Unit 13: Monetary Policy - Practice Quiz

DEECO515 60 Questions
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1 Monetary policy refers to the policy that primarily controls the:

concept and meaning Easy
A. Supply of money and credit in the economy
B. Amount of foreign direct investment
C. Level of government spending
D. Rate of income tax on individuals

2 In India, monetary policy is formulated and implemented by the:

concept and meaning Easy
A. Reserve Bank of India
B. Securities and Exchange Board of India
C. State Bank of India
D. Ministry of Finance

3 A monetary policy that increases the money supply to encourage economic activity is called:

concept and meaning Easy
A. Contractionary monetary policy
B. Expansionary monetary policy
C. Fiscal policy
D. Trade policy

4 A tight or contractionary monetary policy is generally used to:

concept and meaning Easy
A. Lower all interest rates
B. Reduce inflation in the economy
C. Increase unemployment sharply
D. Expand credit rapidly

5 Which of the following is a common objective of monetary policy?

objectives Easy
A. Price stability
B. Reducing literacy rates
C. Raising import duties
D. Increasing pollution levels

6 Ensuring adequate flow of credit to productive sectors is an objective aimed at achieving:

objectives Easy
A. Economic growth
B. Trade deficit
C. Currency devaluation
D. Higher inflation

7 "Full employment" as an objective of monetary policy means:

objectives Easy
A. Banning all layoffs by companies
B. Removing the need for private firms
C. Employing every citizen in government jobs
D. Utilizing available labour resources with minimal involuntary unemployment

8 Which objective of monetary policy focuses on maintaining a stable external value of the currency?

objectives Easy
A. Domestic tax reform
B. Population control
C. Agricultural subsidy
D. Exchange rate stability

9 The rate at which the central bank lends short-term funds to commercial banks is the:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Income tax rate
B. Repo rate
C. Exchange rate
D. Sales tax rate

10 The Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) refers to the portion of deposits that banks must:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Invest in the stock market
B. Keep as reserves with the central bank
C. Distribute as dividends
D. Lend to the government free of interest

11 Buying and selling of government securities by the central bank is known as:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Currency printing
B. Progressive taxation
C. Open Market Operations
D. Deficit financing

12 The Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) requires banks to maintain a minimum percentage of their deposits in the form of:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Foreign currency deposits abroad
B. Liquid assets like cash, gold and approved securities
C. Real estate holdings
D. Corporate equity shares

13 Which of the following is a quantitative (general) tool of monetary policy?

tools of monetary Easy
A. Credit rationing
B. Moral suasion
C. Bank rate
D. Direct action

14 Moral suasion, as a monetary tool, mainly involves the central bank:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Persuading banks to follow desired policies
B. Collecting direct taxes
C. Legally forcing banks to shut down
D. Fixing prices of all goods

15 If the central bank raises the repo rate, borrowing generally becomes:

tools of monetary Easy
A. Unaffected in any way
B. Completely free of cost
C. Cheaper, increasing credit demand
D. More expensive, reducing credit demand

16 Inflation refers to a sustained rise in the:

inflation and monetary policy Easy
A. Value of the domestic currency
B. Number of banks in an economy
C. General price level of goods and services
D. Total exports of a country

17 To control high inflation, the central bank is most likely to:

inflation and monetary policy Easy
A. Print more currency notes
B. Raise interest rates and reduce money supply
C. Reduce the repo rate to zero
D. Lower interest rates and expand money supply

18 The framework in which the central bank aims to keep inflation near a specified target is called:

inflation and monetary policy Easy
A. Export targeting
B. Inflation targeting
C. Deficit targeting
D. Tax targeting

19 After the economic reforms of 1991, Indian monetary policy moved towards greater reliance on:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Easy
A. Market-based instruments
B. Abolition of the central bank
C. Complete credit rationing
D. Fixed lending quotas only

