Bachelor of Business and Economics (BBE) Entrance – Math Practice Test

When real GDP falls, the economy is in a contraction—the phase of the business cycle where overall economic activity is shrinking. This decline in production and spending often brings higher unemployment and weaker demand as firms cut back. Expansion is the opposite, describing growth in real GDP. Stagnation means little or no growth, not a clear decline. A recession is a more formal downturn that typically involves sustained negative growth and may be defined by criteria such as consecutive quarters of negative real GDP, but the description given aligns most directly with contraction.