UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Statements A, B and D are correct because they reflect how population policies interact with development and social change. Many policies target fertility reduction in high-growth situations and recognise that women’s education and empowerment are crucial for voluntary fertility decline. Integrating population variables into broader development strategies is important for achieving sustainable development. Statement C is incorrect since population policies are closely linked with health, education and other social sector programmes. Thus, the combination A, B and D only is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because it limits the correct statements to A and B and omits D. While A and B are indeed correct, ignoring the role of integrating population concerns into development planning fails to capture an essential dimension of sustainable population policy. The omission makes the option incomplete.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds statement C, which claims that population policies are unrelated to health and education. This is factually wrong, as many policies explicitly focus on maternal and child health, family planning services and educational interventions. Including a false statement invalidates the option.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it groups B, C and D and in doing so treats C as correct while excluding A. This combination ignores the role of explicit fertility-reduction measures and misrepresents the close linkage between population policy and social sector programmes. Hence, it cannot be accepted.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it simultaneously recognises targeted fertility policies, the significance of women’s empowerment and the integration of population issues into development strategies. By excluding C, it avoids the error of severing the connection between population policy and health and education initiatives.

In the late expanding stage, mortality has already fallen to low levels, but fertility is now also declining. Population continues to grow, yet at a slower pace than in the earlier explosive phase. The age structure gradually shifts, with a higher proportion of working-age adults. Therefore, the combination of declining birth rate and low death rate with slowing growth correctly represents this stage.

Option A:
Option A describes the high stationary stage, where both birth and death rates are high and growth is low, typical of pre-transition societies.

Option B:
Option B fits the early expanding stage, when death rates fall quickly but birth rates remain high, leading to rapid population growth.

Option C:
Option C is correct because it captures the key features of the late expanding phase: reduced fertility, low mortality and decelerating but positive growth.

Option D:
Option D corresponds to the low stationary stage, where both fertility and mortality are very low and population size becomes stable or even declines.

An expanding population pyramid has a broad base representing many children and a sharply narrowing top representing fewer elderly people. This pattern signals high fertility and a large youth cohort in the population. It is typical of societies in earlier stages of demographic transition where birth rates remain high and death rates have started to decline. Thus, a wide-based pyramid indicates a youthful, rapidly growing population, as described in option B.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because low birth and low death rates with an ageing population produce a more rectangular or top-heavy pyramid, not one with a very wide base. Such structures are characteristic of advanced demographic transition, not expansion.

Option B:
Option B is correct since high birth rates ensure many births each year, producing a large base, and improvements in health allow many children to survive into adulthood. The narrow top reflects fewer older persons in relative terms.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because zero population growth would show relatively similar proportions in successive age groups, giving a more column-shaped pyramid. A wide base contradicts the idea of stable numbers.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because a declining population with very low fertility would have a narrow base and a relatively larger proportion of older adults. This is the opposite shape of an expanding youthful population.

In the demographic transition model,the early expanding stage is characterised by continued high birth rates coupled with a sharp decline in death rates. This combination produces a wide gap between births and deaths and results in rapid population growth. The description in the question mirrors these features. Therefore the correct term is early expanding stage.

Option A:
The high stationary stage is the initial phase of demographic transition with both high birth and high death rates,leading to relatively stable population size. It does not involve rapidly falling death rates,so it does not match the situation described in the stem.

Option B:
The early expanding stage reflects improvements in healthcare,sanitation and food supply that reduce mortality while fertility remains high. This creates the explosive growth pattern mentioned in the question. Hence this option accurately names the stage being described.

Option C:
The late expanding stage features declining birth rates along with already low death rates,so the growth rate begins to slow. It does not show the very high growth caused by the large gap between births and deaths. Thus it is not appropriate for the stem.

Option D:
The declining stage is the final phase in which both birth and death rates are low and the population may stabilise or even shrink. This is the opposite of the rapid growth scenario described in the question.

