20 multiple-choice (MCQ / objective) questions from this chapter, in every exam-style shape used in the paper. Every question comes with an explanation along with the answer, so you remember why the option is correct, not just which one it is.
1 Direct Questions
Direct Questions
- 1 markGeorge B. Cressey’s remark, “Asia has many places where people are few and few place where people are very many,” is about the uneven population distribution of which continent?
(A) Africa(B) Asia(C) South America(D) Europe - 1 markHow many of the world’s 10 most populous countries are located in Asia?
(A) 4(B) 5(C) 6(D) 8 - 1 markRegion X has an area of 100 sq km and a population of 1,50,000 persons. What is its density of population, using the chapter’s own worked example?
(A) 150 persons/sq km(B) 1,500 persons/sq km(C) 15,000 persons/sq km(D) 1,50,000 persons/sq km - 1 markWhich of the following correctly matches a landform with its population density, as the chapter states it?
(A) Ganga plains: sparsely populated(B) Himalayan mountain zones: densely populated(C) Ganga plains: densely populated(D) Deserts: densely populated - 1 markThe Katanga-Zambia copper belt, given in the chapter as an example of a mineral area attracting dense population, is located in:
(A) Asia(B) Europe(C) Africa(D) South America - 1 markThe chapter’s own example compares India’s population in 2001 (102.70 crore) and 2011 (121.02 crore). What growth of population does the chapter give for this period?
(A) 8.32 crore(B) 18.15 crore(C) 21.02 crore(D) 102.70 crore - 1 markAccording to the chapter, population change has three components: births, deaths and:
(A) Urbanisation(B) Density(C) Industrialisation(D) Migration
2 Assertion-Reason
Assertion-Reason
- 1 markAssertion (A): River valleys are among the most densely populated areas of the world.
Reason (R): Water is the most important factor for life, so people prefer to live in areas where fresh water is easily available.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true - 1 markAssertion (A): Population growth is high in the first stage of demographic transition.
Reason (R): In Stage I, both the birth rate and the death rate are high, and they compensate for each other.
(A) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A(B) Both A and R are true, but R does not correctly explain A(C) A is true, but R is false(D) A is false, but R is true
3 Match the Following
Match the Following
- 1 markMatch List I (factor) with List II (example from the chapter) and select the correct combination:
List I: 1) Availability of water 2) Landforms 3) Climate 4) Minerals
List II: P. Ganga plains dense, Himalayan zones sparse Q. River valleys densely populated R. Mediterranean regions settled early S. Katanga-Zambia copper belt
(A) 1-P, 2-Q, 3-S, 4-R(B) 1-Q, 2-P, 3-R, 4-S(C) 1-R, 2-S, 3-P, 4-Q(D) 1-S, 2-R, 3-Q, 4-P - 1 markMatch List I (migration term) with List II (its meaning in the chapter) and select the correct combination:
List I: 1) Place of Origin 2) Place of Destination 3) Immigrant 4) Emigrant
List II: P. Place migrants move to, population increases Q. Migrant who moves out of a place R. Place migrants move from, population decreases S. Migrant who moves into a new place
(A) 1-R, 2-P, 3-S, 4-Q(B) 1-P, 2-R, 3-Q, 4-S(C) 1-S, 2-Q, 3-R, 4-P(D) 1-Q, 2-S, 3-P, 4-R
4 Statement-Based Questions
Statement-Based Questions
- 1 markConsider the following statements about Positive Growth of Population:
(i) Positive growth of population happens only when the birth rate exceeds the death rate.
(ii) Positive growth of population can also happen when people from other countries migrate permanently into a region.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) Only (i)(B) Only (ii)(C) Both (i) and (ii)(D) Neither (i) nor (ii)
5 Arrange in the Correct Order
Arrange in the Correct Order
- 1 markArrange these countries from Fig. 2.1 (Most Populous Countries) in decreasing order of population:
1) U.S.A 2) China 3) Indonesia 4) India
(A) 4, 2, 1, 3(B) 2, 4, 1, 3(C) 2, 4, 3, 1(D) 1, 2, 4, 3
6 Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the Blanks
- 1 markThe world’s population is unevenly distributed: about 90% of people live on about ______ of the world’s land area.
(A) 50%(B) 25%(C) 10%(D) 40% - 1 markThe Crude Birth Rate is calculated as the number of live births in a year per ______ of population.
(A) hundred(B) ten thousand(C) lakh(D) thousand - 1 markAccording to the chapter’s own ‘Did you know’ box, human population increased more than ______ times during the past 500 years.
