UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Life expectancy at birth summarises the overall mortality conditions of a population into a single number. It indicates how long a newborn could expect to live on average under current mortality schedules. The stem repeats this definition almost verbatim,so life expectancy at birth is the correct choice. It is widely used as a key component of human development indices.

Option A:
Life expectancy at birth is calculated from life tables that incorporate death rates at different ages. It is a hypothetical measure but provides a clear picture of survival chances. Because the stem emphasises expected years of life for a newborn under current mortality, this option aligns perfectly.

Option B:
Infant mortality rate counts deaths of children under one year per thousand live births. Although related to health status,it focuses only on the first year of life rather than the entire lifespan described in the question.

Option C:
Age specific death rate gives the number of deaths per thousand people in a particular age group. It is one input into life table calculations but not the final summary measure requested in the stem.

Option D:
Total fertility rate measures the average number of children a woman would bear under current fertility rates. It is a demographic indicator but relates to births, not to expected years of life,so it cannot complete the sentence correctly.