Public health measures, better nutrition and control of epidemics often reduce death rates quickly. However, cultural and socio-economic factors cause birth rates to remain high for some years. This combination of low mortality and high fertility leads to very high natural increase, called population explosion. Over time, fertility also declines, but the lag creates a phase of fast growth.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because fertility alone usually does not rise sharply in the transition; mortality change is the main driver of the explosion phase.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it explains how early mortality decline with delayed fertility decline produces rapid growth, especially in developing countries in mid-transition.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since simultaneous decline in both fertility and mortality would limit growth; there would be no “explosion”.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because migration plays a relatively smaller role in national-level population explosions compared with vital rates.

Replacement level fertility is the level of childbearing at which each generation of women is producing enough daughters to replace themselves. In human populations it is slightly above two children per woman in many contexts because some children die before reaching reproductive age. The stem clearly refers to fertility that allows a population to replace itself over time. Hence replacement level fertility is the correct term.

Option A:
High fertility simply indicates that women are having many children,typically well above the replacement level. Such fertility usually leads to rapid population growth rather than stability,so it does not fit the description in the question.

Option B:
Replacement level fertility is central to discussions of population stabilisation and long term demographic planning. When sustained over time and combined with balanced migration,it leads to a roughly stable population size. This makes it the most appropriate option for the stem.

Option C:
Total fertility normally refers to the total fertility rate,which is a measure of average births per woman but can be higher or lower than replacement level. It is a related statistic but not specifically the level at which replacement occurs.

Option D:
Optimum fertility is not a standard demographic measure and could be interpreted in various normative ways. It does not have the precise meaning described in the question stem,so it is not the best answer.

When families have fewer children, households often find it easier to provide adequate nutrition, schooling and healthcare for each child. At the societal level, slower population growth can reduce pressure on public services and make it more feasible to expand quality education and health infrastructure. Over time, this can contribute to higher human capital formation and improved living standards, which is a central argument for promoting small family norms in development policy.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because a small family norm tends to lower the dependency ratio over time, not keep it persistently high.

Option B:
Option B is correct since it explains how reduced family size can free up resources and attention for each child, which is consistent with human development perspectives.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as smaller family size does not automatically raise unemployment; employment depends on many factors including economic growth and skills.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because improved investments in health typically raise, not reduce, life expectancy; there is no inherent reason for life expectancy to fall with smaller families.

In the later stage of demographic transition, both fertility and mortality rates are low. As a result, population growth slows and may stabilise, with a more balanced age structure and higher life expectancy. This stage is often associated with developed economies and improved education, health and social security. Therefore, describing the low stationary stage as having low birth and low death rates with a stabilising population is accurate, as stated in Option C.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because high birth and high death rates typify the earliest, high stationary stage, not the later low stationary stage. At that early stage, population growth is slow due to high mortality.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect since high birth and rapidly falling death rates correspond to the early expanding stage, where population grows quickly. This is not the stable later stage.

Option C:
Option C is correct as it summarises the demographic conditions in advanced stages of transition. Low fertility, combined with low mortality, brings population growth close to zero, leading to stabilisation.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because a combination of low birth and high death rates would produce population decline, which is more extreme than the typical low stationary stage.

Statements A, B and C correctly summarise the classical three stages of the demographic transition model. High birth and death rates in the first stage, followed by declining death rates and continued high birth rates in the second stage, and eventually low birth and death rates in the third stage are well-established patterns. Statement D is incorrect because the model is used precisely to explain how development affects population dynamics and vice versa. Therefore, the combination containing A, B and C only is the correct answer.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all three accurate descriptions of the stages of demographic transition and excludes the dismissive statement D. It preserves the conceptual link between development and changes in fertility and mortality patterns. By omitting D, it aligns with demographic theory widely discussed in UGC NET syllabi.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds D, which incorrectly states that the model is irrelevant to understanding development–population relationships. Since demographic transition is a central framework in population studies, including D contradicts the established use of the model.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it lists only A and B as correct, leaving out C, which accurately describes the third stage of low birth and death rates and near-stable population. Excluding a correct statement results in an incomplete representation of the model.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it includes D, implying that the model is irrelevant, and omits A, which is a foundational description of the first stage. Such a combination mischaracterises both the content and significance of demographic transition theory.