20 A key feature of monetary policy after economic reforms in India has been:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Easy
A. Ending the use of interest rates
B. Increased focus on price stability and financial sector development
C. Elimination of commercial banks
D. Ban on all foreign trade

21 Monetary policy is best described as the process by which a central bank manages the supply of money and credit to achieve macroeconomic goals. Which authority is primarily responsible for conducting monetary policy in an economy?

concept and meaning Medium
A. The central bank
B. The stock exchange regulator
C. The commercial banks collectively
D. The Ministry of Finance

22 A student claims that monetary policy and fiscal policy are the same because both influence the economy. What is the most accurate correction?

concept and meaning Medium
A. Monetary policy uses taxes, while fiscal policy controls interest rates
B. Monetary policy only affects exports, while fiscal policy only affects imports
C. Monetary policy controls money supply and interest rates, while fiscal policy uses taxation and government spending
D. Both are controlled by the central bank using the same instruments

23 A central bank raises interest rates specifically to keep the general rise in prices under control. Which objective of monetary policy is it pursuing?

objectives Medium
A. Price stability
B. Increased tax revenue
C. Exchange rate depreciation
D. Higher fiscal deficit

24 Which pair of objectives can sometimes conflict, forcing the central bank to make a trade-off?

objectives Medium
A. Price stability and full employment
B. Full employment and rising unemployment
C. Exchange rate stability and currency instability
D. Price stability and higher inflation

25 The objective of monetary policy that focuses on maintaining a steady value of the domestic currency against foreign currencies is called:

objectives Medium
A. Price stability
B. Economic growth
C. Financial inclusion
D. Exchange rate stability

26 If the central bank wants to reduce liquidity in the banking system, which action regarding the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) should it take?

tools of monetary Medium
A. Decrease the CRR
B. Abolish the CRR entirely
C. Keep the CRR unchanged
D. Increase the CRR

27 During a recession, the central bank wants to encourage borrowing and boost demand. Which open market operation is appropriate?

tools of monetary Medium
A. Raising the repo rate
B. Raising the CRR
C. Selling government securities to the market
D. Buying government securities from the market

28 The repo rate is the rate at which the central bank lends to commercial banks. If the repo rate is increased, what is the most likely immediate effect?

tools of monetary Medium
A. Money supply expands sharply
B. Commercial bank lending rates tend to rise
C. Commercial bank lending rates tend to fall
D. Bank deposits are immediately frozen

29 Which of the following is a qualitative (selective) credit control tool rather than a quantitative one?

tools of monetary Medium
A. Margin requirements on loans
B. Bank rate
C. Cash Reserve Ratio
D. Open market operations

30 The Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) requires banks to maintain a minimum percentage of their net demand and time liabilities in the form of:

tools of monetary Medium
A. Real estate holdings
B. Foreign currency deposits only
C. Liquid assets such as cash, gold and approved securities
D. Shares of private companies

31 The reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank borrows from banks. Raising the reverse repo rate primarily encourages banks to:

tools of monetary Medium
A. Park more funds with the central bank, reducing lending
B. Reduce their reserves sharply
C. Lend more aggressively to the public
D. Increase the money multiplier

32 Suppose the CRR is and banks receive fresh deposits of crore. Assuming no leakages, the maximum credit the banking system can create is approximately:

tools of monetary Medium
A. crore
B. crore
C. crore
D. crore

33 To combat high demand-pull inflation, the central bank should adopt a policy stance that is:

inflation and monetary policy Medium
A. Neutral, by leaving all rates unchanged
B. Expansionary, by buying government securities
C. Contractionary, by raising interest rates and CRR
D. Expansionary, by cutting interest rates

34 Under an inflation targeting framework, the central bank commits to keeping inflation:

inflation and monetary policy Medium
A. Exactly at zero at all times
B. Above the target range permanently
C. Within a publicly announced target range
D. As high as possible to boost growth

35 Monetary policy is generally considered less effective against which type of inflation?

inflation and monetary policy Medium
A. Cost-push inflation
B. Open inflation from excess demand
C. Credit-driven inflation
D. Demand-pull inflation

36 If the nominal interest rate is and the inflation rate is , the approximate real interest rate is:

inflation and monetary policy Medium
A.
B.
C.
D.

