Demography is best defined as:
a) The study of economic activities in a country
b) The study of the composition of human population in terms of age, sex, occupation, religion and how these change over time
c) The process of counting only the working-age population
d) The study of migration patterns alone
Which of the following is NOT a component of demography as described in the chapter?
a) Size
b) Pattern and Trend
c) Structure and Composition
d) Political ideology
India became the world’s most populous country in:
a) 2011
b) 2023
c) 1950
d) 2050
The replacement level fertility rate is approximately:
a) 1.0
b) 2.1
c) 3.5
d) 5.7
Which factor contributed to the rapid growth of world population from the 1950s?
a) Decline in birth rates
b) Medical advancements like antibiotics and vaccines
c) One-Child Policy in India
d) Decrease in life expectancy
Assertion (A): India’s population pyramid has become more bell-shaped in recent years.
Reason (R): Families are having fewer children and the working-age population (15–64) has increased.
a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true.
The sex ratio in India improved from 933 (2001) to:
a) 943 (2011)
b) 1000 (2011)
c) 900 (2011)
d) 980 (2011)
Assertion (A): Countries like Japan and China are experiencing population ageing.
Reason (R): Fertility rates have fallen below replacement level while life expectancy has risen.
a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
b) Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
c) A is true but R is false.
d) A is false but R is true.
Stage 2 of demographic transition is characterised by:
a) High birth and high death rates
b) Falling death rates but still high birth rates
c) Low death rates and falling birth rates
d) Shrinking population
India’s demographic dividend refers to:
a) A large elderly population
b) A large working-age population (15–64 years) that can boost economic growth
c) High fertility rates in all states
d) Migration from rural to urban areas only
“In the 1970s, the Chinese government was worried that its fast-growing population would cause shortages of food, jobs, and housing. To control this, it introduced the One-Child Policy in 1979, allowing most families to have only one child. … China’s population peaked at 1.43 billion in 2022 but has started to shrink. By 2050, it is projected to fall to 1.31 billion; … the share of elderly (those above 65 years) in the total population is expected to rise sharply, i.e., from 14 per cent in 2023 to 26 per cent in 2050.”
a) What was the main reason for introducing the One-Child Policy? (1)
b) What was the effect of the policy on China’s fertility rate? (1)
c) How is the share of the elderly population expected to change by 2050? (1)
d) Why might this lead to a slowdown in economic growth? (1)
“While the term ‘population pyramid’ is used widely, the representation on paper looks more like a triangle… In recent years, India’s population pyramid looks less like a triangle and is more bell-shaped. The base has become narrower, which means families are having fewer children than before. The middle part (working-age group) has become much wider, showing a large number of people between 15 and 60 years — this is called India’s demographic dividend…”
a) What does a wide base in a population pyramid indicate? (1)
b) Why has India’s population pyramid become more bell-shaped? (1)
c) What does the wider middle part represent? (1)
d) What is India’s demographic dividend? (1)
Section B (any two points, 1 mark each)
1. Study of population size, structure, composition (age, sex, occupation, religion) and changes over time due to births, deaths, migration.
2. Official count of all persons in a country at a specific time; every 10 years in India.
3. Birth rate = live births per 1,000 population per year; fertility rate = average children a woman would have in lifetime.
4. Movement of people from one place to another; reasons include employment, education, disasters.
5. Number of females per 1,000 males; 943 (2011).
6. Stage 1: high birth & death; Stage 2: death falls, birth high; Stage 3: both low, birth falling.
Section C (any three points, 1 mark each)
1. Planning schools/hospitals/roads; municipal services; employment generation based on age structure.
2. Medical advances (antibiotics, vaccines), better sanitation, reduced child mortality, economic prosperity.
3. China: fertility fell sharply from 7.5 to 1; India: fertility fell from 5.7 to 1.9 but policy less strict.
4. Educated women marry later, join workforce, prefer smaller families due to urban costs.
5. Wide base = many young people (growing population); indicates high birth rates and youth bulge.
Section D (any five points, 1 mark each)
1. Causes: low fertility + high life expectancy; consequences: fewer workers, higher healthcare/pension burden, slower growth.
2. Large working-age population boosts production, taxes, consumption; needs education, skilling, healthcare, women’s workforce participation.
3. Stage 1 (1901–21): high birth/death, slow growth; Stage 2 (post-1951): rapid growth; Stage 3 (mid-1980s+): falling fertility, moving towards stability/ageing.
a) Fear of shortages of food, jobs, housing (text).
b) Fertility dropped from 7.5 (1963) to 1 (2025) (text).
c) From 14% (2023) to 26% (2050) (text).
d) Fewer young workers, pressure on pensions/healthcare, possible slowdown in growth (text).
a) High birth rates/many children (text).
b) Families having fewer children (text).
c) Large working-age population (15–60 years) (text).
d) Economic growth potential from younger, productive age structure (text).
All questions are answerable from the NCERT chapter text. Reviewed by GFIS faculty.