What is opportunity cost?

• A. The benefit you gain
• B. What you give up to do something else
• C. The time wasted
• D. The profit from a transaction

Answer: (B)

Opportunity cost is the value of the next-best thing you give up when you make a choice. It isn’t about the money you spend or the profit you earn, but the alternative use of your time, resources, or energy that you forgo. For example, if you spend time studying for a test, the opportunity cost is the other activity you could have done with that time—like hanging out with friends or earning money—because you can’t do both at the same moment. The idea emphasizes trade-offs: choosing one option means losing the best alternative among the rest. The other ideas—the benefit you gain, time wasted, or profit from a transaction—don't capture this foregone alternative concept.