Consider the market for pens. Suppose that a new educational study has proven that the practice of writing, erasing, and rewriting improves students' ability to process information, leading parents to steer away from pen use in favor of pencils. Moreover, the price of plastic, an important input in pen production, has increased considerably.

On the following graph, labeled Scenario 1, indicate the effect these two events have on the demand for and supply of pens.

Note: Select and drag one or both of the curves to the desired position. Curves will snap into position, so if you try to move a curve and it snaps back to its original position, just drag it a little farther.

Scenario 1DemandSupply012345678910109876543210PRICE (Dollars per pen)QUANTITY (Millions of pens)DemandSupply

Next, complete the following graph, labeled Scenario 2, by shifting the supply and demand curves in the same way that you did on the Scenario 1 graph.

Scenario 2DemandSupply012345678910109876543210PRICE (Dollars per pen)QUANTITY (Millions of pens)DemandSupply

Compare both the Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 graphs. Notice that after completing both graphs, you can now see a difference between them that wasn't apparent before the shifts because each graph indicates different magnitudes for the supply and demand shifts in the market for pens.

Use the results of your answers on both the Scenario 1 and Scenario 2 graphs to complete the following table. Begin by indicating the overall change in the equilibrium price and quantity after the shift in demand or supply for each shift-magnitude scenario. Then, in the final column, indicate the resulting change in the equilibrium price and quantity when supply and demand shift in the direction you previously indicated on both graphs. If you cannot determine the answer without knowing the magnitude of the shifts, choose Cannot determine.

Equilibrium Object	Change in Equilibrium Objects
Scenario 1	Scenario 2	When Shift Magnitudes Are Unknown
Price
Quantity

True or False: When both the demand and supply curves shift, the curve that shifts by the smaller magnitude determines the effect on the undetermined equilibrium object.

True

False