Chapter 6: Dynamics of Population
Question 1. What is demography?
A. The study of rocks and minerals
B. The study of human population and its changes over time
C. The study of plants and animals
D. The study of weather conditions
Answer: B. The study of human population and its changes over time
Question 2. Which of the following is an important component of demography?
A. Population size
B. Population structure and composition
C. Population patterns and trends
D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Question 3. What is the working-age population generally considered in demography?
A. 0–14 years
B. 10–24 years
C. 15–64 years
D. Above 65 years
Answer: C. 15–64 years
Question 4. What is a census?
A. A process of collecting and analysing information about the population
B. A method of measuring rainfall
C. A system of collecting taxes only
D. A survey of agricultural products only
Answer: A. A process of collecting and analysing information about the population
Question 5. How frequently is the census generally conducted in India?
A. Every five years
B. Every ten years
C. Every fifteen years
D. Every twenty years
Answer: B. Every ten years
Question 6. In which year did India surpass China to become the world’s most populous country, according to the chapter?
A. 2011
B. 2015
C. 2020
D. 2023
Answer: D. 2023
Question 7. Approximately what percentage of the world’s population consists of Indians, according to the chapter?
A. 10%
B. 12%
C. 17%
D. 25%
Answer: C. 17%
Question 8. What was the approximate world population in 1950?
A. 2.5 billion
B. 4.5 billion
C. 6.2 billion
D. 8.2 billion
Answer: A. 2.5 billion
Question 9. What was the approximate world population in 2025, according to the chapter?
A. 5.4 billion
B. 8.2 billion
C. 9.7 billion
D. 10.3 billion
Answer: B. 8.2 billion
Question 10. According to United Nations projections cited in the chapter, when is the world population expected to peak?
A. 2030
B. 2050
C. 2070
D. By the mid-2080s
Answer: D. By the mid-2080s
Question 11. Which of the following contributed to rapid world population growth from the 1950s onwards?
A. Declining access to healthcare
B. Increasing death rates among children
C. Improved healthcare, sanitation and nutrition
D. A complete absence of medical advancements
Answer: C. Improved healthcare, sanitation and nutrition
Question 12. Which of the following is a major cause of population change in a country?
A. Births, deaths and migration
B. Rainfall alone
C. Changes in mountain height
D. Changes in the length of a day
Answer: A. Births, deaths and migration
Question 13. What does the birth rate measure?
A. The average age of the population
B. The number of live births per 1,000 people in a year
C. The number of deaths per 1,000 people
D. The number of people migrating abroad
Answer: B. The number of live births per 1,000 people in a year
Question 14. What is the fertility rate?
A. The number of deaths in a year
B. The number of people migrating to a city
C. The percentage of elderly people
D. The average number of children a woman would have during her lifetime
Answer: D. The average number of children a woman would have during her lifetime
Question 15. What is the replacement-level fertility rate mentioned in the chapter?
A. 1.0
B. 1.5
C. 2.1
D. 3.5
Answer: C. 2.1
Question 16. What may happen when a country’s fertility rate remains below the replacement level for a long period?
A. Its population may eventually shrink.
B. Its population must double every year.
C. Its death rate will become zero.
D. Migration will stop completely.
Answer: A. Its population may eventually shrink.
Question 17. What was the purpose of China’s One-Child Policy, introduced in 1979?
A. To encourage every family to have more children
B. To control rapid population growth
C. To increase migration into China
D. To increase the retirement age
Answer: B. To control rapid population growth
Question 18. In which year did China end its One-Child Policy, according to the chapter?
A. 2000
B. 2005
C. 2010
D. 2015
Answer: D. 2015
Question 19. Which population-control campaign in India emphasised having no more than two children?
A. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
B. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
C. Hum do humare do
D. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
Answer: C. Hum do humare do
Question 20. Which factor has contributed to declining fertility rates in many countries?