A narrow base in a population pyramid means fewer children are being born, indicating low fertility. A relatively broader middle and top show higher proportions of adults and elderly. This pattern is typical of societies in later stages of demographic transition with ageing populations. Hence, the option describing declining fertility and ageing is correct.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because high fertility would produce a wide base, not a narrow one. Many births each year create a strong young cohort.

Option B:
Option B is correct as it captures both key features: low fertility and an ageing structure. It matches the constrictive shape seen in many developed countries.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since rapid population growth with many children would again create a broad base. That shape is expanding, not constrictive.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because no real population has zero elderly; such a description ignores demographic reality. A broad top implies there are many older people, not none.

Population ageing occurs when the proportion of people in older age groups increases over time. This results from sustained low fertility and improvements in survival that extend life expectancy. The stem highlights exactly these drivers and the growing share of older persons,so population ageing is the correct term. It has important implications for pensions,healthcare and labour markets.

Option A:
Demographic dividend refers to economic opportunities created when the working age population becomes relatively larger than dependants. It is generally associated with a younger age structure rather than an older one. Therefore it does not match the ageing focused description in the question.

Option B:
Youth bulge describes a situation where a large proportion of the population falls in the young adult age groups. It can raise concerns about employment and social stability,not old age issues. Hence it is not appropriate for the stem.

Option C:
Population explosion suggests very rapid increases in total population,often due to high fertility. While some societies with population explosion may later experience ageing,the term itself does not convey the idea of a rising share of older persons. Thus it is not correct here.

Option D:
Population ageing directly signals that older people constitute an increasing fraction of the population over time. It summarises the combined effects of fertility decline and longer life,precisely what the question stem describes.

Statements A, B, C, D and F are correct: early stages typically show high birth and death rates; death rates decline before birth rates in the transition phase causing rapid growth; resource pressure rises with rapid growth; final stage tends to low birth/death with stabilisation; and education/reproductive health policies influence progression. Statement E is false because demographic transition is central to population–environment analysis. Therefore, the correct combination is A, B, C, D and F only.

Option A:
Option A is correct because it includes all true statements (A, B, C, D, F) and excludes only E, which wrongly denies relevance of demographic transition to population–environment relationships.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it omits F, missing the policy drivers (education and reproductive health) that influence movement through stages.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect because it omits A; A is a standard feature of the early stage in demographic transition models.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because it omits B, which explains the typical sequencing of mortality and fertility decline in the transition phase.

In the demographic transition model, the phase where death rates fall rapidly due to improvements in health and sanitation while birth rates remain high is associated with a population explosion. The gap between birth and death rates is greatest, causing very rapid population growth. This leads to increased demand for land, water, energy and other resources, placing heavy pressure on the environment. Therefore, the stage described in option A correctly corresponds to rapid population growth and heightened resource stress.

Option A:
Option A accurately describes the second stage of demographic transition, often called the “early expanding” stage. In this stage, mortality declines but fertility is still high, producing a surge in population. The resulting population pressure can contribute to deforestation, overuse of water and encroachment on marginal lands.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because when both birth and death rates are high, the population growth rate is relatively low. Although living conditions may be poor, the environmental pressure from population growth is not as intense as in the population explosion stage.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect since a low birth and low death rate stage is usually associated with stabilised population. In this stage, countries often have better technology and institutions to manage environmental impacts more effectively.

Option D:
Option D refers to a potential stage of population decline, where environmental pressure from population growth is not the key issue. While consumption patterns may still cause degradation, the stage does not match the description of rapid population growth.