Read the passage carefully and answer the following question:
Demographic Transition Theory is used to describe and predict the future population of any area using fertility (Crude Birth Rate) and mortality (Crude Death Rate) data in a three-staged model.
Stage I is called high fluctuating wherein both fertility and mortality are high. People reproduce more children to compensate for deaths due to epidemics and food shortages. The growth is low and fluctuating. The people are engaged in agriculture having low technology. The life expectancy is also low.
Stage II is expanding stage where fertility remains high in the beginning while mortality starts to decline due to medical and sanitation revolution. This decline in mortality causes natural increase in population. In the second half of this stage fertility also starts to decline.
In the last stage, low fluctuating growth rate is due to low fertility and low mortality. The population is stable or grows slowly. The population becomes urbanised and literate and has high technological know-how.
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of low fluctuating stage of Demographic Transition?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Population is stable or grows slowly with large proportion of literate population.
The passage states: “In the last stage, low fluctuating growth rate is due to low fertility and low mortality. The population is stable or grows slowly. The population becomes urbanised and literate and has high technological know-how.”
Option (1) The population is low due to large number of deaths from epidemics, malnutrition and disasters. — Incorrect. Many deaths from epidemics and food shortages mark Stage I, the high fluctuating stage.
Option (2) Population is stable or grows slowly with large proportion of literate population. — Correct. In the last stage, both fertility and mortality are low, so the population hardly grows. People are mostly literate and live in towns.
Option (3) Population is stable or grows slowly with large proportion of people involved in traditional agriculture. — Incorrect. The first half is true, but people working in agriculture with low technology belong to Stage I. In the last stage, the population becomes urbanised.
Option (4) Both fertility and mortality are high and fluctuating. — Incorrect. High fertility and high mortality describe Stage I, not the last stage.