(A) two(B) five(C) ten(D) twenty
7 Odd One Out
Odd One Out
- 1 markWhich of the following is NOT one of the geographical factors influencing population distribution named in the chapter?
(A) Availability of water(B) Climate(C) Urbanisation(D) Landforms
8 Passage-Based Questions
Passage-Based Questions
Passage
Thomas Malthus, in his theory published in 1798, argued that the human population would increase faster than the food supply available to sustain it. He believed that if this growth went unchecked, it would eventually be brought down by a population crash caused by famine, disease and war. Malthus considered preventive checks to be better than these physical checks.
- 1 markRead the passage above. According to it, what did Malthus believe would happen if population growth went unchecked?
(A) It would be automatically checked by preventive checks such as family planning(B) It would be brought down by a crash caused by famine, disease and war(C) It would stabilise on its own without any checks(D) It would lead directly to demographic transition
Passage
People migrate mainly for a better economic and social life. Two sets of factors influence this decision. Push factors, such as unemployment, poor living conditions and political turmoil, make the place a migrant is leaving seem less attractive. Pull factors, such as better job opportunities and peace and stability, make the place a migrant is moving to seem more attractive.
- 1 markRead the passage above. Unemployment and political turmoil are given as examples of which kind of factor?
(A) Pull factors(B) Natural factors(C) Push factors(D) Cultural factors
9 True / False
True / False
- 1 markConsider the following statements:
(i) The population of the Place of Origin decreases due to migration.
(ii) The population of the Place of Destination decreases due to migration.
(A) Both are true(B) Both are false(C) Only (i) is true(D) Only (ii) is true
Answer Key and Explanations
Direct Questions
- (B) The chapter quotes this exact remark of George B. Cressey about the population of Asia.
- (C) The chapter states that of the 10 most populous countries, which together hold about 60% of world population, 6 are located in Asia.
- (B) The chapter’s own worked example calculates Density = 1,50,000 / 100 = 1,500 persons/sq km.
- (C) The chapter states the Ganga plains are among the most densely populated areas of the world while the mountain zones in the Himalayas are scarcely populated.
- (C) The chapter names the Katanga Zambia copper belt in Africa as a good example of minerals attracting industries and workers.
- (B) The chapter prints the growth of population as 18.15 crore in actual numbers. (Check: 121.02 − 102.70 actually works out to 18.32 crore; the book’s printed figure is 18.15 crore, so quote the book’s figure in an objective question.)
- (D) The chapter states there are three components of population change: births, deaths and migration.
Assertion-Reason
- (A) Both statements are true and are directly connected in the chapter: it is because water is the most important factor for life that river valleys, where fresh water is easily available, are among the most densely populated areas.
- (D) Assertion (A) is false: the chapter states population growth is slow in Stage I, not high. Reason (R) is true. The chapter explains that high fertility and high mortality occur together because people reproduce more to compensate for deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply, which is exactly why growth stays slow.
Match the Following
- (B) The chapter’s own account: water availability explains dense river valleys (1-Q), landforms explain the Ganga plains/Himalaya contrast (2-P), climate explains early Mediterranean settlement (3-R), and minerals explain the Katanga-Zambia copper belt (4-S).
- (A) The chapter defines the Place of Origin as showing a decrease in population (1-R), the Place of Destination as showing an increase (2-P), Immigrants as migrants who move into a new place (3-S), and Emigrants as migrants who move out of a place (4-Q).
Statement-Based Questions
- (B) Statement (i) is false because it uses the word ‘only’. The chapter gives TWO causes of positive growth, not one. Statement (ii) is true: the chapter states positive growth also happens when people from other countries migrate permanently to a region.
Arrange in the Correct Order
- (B) Fig. 2.1 shows China first (about 1,350 million), then India (about 1,300 million), then the U.S.A (about 300 million) and then Indonesia (about 250 million), so the order is 2, 4, 1, 3.
Fill in the Blanks
- (C) The chapter states that broadly, 90 per cent of the world population lives in about 10 per cent of its land area.
- (D) The chapter states CBR is expressed as the number of live births in a year per thousand of population.
- (C) The chapter’s own box states human population increased more than ten times during the past 500 years.
Odd One Out
- (C) Water, climate and landforms are all listed under Geographical Factors in the chapter; urbanisation is listed under Economic Factors instead.
Passage-Based Questions
- (B) The passage states unchecked growth would eventually be brought down by a population crash caused by famine, disease and war.
- (C) The passage names unemployment and political turmoil as push factors, which make the place of origin less attractive.
True / False
- (C) The chapter states the place of origin shows a decrease in population while the population increases in the place of destination, so (i) is true and (ii) is false.
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