Which is an example of a scarce resource?

• A. Time.
• B. Air.
• C. Sunlight.
• D. Water.

Answer: (A)

Scarcity means having limited availability of something relative to our wants. Time is a perfect example because each person has only a finite amount of it—24 hours in a day—and you can’t create more time. When you choose to spend time on one activity, you’re giving up the opportunity to spend that same time on something else. That trade-off, driven by the fixed flow of time, is at the heart of economic decision making.

Air and sunlight are typically abundant in daily life, and water can be scarce in certain places, but time stands out as universally scarce: its supply for each individual is fixed and cannot be increased, so it always constrains choices and priorities.