APHUG unit 2 MCQ

Major population clusters

East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Settlement often concentrates near water, fertile land, moderate climates, and jobs.

Arithmetic density

Total population ÷ total land area. Shows average concentration but hides differences within a country.

Physiological density

Total population ÷ arable land. High values suggest greater potential pressure on farmland; Egypt is a key example.

Agricultural density

Number of farmers ÷ arable land. Low values often indicate mechanized farming; high values often indicate more labor-intensive farming.

Carrying capacity

The population an environment can sustainably support given its resources, technology, and consumption. High population concentration alone does not prove this limit is exceeded.

Population pyramid clues

Broad base: many children. Narrowing base: fewer recent births. Rectangular: relatively similar cohort sizes. Working-age male bulge: possible labor immigration, as in Oman.

Dependency ratio

[(Ages 0–14 + ages 65+) ÷ ages 15–64] × 100. Many children increase school demand; many elderly people increase pension and healthcare demand.

CBR vs. CDR vs. IMR

Respectively: annual births per 1,000 total people; annual deaths per 1,000 total people; deaths before age one per 1,000 live births.

TFR

Average children per woman if current age-specific fertility rates persist. Education, reproductive choice, and urbanization generally lower it.

RNI and total population change

The first equals (CBR − CDR) ÷ 10 and excludes migration. The second includes births − deaths + immigration − emigration.

Doubling time

Approximately 70 ÷ annual percentage growth rate. At 2% growth, about 35 years; assumes a constant positive rate.

Replacement fertility and population momentum

About 2.1 children per woman replaces a generation in low-mortality populations. A large generation entering childbearing ages can keep population growing after fertility falls.

DTM Stages 1–2

First: high births and deaths, little long-term growth. Second: deaths fall while births stay high, causing rapid growth. Both can have youthful pyramids.

DTM Stages 3–5

Third: births fall; growth slows but stays positive. Fourth: births and deaths are low and roughly balanced. Fifth: births fall below deaths; immigration can offset natural decrease.

Epidemiological transition stages

1: infections and famine. 2: infectious deaths decline. 3: chronic diseases dominate. 4: treatment delays chronic-disease deaths. 5: proposed reemergence of infectious threats.

DTM limitations

Based largely on European history; countries do not follow identical paths. Migration, policies, conflict, culture, and inequalities complicate predictions.

Malthus vs. Boserup

The first argued population could outgrow food supply. The second argued population pressure encourages agricultural innovation and greater production.

Neo-Malthusians vs. cornucopians

The first emphasize population pressure on resources and the environment. The second emphasize technology and human creativity as solutions to shortages.

Positive vs. preventive checks

The first increase deaths, such as famine and disease. The second reduce births, such as delayed childbearing. “Positive” does not mean beneficial.

Antinatalist policies

Measures intended to reduce fertility: China’s historical birth restrictions, Egypt’s “Two Is Enough,” and India’s coercive sterilization campaign. Fewer births can lower RNI if deaths stay similar.

Pronatalist policies

Measures encouraging births through benefits, leave, or childcare support. Russia and Japan are government examples; Denmark’s advertising was private. Effects are not guaranteed.

China’s historical birth-policy consequences

Smaller young generations contributed to aging and worker shortages. One child could face supporting two parents and four grandparents. Restrictions combined with son preference contributed to a male-skewed sex ratio.

Women’s empowerment and fertility

Education, legal rights, control over income, and reproductive choice can support later childbearing and smaller families. Paid work alone does not guarantee decision-making power.

Aging populations

Low fertility and longer survival increase the elderly share; young-adult departures can contribute. Japan is a key example. Responses include immigration, automation, eldercare, and family support.

Net migration rate

[(Immigrants − emigrants) ÷ population] × 1,000. Positive means more enter; negative means more leave. Zero can mean equal flows, not no movement.

Push, pull, obstacle, opportunity

Respectively: unemployment at home; jobs elsewhere; a visa barrier; a suitable job found closer than the original destination.

Ravenstein and migrant age patterns

Most moves are short; distant moves often target economic centers; flows generate counterflows. Young adults are generally most mobile because of education, jobs, and relationships.

