Read the Passage given below and answer the questions:
Most demographic concepts are expressed as rates or ratios – they involve two numbers. One of these numbers is the particular statistic that has been calculated for a specific geographical-administrative unit; the other number provides a standard for comparison. For example, the birth rate is the total number of live births in a particular area (an entire country, a state, a district or other territorial unit) during a specified period (usually a year) divided by the total population of that area in thousands. In other words, the birth rate is the number of live births per 1000 population. The death rate is a similar statistic, expressed as the number of deaths in a given area during a given time per 1000 population. These statistics depend on the reporting of births and deaths by the families in which they occur.

Given below are some statements regarding demographic indicators.

Statement I: Crude birth rate is calculated with reference to the total population.

Statement II: Fertility rate is calculated with reference to women in the child-bearing age group.

Statement III: A society may have the same crude birth rate as another society but a different fertility rate.

Statement IV: Fertility rate is always numerically lower than crude birth rate.

Statement I, II and III only

The correct answer is Option 1: Statement I, II and III only.

Statement I: Crude birth rate is calculated with reference to the total population. Correct. Crude birth rate measures the number of live births per 1000 persons in the total population during a given year. Since the denominator includes men, women, children, and the elderly, it is called a "crude" measure of reproduction.

Statement II: Fertility rate is calculated with reference to women in the child-bearing age group. Correct. Fertility rate focuses specifically on women who are biologically capable of bearing children, usually those in the 15–49 age group. This makes it a more refined measure of reproductive behaviour than the crude birth rate.

Statement III: A society may have the same crude birth rate as another society but a different fertility rate. Correct. Two societies can record the same number of births per 1000 population but differ in the proportion of women in the child-bearing age group. As a result, their fertility rates may differ even when their crude birth rates are identical. This is one of the reasons fertility rate is often preferred for studying reproductive behaviour.

Statement IV: Fertility rate is always numerically lower than crude birth rate. Incorrect. This statement confuses the meaning of the two indicators. Since crude birth rate and fertility rate use different denominators, their numerical values are not directly comparable in this way. In fact, fertility rates are usually much higher than crude birth rates because births are related only to women in the child-bearing age group rather than to the entire population.