To determine which country has a comparative advantage for producing cups, we need to evaluate the opportunity costs of producing cups for each country. The opportunity cost of producing one cup is calculated in terms of plates foregone.
Let's examine the opportunity costs for each country one by one.
### India
- Units of Cups per Hour per Worker: 15
- Units of Plates per Hour per Worker: 10
The opportunity cost of producing one cup (in terms of plates foregone) is:
[tex]\[ \frac{\text{Units of Plates}}{\text{Units of Cups}} = \frac{10}{15} = \frac{2}{3} \approx 0.6667 \][/tex]
### France
- Units of Cups per Hour per Worker: 8
- Units of Plates per Hour per Worker: 9
The opportunity cost of producing one cup (in terms of plates foregone) is:
[tex]\[ \frac{\text{Units of Plates}}{\text{Units of Cups}} = \frac{9}{8} = 1.125 \][/tex]
### Japan
- Units of Cups per Hour per Worker: 7
- Units of Plates per Hour per Worker: 7
The opportunity cost of producing one cup (in terms of plates foregone) is:
[tex]\[ \frac{\text{Units of Plates}}{\text{Units of Cups}} = \frac{7}{7} = 1 \][/tex]
### Canada
- Units of Cups per Hour per Worker: 6
- Units of Plates per Hour per Worker: 9
The opportunity cost of producing one cup (in terms of plates foregone) is:
[tex]\[ \frac{\text{Units of Plates}}{\text{Units of Cups}} = \frac{9}{6} = 1.5 \][/tex]
### Comparison of Opportunity Costs
- India: 0.6667 plates per cup
- France: 1.125 plates per cup
- Japan: 1 plate per cup
- Canada: 1.5 plates per cup
The country with the lowest opportunity cost for producing a cup is India, with an opportunity cost of approximately 0.6667 plates per cup.
Thus, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{\text{C. India}} \][/tex]
