative. Study Giffen Goods (upward sloping demand) and Veblen Goods (snob appeal).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Prioritize 'Directional Logic' over 'Technical Terminology'. Statements 2 and 3 are directionally impossible (Price of complement up β Demand up). Eliminating these wrong statements solves the question instantly, bypassing the technical ambiguity in Statement 4.
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An increase in the price of a substitute raises demand for the original good, producing a rightward shift in its demand curve.
High-yield for comparative statics and equilibrium problems: knowing the cross-price relationship helps predict how prices and quantities change across related markets. Connects directly to cross-price elasticity, market interactions, and policy impact analysis.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.5 Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 25
Changes in prices of other goods are core determinants that, when altered, shift a good's demand curve rather than causing movements along it.
Essential for distinguishing causes of demand shifts versus movements; useful across questions on demand-supply shifts, market equilibrium, and welfare analysis. Enables correct diagrammatic reasoning and comparative-static answers.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.6 Movements along the Demand Curve and Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 26
Own-price changes cause movements along a demand curve, whereas changes in other factors (including other goods' prices) produce shifts of the entire curve.
Core conceptual distinction tested repeatedly in prelims and mains; mastering it allows precise answers to diagram-based questions, identification of causal factors, and clear policy implications.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.6 Movements along the Demand Curve and Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 26
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.5 Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 25
An increase in the price of a complement reduces demand for the paired good, while an increase in the price of a substitute raises demand for the original good; this distinguishes the direction of demand shifts.
High-yield for comparative-static and consumer-behaviour questions; it ties directly into predicting demand shifts and equilibrium changes across related markets and helps answer policy or tax-impact problems where cross-good effects matter.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.5 Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 25
A change in the good's own price causes movement along the demand curve, whereas changes in prices of other goods, income, or tastes produce shifts of the entire demand curve.
Crucial to avoid conceptual errors in diagram-based questions and elasticity reasoning; it connects to market equilibrium analysis and clarifies when to redraw demand curves versus when to trace movements on them.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.6 Movements along the Demand Curve and Shifts in the Demand Curve > p. 26
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.6.3 Elasticity and Expenditure > p. 35
Market demand is the horizontal sum of individual demands, so aggregate demand shifts when individual demands change (for example, due to changes in related-good prices or number of consumers).
Important for aggregate-level reasoning: it enables translating individual behavioural responses into market demand shifts, and is useful in questions about population changes, entry/exit of consumers, and overall equilibrium effects.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.5 MARKET DEMAND > p. 27
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Market Equilibrium > Demand Shift > p. 78
Inferior goods are those whose demand falls when consumer income rises, while normal goods see demand rise with income.
High-yield for consumer theory questions: explains how income changes alter individual and market demand via the income effect; connects to topics like consumer choice, welfare, and policy impacts on low-income households. Mastery lets you classify goods and predict demand-direction under income shifts.
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.4.3 Normal and Inferior Goods > p. 24
- Microeconomics (NCERT class XII 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: Theory of Consumer Behaviour > 2.6.3 Elasticity and Expenditure > p. 33
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The Giffen Good Paradox (NCERT p. 24-25). All Giffen goods are inferior, but not all inferior goods are Giffen. For Giffen goods, the negative income effect is so strong it outweighs the substitution effect, violating the Law of Demand.
The 'Real World Substitution' Hack. For Statement 2: Replace 'complement' with 'Petrol' and 'good' with 'Car'. If Petrol price skyrockets, does Car demand increase? No. Statement 2 is False. Eliminate [B], [D]. For Statement 3: If you become a billionaire (Income up), do you buy more cheap ration rice (Inferior)? No. Statement 3 is False. Eliminate [C]. Answer is [A].
GS-3 Inflation & Taxation: Understanding 'Elasticity' explains why Sin Taxes on tobacco (inelastic demand) generate revenue, while taxes on luxury goods (elastic demand) curb consumption. It also explains why MSP hikes (Price Floor) create surpluses.
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