Population, Development and Environment Questions and Answers

Answer: D

Nutritional status of children is not included in preparing the human development index. The index of that time combined three dimensions: a long and healthy life measured by expectation of life at birth, knowledge measured by adult literacy and enrolment, and a decent standard of living measured by per capita income.

Adult literacy, life expectancy at birth and per capita income are therefore all components, so they are wrong in a question asking for the factor left out.

Answer: B

Both statements are true, but the reason is not the correct explanation of the assertion, as in the key. The quality of fresh water is declining, and the global population is increasing.

Population growth adds to water demand and waste, but the fall in water quality has other main causes, such as untreated industrial effluent, agricultural run-off of fertilisers and pesticides, and poor sanitation. Population size alone does not account for it, so (R) is a true statement and not the explanation. The options that make the reason the explanation, or call either statement false, are wrong.

Answer: B

The indices match as PQLI (Physical Quality of Life Index) with quality of life, GEM (Gender Empowerment Measure) with empowerment, SLI with poverty and HDI (Human Development Index) with development, which is the code iii ii iv i, as in the key.

PQLI was devised to measure the quality of life from literacy, infant mortality and life expectancy, and GEM measures the participation of women in economic and political life. The other codes pair PQLI with poverty or HDI with the quality of life, which reverses their purpose.

Answer: B

Both statements are correct, but the reason is not the correct explanation, as in the key. Noise pollution in metropolitan cities is rising, and metropolitan cities are home to millions of people.

However, the noise comes from traffic, construction, industry and public events, not from the number of residents as such, so being a home to millions does not directly explain the rise. The options calling the statements false do not fit.

Answer: A

The key gives (A) as true and (R) as true, with (R) as the correct explanation. Changing farm technology, such as high-yielding seeds, irrigation and fertilisers, has greatly increased food production, and the use of newer methods to cultivate barren and arid regions is one of the ways production has been raised.

The options saying that (A) is false or that (R) is false are wrong, since both statements are accepted. The option saying (R) is not the explanation is also wrong under the key.

Answer: D

All of the factors affect the carrying capacity of an environment. Biotic factors such as food, predators and disease limit the population, abiotic factors such as water, climate and soil set limits too, and technical advances can raise the limit by increasing the output obtainable from the same land.

Since each of the first three is correct, none of them alone is complete and the answer is 'All of the above'.

Answer: C

World Population Day is observed on 11 July, not 15 July, so the third pair is not properly matched. World Environment Day on 5 June, World Health Day on 7 April and World AIDS Day on 1 December are all correct pairs.

Since the question asks which one is not properly matched, the answer is the pair with World Population Day.

Answer: D

The net reproduction rate is not an indicator of social development. It is a demographic measure of generational replacement of the population.

The primary school enrolment rate, the literacy rate and child malnutrition all describe education and the well-being of children, which are social development indicators, so they are wrong for a question asking which is not one.

Answer: C

Ozone is the gas that absorbs the Sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation. The ozone layer in the stratosphere filters most of the harmful ultraviolet rays before they reach the surface.

Nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide are greenhouse gases that trap heat, and nitrogen makes up most of the air without any special role in absorbing ultraviolet radiation.

Answer: D

The carrying capacity of an environment is affected by biotic factors, abiotic factors and technical advances, so all three of (a), (b) and (c) are right.

Biotic factors such as food, competition and disease, abiotic factors such as water, climate and soil, and technical advances that raise the output from the same resources all raise or lower the number of people or organisms the environment can support. The options listing only (a), (a) and (b), or (a) and (c) each leave out a factor.