UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Pull factors are conditions that attract people to a new place. In rural–urban migration, higher wages, better services and perceived opportunities in cities draw migrants. These forces operate alongside push factors that drive people away from origin areas. Therefore, the availability of better jobs and higher wages in cities exemplifies a pull factor.

Option A:
Option A is incorrect because crop failure and drought are classic push factors. They push people out due to hardship rather than attracting them into a new place. They describe conditions at the place of origin.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because political conflict and violence are push factors that drive people away from their villages due to insecurity. They represent adverse conditions at the origin, not attractions at the destination.

Option C:
Option C is correct since employment opportunities and higher income act as magnets. Migrants choose cities hoping to improve their living conditions through better jobs and wages, which is the essence of a pull factor.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because land degradation and declining fertility push farmers away from rural areas. These are again problems at the place of origin rather than pull factors in cities.

Pull factors are attractive conditions at the destination that draw migrants. In rural–urban migration, expectations of higher wages, regular salaried jobs and better services in cities act as powerful pulls. People compare these perceived benefits with conditions in their villages and decide to move if they expect an improvement in their lives. Hence, better jobs and higher wages illustrate a typical pull factor.

Option A:
Option A is a push factor because drought and crop failure drive people away from origin areas rather than attract them to a specific destination.

Option B:
Option B is also a push factor, as people flee violence for safety, but it does not itself describe the attractions of towns.

Option C:
Option C is correct since higher wages and employment opportunities in urban centres draw people and fit the classic definition of pull factors.

Option D:
Option D again describes a push factor linked to environmental degradation in the village, not an attraction in the city.

When people move from countryside villages to town and city areas,they are moving from rural to urban settlements. The stem describes young people leaving villages for jobs in cities,which fits this pattern exactly. Hence “rural to urban” migration is the correct term. It is a key driver of urbanisation.

Option A:
Seasonal migration refers to temporary movements that are reversed after a season,such as harvest or construction seasons. The question does not specify temporary or cyclical movement,so Option A is not precise.

Option B:
Rural to urban migration is often permanent or long term and changes the demographic structure of both origin and destination. This describes the flow mentioned in the stem accurately.

Option C:
Return migration occurs when migrants go back to their native place after some time in the destination area. The stem does not talk about returning,so Option C is not appropriate.

Option D:
Forced migration involves coercion due to conflict or disasters. The question mentions voluntary job-seeking migration,so Option D is incorrect.

Population stabilisation occurs when the overall size of a population remains relatively constant over time. This happens when births and immigrants together balance deaths and emigrants. The stem describes exactly this balance,so stabilisation is the appropriate term.

Option A:
Population explosion denotes a rapid and often uncontrolled increase in population. It implies that births greatly exceed deaths and migration balance. Therefore it does not fit the equilibrium condition stated in the question.

Option B:
Population stabilisation emphasises a dynamic balance rather than zero births or deaths. Even with ongoing demographic processes,the total population can remain steady when inflows and outflows offset each other. This logic matches the stem’s description.

Option C:
Population decline would involve deaths and emigration exceeding births and immigration,leading to shrinking population size. The question does not describe this scenario,so decline is not correct.

Option D:
Population transition refers to the broader process of shifts in birth and death rates over time,as captured in the demographic transition model. While stabilisation may be an outcome,transition does not specifically denote a balanced situation.