Step, chain, return, and seasonal migration

Respectively: village → town → city; following relatives or community members; moving back to a former home; relocating at particular times of year.

Zelinsky’s model

1: limited permanent movement. 2: strong rural-to-urban movement and emigration. 3: those flows slow. 4: urban mobility and immigration are important. 5: communication may replace some travel.

Refugees, IDPs, and migration effects

People fleeing conflict across borders need international protection; those displaced inside their country remain under its jurisdiction. Arrivals can fill jobs and increase service demand; departures can remove skilled workers, while money sent home supports families.

MDC vs. LDC population patterns

The first generally has a larger urban share and extensive infrastructure. The second often has a larger rural/agricultural share alongside rapidly growing cities. Neither pattern applies everywhere.

Population distribution vs. population density

The first describes where people live; the second measures how concentrated they are. National averages can hide crowded cities and sparsely settled countryside.

Population pyramid interpretation

Check ages, sex labels, date, and whether values are numbers or percentages. Bulges may reflect births or immigration; gaps may reflect fewer births, deaths, or departures. Shape alone cannot prove the cause.

Growth-rate interpretation

A positive rate falling from 3% to 1% means continued growth at a slower pace. A negative rate means decline. A large population does not necessarily have a high growth rate.

ZPG

No net population change: births plus immigration equal deaths plus emigration. Equal births and deaths alone are insufficient if migration flows do not balance.

Demographic dividend

A larger working-age share relative to dependents can support economic growth. Benefits require jobs, education, and healthcare; they are not automatic.

CDR and development

A wealthy country can have a relatively high value because many residents are elderly. The measure uses the whole population without adjusting for age.

Global vs. local fertility patterns

The worldwide trend can decline while individual places rise or decline at different speeds. Education, income, reproductive healthcare, and social norms vary within countries.

Median age vs. life expectancy

The first divides residents into equally sized younger and older halves. The second estimates lifespan under prevailing mortality conditions. They measure different things.

Population aging indicators

A rising percentage aged 65+ and a rising midpoint of the age distribution. An increase in the number of elderly residents alone does not prove a change in population composition.

Marx and Engels

Hunger and poverty can result from unequal distribution and access, even when enough resources exist overall.

China’s policy sequence

Early 1970s: later marriage, longer birth spacing, fewer children. Around 1979–1980: one-child restrictions. In 2016: universal two-child policy. Allowing additional births does not guarantee families choose them.

Spain’s demographic initiative

In 2017, the government appointed a commissioner to address population challenges. The appointment itself did not directly reduce parenting costs or guarantee more births.

Voluntary vs. forced migration

The first involves meaningful choice, often for jobs or education. The second results from threats or coercion, including war, persecution, disasters, enslavement, or displacement by development projects.

Internal, international, and transnational migration

Respectively: relocation within a country; relocation across a national border; maintaining connections and often movement between countries. These categories describe different aspects and can overlap.

Circulation, residential mobility, and transhumance

Respectively: repeated short-term movement such as commuting; changing homes within a metropolitan area; seasonal movement of herders and livestock between pastures.

Guest workers

People temporarily authorized to work in another country. A textbook example is labor recruitment from Turkey to Germany.

Great Migration

African Americans moved from the U.S. South to northern and western cities. Racism and violence pushed people away, while industrial jobs attracted them.

Forced-migration examples

Syrian conflict displaced people within the country and into neighboring countries. Rohingya fled persecution in Myanmar for Bangladesh. The Atlantic slave trade forcibly transported Africans to the Americas.

Effects of migration by category

Demographic: changes age, sex, and population size. Economic: changes labor supply, spending, and housing demand. Political: affects policy debates and representation. Social: spreads cultural practices and changes service needs.

Refugee

A person outside their home country who needs international protection because of persecution, conflict, or related threats.

IDP

A person forced from home who remains within their country’s borders.

Brain drain vs. brain gain

The origin loses skilled workers while the destination receives their skills. The same movement can produce both effects.

Remittances

Money migrants send to people in their place of origin, often supporting household expenses, education, or investment.

Diaspora

A population dispersed beyond its homeland that maintains shared identity or connections; displacement-related examples include Sudanese communities abroad.

Interregional vs. intraregional migration

The first moves between regions within a country; the second stays within the same region.