2013, Question 3 · 6 points
Backyard fireworks and externalities
Graph the fireworks market, add social cost and benefit curves and shade the deadweight loss when noise bothers neighbors, then compare market and optimal output when neighbors enjoy the show and judge the effect of a ban.
This exam had three free-response questions to answer in 50 minutes of writing after 10 minutes of planning, with about half the time suggested for Question 1 and the rest split evenly between Questions 2 and 3. The current exam has 3 free-response questions in 60 minutes. The skills these questions practice still count.
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's, from the 2013 exam. It starts on page 4 of the PDF. College Board no longer posts this exam, so it opens from the copy of College Board's PDF that the Internet Archive saved on December 20, 2025.
2 Write your answer
Answer each part the way you would on the exam, in full sentences, with your work shown. Your writing saves as you type.
3 Score it
Score your answer against College Board's scoring guidelines, one point at a time. Give yourself a point only when your answer says what the guideline asks for.
Scoring guidelines (PDF, page 4) What the exam readers saw (Student Performance Q&A)
Question, scoring guidelines and Chief Reader report: College Board, from the Internet Archive. The title, summary are ours.