content area Part 1 The marginal-cost curve is A. negatively sloped for small quantities of output because of diminishing returns, and positively sloped for large quantities because of the benefits of labor specialization. B. negatively sloped for small quantities of output because of the benefits of labor specialization, and positively sloped for large quantities because of diminishing returns. C. positively sloped for small quantities of output because of the benefits of labor specialization, and negatively sloped for large quantities because of diminishing returns. D. positively sloped for small quantities of output because of diminishing returns, and negatively sloped for large quantities because of the benefits of labor specialization