Imagine a simplified banking system where a commercial bank holds a fixed quantity of a physical commodity, like gold, as its reserves. If a large number of depositors attempt to withdraw their funds simultaneously by demanding the physical commodity, what is a fundamental limitation this bank faces that a modern commercial bank, which holds its reserves as electronic balances at a central bank, does not?

Comparing Reserve Systems in an Economic Crisis

Comparing Reserve Systems and Central Bank Intervention

Match each characteristic to the type of banking reserve system it describes. The two systems are: a simplified model where banks hold a physical commodity (like grain) as reserves, and a modern system where commercial banks hold electronic deposits at a central bank.