CAPF AC 2021 Q35: Geography – Population & Demography
Which one of the following is a pull factor for migration?
- (a) Natural disaster
- (b) High wage
- (c) Housing shortage
- (d) Low income
Answer: (b) High wage
Explanation
Push and pull factors of migration
How to think: a push factor is something bad at home that drives people out.
A pull factor is something good elsewhere that attracts people.
Ask of each option: is it a problem or an attraction?
| Factor | Push or pull | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Natural disaster | Push | Forces people to leave |
| Housing shortage | Push | Makes life hard at the place of origin |
| Low income | Push | Poverty drives people out |
| High wage | Pull | Better pay attracts people to a new place |
Other pull factors: better jobs, education, health care, peace and a pleasant climate.
Answer: (b) High wage.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. A natural disaster pushes people away from their homes.
- (b) CORRECT. A high wage attracts people towards a place, so it is a pull factor.
- (c) Incorrect. A housing shortage is a problem that pushes people out.
- (d) Incorrect. Low income is a push factor at the place of origin.
Key point
Push factors (make the origin less attractive): unemployment, poverty, disasters, epidemics, unrest. Pull factors (make the destination attractive): jobs, higher wages, better living conditions, security.
Remember
Push = problems at home; pull = promise elsewhere.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the two words and marking a problem as a pull factor.
- Thinking a natural disaster pulls people because relief camps are set up.
- Reading low income as something that attracts migrants to a place.
Exam tip
Educated guess: three options are bad things and only one is a good thing. A pull factor must be the good one.
Sources
- NCERT Class XII Geography — Fundamentals of Human Geography (The World Population: migration)
- NCERT Class XII Geography — India: People and Economy (Migration: types, causes and consequences)