A. Improved access to education, especially for girls
B. Decreasing urbanisation everywhere
C. The disappearance of formal employment
D. A complete lack of educational opportunities
Answer: A. Improved access to education, especially for girls
Question 21. What is the death rate, also known as the mortality rate?
A. The average number of children per woman
B. The number of people entering a country
C. The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year
D. The number of people attending school
Answer: C. The number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year
Question 22. What does child mortality measure in the chapter?
A. Deaths among people above 65 years
B. Deaths of children under five years of age per 1,000 live births
C. The number of children attending school
D. The number of children migrating to cities
Answer: B. Deaths of children under five years of age per 1,000 live births
Question 23. What is life expectancy at birth?
A. The age at which every person must retire
B. The maximum possible human lifespan
C. The number of years a person spends in school
D. The average number of years a newborn is expected to live under prevailing conditions
Answer: D. The average number of years a newborn is expected to live under prevailing conditions
Question 24. Which of the following is a common reason for migration?
A. Better employment opportunities and education
B. Changes in the length of the year
C. Changes in the Earth’s rotation
D. The disappearance of all public services
Answer: A. Better employment opportunities and education
Question 25. Which Indian cities are mentioned in the chapter as having experienced significant population growth due to migration?
A. Jaipur, Agra and Shimla
B. Bhopal, Patna and Ranchi
C. Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru
D. Panaji, Gangtok and Aizawl
Answer: C. Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru
Question 26. What is a possible consequence of a large population concentrating in a limited urban area?
A. The complete disappearance of traffic
B. Increased pressure on water, air, land, housing and transport
C. An unlimited supply of natural resources
D. The end of all migration
Answer: B. Increased pressure on water, air, land, housing and transport
Question 27. What characterises Stage 1 of the demographic transition?
A. Low birth rate and low death rate
B. Low birth rate and high death rate
C. High birth rate and low death rate
D. High birth rate and high death rate
Answer: D. High birth rate and high death rate
Question 28. What generally happens during Stage 2 of the demographic transition?
A. The death rate falls while the birth rate remains high.
B. Both birth and death rates immediately become zero.
C. The birth rate falls below the death rate in every country.
D. The population stops changing completely.
Answer: A. The death rate falls while the birth rate remains high.
Question 29. Which condition characterises Stage 3 of the demographic transition?
A. High birth and death rates
B. Rising death rates and rising birth rates
C. Low death rates and declining birth rates
D. No access to education or healthcare
Answer: C. Low death rates and declining birth rates
Question 30. During which period did India experience high birth and death rates with very slow or stagnant population growth, according to the chapter?
A. 1951–1971
B. 1901–1921
C. 1981–2001
D. 2001–2021
Answer: B. 1901–1921
Question 31. What is meant by population composition?
A. The total area occupied by a country
B. The amount of rainfall received by a region
C. The number of buildings in a city
D. Population characteristics such as age, gender, occupation and education
Answer: D. Population characteristics such as age, gender, occupation and education
Question 32. According to Figure 6.13 in the chapter, which Indian state has the largest share of the country’s population?
A. Uttar Pradesh
B. Kerala
C. Punjab
D. Goa
Answer: A. Uttar Pradesh
Question 33. What does the sex ratio represent in the chapter?
A. The number of children per family
B. The number of males per 100 females
C. The number of females per 1,000 males
D. The percentage of people above 65 years
Answer: C. The number of females per 1,000 males
Question 34. What was India’s sex ratio according to the 2011 Census, as stated in the chapter?
A. 900 females per 1,000 males
B. 943 females per 1,000 males
C. 1,000 females per 1,000 males
D. 1,100 females per 1,000 males
Answer: B. 943 females per 1,000 males
Question 35. What information does a population structure diagram provide?
A. Rainfall distribution across regions
B. The distribution of minerals in the Earth
C. The number of vehicles in a country
D. The distribution of people by age groups and gender
Answer: D. The distribution of people by age groups and gender
Question 36. What does a wide base in a population pyramid generally indicate?
