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.

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.