Indifference curves that are perfect right angles, like in the diagram, violate:

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks which properties are violated by indifference curves that are perfect right angles (L-shaped).
Option 1: 'transitivity, but not completeness' would imply that the preference relation fails transitivity while still being complete. However, Leontief (perfect complements) preferences, which produce L-shaped indifference curves, are known to be both complete and transitive. So this option is inconsistent with the standard theory.
Option 2: 'completeness, but not transitivity' would imply completeness holds but transitivity fails. Again, Leontief preferences are complete and transitive, so this claim is incorrect.
Option 3: 'both transitivity and completeness' would claim that neither property is violated; while this sounds favorable, the question is about violations, and we are evaluating whether any violation occurs. Since Leontief preferences satisfy both properties, stating that both are violated would be incorrect.
Option 4: 'neither transitivity nor completeness' asserts that neither property is violated by these indifference curves. Given that Leontief preferences are complete (for any two bundles, you can compare them) and transitive (consistent ranking across bundles), these curves do not violate transitivity or completeness. Thus this option correctly reflects the absence of violations.

Indifference curves that are perfect right angles, like in the diagram, violate:

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