A. A large number of children and a young, growing population
B. A population consisting only of elderly people
C. A complete absence of births
D. A country with no working-age people
Answer: A. A large number of children and a young, growing population
Question 37. What does a wider upper portion of a population pyramid generally indicate?
A. A rapidly increasing number of newborns only
B. A complete absence of older people
C. A larger proportion of elderly people and an ageing population
D. A population made up entirely of working-age adults
Answer: C. A larger proportion of elderly people and an ageing population
Question 38. How did India’s population pyramid look during the 1950s, according to the chapter?
A. It had a very narrow base and a very wide top.
B. It resembled a narrow triangle, with many young people and fewer elderly people.
C. It was perfectly rectangular.
D. It contained no children.
Answer: B. It resembled a narrow triangle, with many young people and fewer elderly people.
Question 39. What is meant by the youth bulge?
A. A sudden increase in the elderly population only
B. A decline in the number of young people
C. A rise in the death rate among working adults
D. A large proportion of young people in the population
Answer: D. A large proportion of young people in the population
Question 40. Approximately what percentage of India’s population belongs to the working-age group of 15–59 years, according to the chapter?
A. Nearly 65%
B. Nearly 25%
C. Nearly 40%
D. Nearly 90%
Answer: A. Nearly 65%
Question 41. What is the demographic dividend?
A. The money earned only from international trade
B. The financial support provided only to elderly people
C. The economic growth potential arising from a younger and productive age structure
D. The total amount of money spent on population surveys
Answer: C. The economic growth potential arising from a younger and productive age structure
Question 42. How can India make the most of its demographic dividend?
A. By reducing access to education
B. By investing in education, skill development, healthcare and employment
C. By preventing young people from working
D. By reducing opportunities for women
Answer: B. By investing in education, skill development, healthcare and employment
Question 43. According to Figure 6.17, what is India’s median age in the comparison presented in the chapter?
A. 20 years
B. 25 years
C. 35 years
D. 28 years
Answer: D. 28 years
Question 44. What is a tax?
A. A compulsory contribution levied by the government
B. A voluntary gift made only to relatives
C. A payment made only by school students
D. A reward given to every worker
Answer: A. A compulsory contribution levied by the government
Question 45. Why is the demographic dividend described as a limited window of opportunity for India?
A. Because India will never have working-age people
B. Because all young people will stop working immediately
C. Because the growth in the young population is expected to decrease beyond 2050
D. Because the population will remain unchanged forever
Answer: C. Because the growth in the young population is expected to decrease beyond 2050
Question 46. What is an ageing population?
A. A population consisting only of children
B. A population in which the proportion of elderly people is increasing
C. A population in which nobody reaches retirement age
D. A population in which the birth rate always remains high
Answer: B. A population in which the proportion of elderly people is increasing
Question 47. Which of the following is a challenge associated with an ageing population?
A. An unlimited supply of young workers
B. The disappearance of healthcare needs
C. An automatic increase in the birth rate
D. Greater pressure on healthcare services, pensions and the available workforce
Answer: D. Greater pressure on healthcare services, pensions and the available workforce
Question 48. Which measures has Japan used to respond to an ageing population, according to the chapter?
A. Raising the retirement age and using technology and automation
B. Ending all healthcare services for older people
C. Preventing the use of automation
D. Closing community centres for elderly people
Answer: A. Raising the retirement age and using technology and automation
Question 49. What is the ‘double burden’ discussed in the chapter in relation to women?
A. Working in two different countries
B. Studying two subjects at the same time
C. Managing job responsibilities alongside household duties
D. Paying two different types of school fees
Answer: C. Managing job responsibilities alongside household duties
Question 50. Which statement best summarises the main message of the chapter ‘Dynamics of Population’?
A. Population size never changes over time.
B. Population trends influence society and the economy, and countries must prepare for demographic changes.
C. A country’s economic growth depends only on its geographical area.
D. An ageing population creates no challenges for governments.
Answer: B. Population trends influence society and the economy, and countries must prepare for demographic changes.
