UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is a standard measure of child health and healthcare quality. It counts deaths of infants under one year per thousand live births during a specified period. The stem exactly reflects this definition,so infant mortality rate is the correct term. IMR is widely used to compare health outcomes across regions and over time.

Option A:
Crude death rate measures total deaths per thousand population,including all ages. It does not single out infants,so it fails to capture the specific focus on under one year of age described in the question.

Option B:
Infant mortality rate directly addresses the vulnerability of babies in their first year,which is a sensitive indicator of nutrition,immunisation and maternal health. Because the stem mentions both age limit and per thousand live births,this option is fully consistent.

Option C:
Under five population refers simply to the number or proportion of children younger than five years. It does not describe a death rate measure and therefore is not appropriate for the blank.

Option D:
Child dependency ratio compares the child population to the working age population. It serves as an economic burden indicator rather than a health statistic. Hence it does not match the mortality based concept in the question.

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.