Consider the following statements about the health and living conditions of India’s people during the colonial period:
(A) Public health facilities were either unavailable to large sections of the population or highly inadequate.
(B) Water-borne and air-borne diseases were rampant and took a huge toll on life.
(C) The infant mortality rate was about 218 per thousand.
(D) Reliable data of the time show that poverty affected about half of the population.
(E) The overall mortality rate was low, though the infant mortality rate was very high.
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (C) only
(A) Public health facilities were either unavailable to large sections of the population or highly inadequate. — Correct. Health facilities were missing or highly inadequate.
(B) Water-borne and air-borne diseases were rampant and took a huge toll on life. — Correct. These diseases were rampant.
(C) The infant mortality rate was about 218 per thousand. — Correct. Infant mortality was about 218 per thousand.
(D) Reliable data of the time show that poverty affected about half of the population. — Incorrect. There is no reliable data on poverty for that time, so its extent is hard to state. Poverty was still extensive.
(E) The overall mortality rate was low, though the infant mortality rate was very high. — Incorrect. The overall mortality rate was very high too.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.6 Demographic Condition … Public health facilities were either unavailable to large chunks of population or, when available, were highly inadequate. Consequently, water and air-borne diseases were rampant and took a huge toll on life. No wonder, the overall mortality rate was very high and in that, particularly, the infant mortality rate was quite alarming—about 218 per thousand in contrast to the present infant mortality rate of 28 per thousand. Life expectancy was also very low—32 years in contrast to the present 70 years. In the absence of reliable data, it is difficult to specify the extent of poverty at that time but there is no doubt that extensive poverty prevailed in India during the colonial period which contributed to the worsening profile of India’s population of the time.” |