CAPF AC 2020 Q41: Geography – Population & Demography
Natural Population Change is calculated by
- (a) subtracting the death rate from the birth rate
- (b) multiplying the death rate with the birth rate
- (c) adding the death rate with the birth rate
- (d) subtracting the birth rate from the death rate
Answer: (a) subtracting the death rate from the birth rate
Explanation
Natural population change
How to think: population goes up with births and down with deaths.
So the natural change is births minus deaths.
No other operation makes sense.
Natural change = birth rate − death rate
| Term | Formula |
|---|---|
| Natural growth | Births − Deaths |
| Actual growth | Births − Deaths + In-migration − Out-migration |
| Positive growth | Birth rate is more than the death rate |
| Negative growth | Birth rate is less than the death rate |
Example:
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth rate | 20 per 1,000 |
| Death rate | 7 per 1,000 |
| Natural change | 20 − 7 = 13 per 1,000 |
Answer: (a) subtracting the death rate from the birth rate.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) CORRECT. Natural change = birth rate minus death rate.
- (b) Incorrect. Multiplying the two rates gives no meaningful measure of change.
- (c) Incorrect. Adding deaths to births would count deaths as a gain in population.
- (d) Incorrect. This reverses the order and would show a growing population as shrinking.
Key point
Natural growth = births − deaths. Actual growth = births − deaths + in-migration − out-migration.
Remember
Natural change = birth rate − death rate (no migration).
Common mistakes
- Reading option (d) quickly and missing that the order is reversed.
- Including migration in natural change; migration is part of actual growth only.
- Confusing the birth rate (per 1,000 people) with the total number of births.
Exam tip
Read the order twice: subtracting A from B means B minus A. Here it must be births minus deaths.
Sources
- NCERT Class XII Geography — Fundamentals of Human Geography: The World Population (distribution, density and growth)
- NCERT Class XII Geography — India: People and Economy (population growth)