'Death rate' of a country can be understood as a :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Social phenomenon
Option (2) Social phenomenon — Correct. Even though the death rate is made up by aggregating individual deaths, the death rate itself is a social phenomenon and must be explained at the social level. Durkheim showed the same with suicide rates: they had to be explained by social causes, though each suicide may have had reasons specific to that person.
NCERT (2025-26): “…Aggregate statistics – or the numerical characteristics that refer to a large collectivity consisting of millions of people – offer a concrete and strong argument for the existence of social phenomena. Even though country-level or state-level statistics like the number of deaths per 1,000 population – or the death rate – are made up by aggregating (or adding up) individual deaths, the death rate itself is a social phenomenon and must be explained at the social level. Emile Durkheim’s famous study explaining the variation in suicide rates across different countries was a good example of this. Durkheim argued that the rate of suicide (i.e., number of suicides per 100,000 population) had to be explained by social causes even though each particular instance of suicide may have involved reasons specific to that individual or her/his circumstances.…” |