Arrange the following characteristic features of stages of demographic transition in the order from first to last.
A. High fertility and high mortality
B. Both fertility and mortality decline considerably
C. Sharp decline in fertility in comparison to mortality
D. Fertility remains high in the beginning but declines with time
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → A, D, C, B
(A) High fertility and high mortality — first. In the first stage, people have many children to make up for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply. The population grows slowly.
(D) Fertility remains high in the beginning but declines with time — second. This is how the second stage begins. Better sanitation and health conditions bring mortality down, while fertility is still high.
(C) Sharp decline in fertility in comparison to mortality — third. Later in the second stage, fertility also falls, along with the reduced mortality.
(B) Both fertility and mortality decline considerably — last. This is the last stage. The population is either stable or grows slowly.
Note 1: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. The book gives a three-stage model. The words ‘sharp decline in fertility in comparison to mortality’ are not in the book. They describe the later part of the second stage, when fertility, which stays high at first, declines with time. So (D) comes before (C), and the last stage (B) comes after both.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2023 on 30-05-2023 (Slot 2).
NCERT (2026-27): “The first stage has high fertility and high mortality because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply. The population growth is slow and most of the people are engaged in agriculture where large families are an asset.” “Fertility remains high in the beginning of second stage but it declines with time. This is accompanied by reduced mortality rate. Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to decline in mortality. Because of this gap the net addition to population is high.” “In the last stage, both fertility and mortality decline considerably. The population is either stable or grows slowly.”
Fig. 2.2: Demographic Transition Theory |