37 After the economic reforms of the early 1990s in India, monetary policy shifted increasingly toward reliance on:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Medium
A. Fixed lending quotas for every bank
B. Direct credit rationing and administered interest rates
C. Complete abolition of the central bank
D. Market-based indirect instruments like OMOs and repo rate

38 A notable institutional change in Indian monetary policy after reforms was the establishment of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), whose main task is to:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Medium
A. Set the government's annual budget
B. Regulate the stock market
C. Fix crude oil import prices
D. Decide the policy repo rate to achieve the inflation target

39 One key aim of monetary policy in the post-reform period was to promote financial deepening. This refers to:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Medium
A. Raising taxes on financial transactions
B. Reducing the number of banks in the economy
C. Expanding the size and access of financial markets and services
D. Freezing all interest rates permanently

40 Why did the effectiveness of the monetary transmission mechanism become an important concern after reforms?

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Medium
A. Banks were prohibited from lending to firms
B. Policy rate changes must actually pass through to bank lending and deposit rates
C. Fiscal policy replaced monetary policy entirely
D. The central bank stopped issuing currency

41 A central bank announces it will keep policy rates unchanged but shifts its communication from 'accommodative' to 'neutral' without any change in reserve requirements or open market operations. This action is best characterized as which aspect of monetary policy?

concept and meaning Hard
A. A statutory reserve adjustment
B. A fiscal stabilization measure
C. Forward guidance affecting expectations rather than immediate liquidity
D. A direct quantitative tool altering the monetary base

42 Monetary policy is often described as operating through 'transmission channels'. If a policy rate cut fails to reduce bank lending rates because banks are recapitalizing and hoarding liquidity, which channel is said to be impaired?

concept and meaning Hard
A. The bank lending (credit) channel
B. The wealth channel
C. The Tobin's channel
D. The exchange rate channel

43 In a liquidity trap, expansionary monetary policy loses effectiveness primarily because:

concept and meaning Hard
A. The exchange rate is perfectly fixed
B. The money multiplier becomes infinite
C. Interest rates are near zero and money demand becomes perfectly elastic
D. Reserve requirements automatically rise

44 A central bank faces rising inflation alongside stagnating output (stagflation). Pursuing price stability strictly would require tightening, but this worsens unemployment. This dilemma illustrates:

objectives Hard
A. The Fisher effect operating in reverse
B. A conflict among competing monetary policy objectives
C. The complete independence of objectives
D. The neutrality of money in the long run

45 Under a flexible inflation targeting framework, a central bank with a target (band ) observes a supply shock pushing inflation to . Which response is most consistent with 'flexible' rather than 'strict' targeting?

objectives Hard
A. Tolerating the temporary breach while looking through the transient shock to avoid excessive output loss
B. Immediately raising rates until inflation returns exactly to
C. Cutting rates to boost output despite the breach
D. Abandoning the target and fixing the exchange rate

46 The objective of 'exchange rate stability' can conflict with an independent domestic monetary policy under free capital mobility. This tension is formally captured by:

objectives Hard
A. The impossible trinity (trilemma)
B. The quantity theory of money
C. Okun's law
D. The Phillips curve

47 If the Cash Reserve Ratio is and there are no leakages, an injection of crore of primary deposits can theoretically expand total deposits to a maximum of:

tools of monetary Hard
A. crore
B. crore
C. crore
D. crore

48 During open market operations, when the central bank buys government securities from commercial banks, the immediate effect on the banking system is:

tools of monetary Hard
A. An automatic rise in the repo rate
B. A contraction of the monetary base
C. An increase in bank reserves and potential credit expansion
D. A rise in the statutory liquidity ratio

