Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): After a few decades, China will have more elderly people in proportion to young people.
Reason (R): China introduced the one-child norm in the late 1970s, which arrested the growth of its population.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Assertion (A): After a few decades, China will have more elderly people in proportion to young people. — True. China’s population will age: the old will form a larger share.
Reason (R): China introduced the one-child norm in the late 1970s, which arrested the growth of its population. — True. The one-child norm is seen as the main reason for China’s low population growth.
Why R explains A?
With one child per couple, fewer babies are born each year. Over time there are fewer young people, so the elderly become a larger share. This is also why China later allowed couples to have two children.
NCERT (2026-27): “8.3 Demographic Indicators … Scholars point out the one-child norm introduced in China in the late 1970s as the major reason for low population growth. They also state that this measure led to a decline in the sex ratio, the proportion of females per 1000 males. However, from the table, you will notice that the sex ratio is low and biased against females in all three countries. Scholars cite son preference prevailing in all these countries as the reason. In recent times, all three countries are adopting various measures to improve the situation. One-child norm and the resultant arrest in the growth of population also have other implications. For instance, after a few decades, in China, there will be more elderly people in proportion to young people. This led China to allow couples to have two children. …” |