Final answer:
After specialization, the total world production of corn will be the sum of the maximum bushels of corn China can produce based on its resources. India will specialize in oil production as it has a comparative advantage in that area. The actual total of world corn production cannot be calculated without India's maximum specialization potential.
Step-by-step explanation:
If China and India specialize in the goods for which they have a comparative advantage, they will produce more efficiently and increase the total world production. China can produce either 5 barrels of oil or 3 bushels of corn with all its resources, and India can produce either 8 barrels of oil or 4 bushels of corn. China has a lower opportunity cost for producing corn than India (5/3 barrels of oil to 1 bushel of corn for China and 8/4=2 barrels of oil to 1 bushel of corn for India), which means China has a comparative advantage in producing corn. Conversely, India has a comparative advantage in producing oil because it has a lower opportunity cost for oil than China (1/2 bushel of corn to 1 barrel of oil for India and 3/5 bushel corn to 1 barrel of oil for China).
When each country specializes based on comparative advantage, China will produce corn, and India will produce oil. Therefore, the total world production of corn after specialization can be calculated by adding the maximum number of corn bushels each country would produce when fully specialized in corn, which for China is given by its maximum production possibility. Since information regarding India's production capabilities when fully specializing in corn is missing, we can't calculate the actual total. However, the concept implies that the combination of both countries' maximum output when specializing will be higher than if each produced both oil and corn.