In order to obtain a commodity, we have to give something in return. That is, we have to pay some consideration in money or money’s worth. This process is called an exchange. There can be two types of exchanges – money exchange and barter exchange. In early days, barter exchange was prevalent. Money as a medium of exchange came much later when people saw deficiencies in the system of barter exchange. For example, consider a person with excess rice in hand and who wants to exchange it for some clothes. Now searching a person who has surplus clothing and who wants to exchange it for rice only is very difficult. The search costs become restrictive as the number of individuals increase. Thus, to avoid such a problem, an intermediate good is necessary which is acceptable to both parties. Such a good is called money. |
Which of the following is NOT a function of money? |
Medium of exchange Unit of account Double Coincidence of wants None of the above |
Double Coincidence of wants |
The correct answer is option 3: Double Coincidence of wants Double Coincidence of wants is not a function of money. It's a problem that existed in barter systems before money was introduced. It refers to the situation where two individuals need to find each other and have goods or services that the other wants in order for an exchange to take place. |