Following a long period of slow growth, the government of country x decided to open its economy and reduce trade barriers in order to boost economic growth. this provided the expected impetus to the economy as competition increased and the efficiency of domestic firms improved. a decade after opening the economy, the country's gdp is now growing at an average of 7-8 percent annually. a group of economists claim that the standard of living of the people has improved substantially during this period. they also expect this impressive growth to continue over the next five years. which of the following, if true, would weaken the economists' claim that the standard of living has improved?

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Following a long period of slow growth, the government of country X decided to open its economy and reduce trade barriers in order to boost economic growth. This provided the expected impetus to the economy as competition increased and the efficiency of domestic firms improved. A decade after opening the economy, the country's GDP is now growing at an average of 7-8 percent annually. A group of economists claim that the standard of living of the people has improved substantially during this period. They also expect this impressive growth to continue over the next five years.

Which of the following, if true, will indicate that the standard of living has actually improved since the economy was opened?

A.Country X's leading trading partner reported a fall in the standard of living over the last two years.

B.Discretionary spending by domestic consumers increased during this time.

C.Overall exports increased because of a fall in domestic consumption during this period.

D.High interest rates have attracted a large amount of foreign investment over the last five years.

E.The government pegged its currency to a foreign currency three years back.

(B) Discretionary spending by domestic consumers increased during this time.

Explanation:

When domestic consumers engage in increased discretionary spending, then it is safe to say that there is an improvement in the economy. As domestic consumers would rather spend only on essentials (food, clothing, and housing), when they have limited disposable income.

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