49 Consider the corridor system: the repo rate is , the reverse repo (SDF) is , and the MSF rate is . The overnight interbank call rate would normally be expected to trade:

tools of monetary Hard
A. Within the corridor, near the repo rate
B. Below the reverse repo rate
C. Exactly at the MSF rate at all times
D. Above the MSF rate

50 A central bank raises the Statutory Liquidity Ratio while simultaneously conducting open market purchases. The net effect on commercial banks' free lendable resources is:

tools of monetary Hard
A. Certainly expansionary
B. Neutral by construction
C. Ambiguous, depending on the relative magnitudes of the two operations
D. Certainly contractionary

51 Which combination best distinguishes 'quantitative' from 'qualitative' credit control tools?

tools of monetary Hard
A. Margin requirements are quantitative; CRR is qualitative
B. Open market operations are qualitative; moral suasion is quantitative
C. CRR and bank rate are quantitative; margin requirements and moral suasion are qualitative
D. All rate-based tools are qualitative; all ratio-based tools are quantitative

52 Sterilized intervention refers to a situation where the central bank:

tools of monetary Hard
A. Offsets the money-supply effect of forex intervention through OMO
B. Fixes the exchange rate permanently
C. Raises reserve requirements to zero
D. Abandons the domestic policy rate entirely

53 A major shift in Indian monetary policy after the 1991 reforms was the move away from direct instruments. Which change best reflects this transition?

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Hard
A. Increasing use of automatic monetization of the deficit
B. Abolition of the statutory liquidity ratio entirely
C. Declining reliance on CRR/SLR and greater use of OMO and repo-based rates
D. Reintroduction of administered interest rates on all deposits

54 The 1994 and 1997 agreements between the RBI and the Government of India to phase out ad hoc treasury bills primarily aimed to:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Hard
A. Peg the rupee to the US dollar
B. Introduce inflation targeting immediately
C. Raise the statutory liquidity ratio
D. End automatic monetization of the fiscal deficit

55 The adoption of the flexible inflation targeting framework in India (formalized in 2016) shifted the nominal anchor toward:

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Hard
A. A fixed exchange rate peg
B. WPI inflation with a zero tolerance band
C. CPI inflation with a target and a tolerance band
D. Broad money () growth as the sole target

56 The introduction of the Multiple Indicator Approach in 1998 was a response to which problem observed after reforms?

role of monetary policy after the period of economic reforms Hard
A. The fixing of the rupee under a currency board
B. The elimination of all foreign capital flows
C. The abolition of open market operations
D. The weakening stability of the money-demand function that undermined monetary targeting

57 Suppose the real interest rate target is and expected inflation is . Under a Taylor-type rule requiring the nominal rate to rise more than one-for-one with inflation, if inflation rises to the nominal policy rate should be set:

inflation and monetary policy Hard
A. Above so the real rate rises
B. Below to support output
C. At regardless of inflation
D. Exactly at

58 Monetary policy is generally considered a weaker instrument against cost-push inflation than demand-pull inflation because:

inflation and monetary policy Hard
A. Tightening to curb cost-push inflation tends to reduce output and employment without addressing the supply shock
B. Cost-push inflation raises the money multiplier automatically
C. Demand-pull inflation cannot be affected by interest rates
D. Cost-push inflation only occurs at the zero lower bound

59 The concept of 'time inconsistency' in monetary policy explains why a discretionary central bank may deliver:

inflation and monetary policy Hard
A. A stable exchange rate under all conditions
B. A higher average inflation with no permanent output gain (inflation bias)
C. Permanently lower unemployment with zero inflation
D. Zero inflation and zero output volatility simultaneously

60 Using the quantity equation , if the money supply grows at , velocity is stable, and real output grows at , the implied rate of inflation is approximately:

inflation and monetary policy Hard
A.
B.
C.
D.