Human wants are insatiable because wants are____________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks why human wants are described as insatiable. "Insatiable" means they can never be fully satisfied.

Step 2: Explain the concept In Economics, the basic problem is scarcity. It comes from two facts:

• Human wants are unlimited. Once one want is satisfied, another appears. A person who buys a phone soon wants a better one, then a laptop, a car, and so on.
• Resources (means) are limited or scarce. Money, time, land, labour and capital are not enough to satisfy every want.

Because wants keep growing while the means to meet them are limited, people must choose and prioritize. This leads to the idea of scale of preference and opportunity cost.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Limited while means are scarce: Wrong. Wants are not limited.
• B. Unlimited and means are also unlimited: Wrong. If means were unlimited, there would be no scarcity and no economic problem.
• C. Limited and means are also limited: Wrong. Wants are not limited.
• D. Unlimited while means are scarce: Correct. This matches the standard economic definition of the problem of scarcity.

Step 4: Answer Human wants are insatiable because wants are unlimited while means are scarce.

Exam tip: Remember "Wants unlimited, resources limited." Any option that says wants are limited, or that resources are unlimited, is almost always wrong in questions on scarcity.