Unit 4

Question 1

Name two factors which may decrease fertility rates significantly.

Answer 1

Original Answer: Social factors like access to contraception and economic factors like high child-raising costs reduce fertility rates.

Simple Terms: Fewer kids are born when people use contraception or when raising children is expensive.

Question 2

Using examples, describe the differences in natural increase between countries.

Answer 2

Original Answer: In rich countries like Japan, low birth rates and high death rates mean population shrinks. In poor countries like Niger, high birth rates and fewer deaths mean populations grow quickly.

Simple Terms: Rich countries have fewer kids and more elderly, so populations shrink. Poor countries have many kids and better healthcare, so populations grow.

Question 3

Outline the main features of one country’s population policy regarding natural increase.

Answer 3

Original Answer: Singapore implemented policies to encourage more births, including financial incentives, extended parental leave, and housing benefits.

Simple Terms: Singapore helps families have more kids by giving money, leave from work, and housing support.

Question 4

Assess the results of seeking to manage the natural increase of population in a country.

Answer 4

Original Answer: Singapore’s policies have moderately increased birth rates, but fertility rates remain below replacement level due to cultural and economic factors.

Simple Terms: Singapore’s policies helped a bit, but families still have fewer kids than needed to replace the population.

Question 5

Using examples, identify and explain the links between fertility rate and education.

Answer 5

Original Answer: Educated women in rich countries have fewer kids because they focus on jobs and delay having children. In poor countries, women with less education often marry young and have more kids.

Simple Terms: Women with education, like in rich countries, delay having kids. In poor countries, women without schooling have more kids.

Question 6

Using examples, describe the circumstances under which a natural decrease in population may occur.

Answer 6

Original Answer: Populations shrink in places like Japan where people have few kids and there are many elderly. In Eastern Europe, people leaving for jobs elsewhere also reduces the population.

Simple Terms: Countries like Japan lose people because fewer kids are born. In Eastern Europe, many people move away for jobs.

Question 7

Explain why, although the size of the average family size is decreasing, world population is still increasing.

Answer 7

Original Answer: Big populations of young people in poor countries are having kids, keeping the population growing even if families are smaller.

Simple Terms: The population grows because young people in poor countries are having kids, even though families are smaller now.

Question 8

What is meant by the term “death rate”?

Answer 8

Original Answer: Death rate means the number of people who die each year for every 1,000 people in a population.

Simple Terms: Death rate is how many people die in a year out of every 1,000.

Question 9

Using examples, explain the circumstances under which death rates may increase.

Answer 9

Original Answer: Death rates rise after disasters like tsunamis, diseases like AIDS, or poor healthcare, as seen in some African countries.

Simple Terms: Death rates go up after disasters like tsunamis, diseases, or bad healthcare, like in parts of Africa.

Question 10

Describe and explain the differences in the death rate between countries in different stages of the demographic transition model.

Answer 10

Original Answer: Poor countries have high death rates from disease and bad healthcare. Rich countries have low death rates, but aging populations can increase deaths.

Simple Terms: Poor countries have high deaths due to sickness. Rich countries have low deaths, but more people die from old age.

Question 11

Explain why many HICs are experiencing low fertility rates.

Answer 11

Original Answer: Rich countries have fewer kids because people delay having families due to careers, costs, and easy access to contraception.

Simple Terms: People in rich countries have fewer kids because of work, costs, and birth control.

Question 12

To what extent have attempts to reduce birth rates been successful in one country that you have studied?

Answer 12

Original Answer: Singapore initially had a successful “Stop at Two” campaign to reduce birth rates, but the policy contributed to very low fertility later, leading to pro-natalist measures to encourage more births.

Simple Terms: Singapore first stopped families from having too many kids, but now it encourages bigger families because birth rates fell too low.

Question 13

Give two reasons which help to explain why HICs record only a small percentage of total deaths under 50 years of age.

Answer 13

Original Answer: Fewer people under 50 die in rich countries because of good healthcare and better living standards.

Simple Terms: Good healthcare and living conditions in rich countries save lives under 50.

Question 14

Explain the term “population structure.”

Answer 14

Original Answer: Population structure shows how many people of different ages and genders are in a population, often using a pyramid diagram.

Simple Terms: Population structure shows the ages and genders of people, often in a pyramid shape.

Question 15

Explain the terms dependency and dependency ratio.

Answer 15

Original Answer: Dependency is when kids and elderly rely on workers for support. Dependency ratio = (Dependents ÷ Workers) × 100.

Simple Terms: Dependency means kids and elderly rely on workers. The dependency ratio is the number of dependents compared to workers.

Question 16

Explain the term “infant mortality rate.”

Answer 16

Original Answer: Infant mortality rate is the number of babies who die before age 1 for every 1,000 babies born.

Simple Terms: Infant mortality is how many babies die before age 1 out of 1,000 births.

Question 17

Explain the term “fertility rate.”

Answer 17

Original Answer: Fertility rate is the average number of kids a woman is likely to have in her lifetime.

Simple Terms: Fertility rate is how many kids a woman usually has in her life.

Question 18

Explain the term “natural increase rate” and show how it is calculated.

Answer 18

Original Answer: Natural increase rate is how fast a population grows by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate. Formula: (Birth rate − Death rate) ÷ 10.

Simple Terms: Natural increase shows how fast a population grows by comparing births and deaths.

Question 19

With the help of a simple diagram of an age/sex pyramid, explain the terms dependency and dependency ratio.

Answer 19

Original Answer: Age/sex pyramids show ages and genders in a population. Dependency ratio is how many kids and elderly depend on workers, shown as a percentage.

Simple Terms: Pyramids show ages and genders. Dependency ratio shows how many kids and elderly rely on workers.

Question 20

Explain the reasons for the success or failure of population policies.

Answer 20

Original Answer: Successful policies give money or benefits to families and are well-enforced, like in Singapore. Policies fail when people ignore them or when there’s not enough money to support them, like in Nigeria.

Simple Terms: Policies succeed with money and enforcement, like in Singapore. They fail without support or people ignoring them, like in Nigeria.

Question 21

What is meant by the term carrying capacity in connection with population?

Answer 21

Original: Carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of people an environment can sustain indefinitely with the available resources, technology, and infrastructure. If the population exceeds this limit, resource depletion, environmental degradation, and economic instability may occur.

Simple terms: Carrying capacity is the maximum number of people an area can support without running out of resources, like food, water, and shelter.

Question 22

Describe the constraints that may limit the capability of resources to feed a country’s population.

Answer 22

Original: Constraints include limited arable land, water scarcity, poor soil fertility, deforestation, urbanization reducing farmland, and climate change impacts like droughts and flooding. Economic barriers and inefficient agricultural practices also play a role.

Simple terms: Limited land for farming, not enough water, poor soil, climate problems like drought, and bad farming practices can all make it hard to grow enough food.

Question 23

Why are some areas of the world considered underpopulated?

Answer 23

Original: Underpopulated areas, like parts of Australia and Canada, have abundant resources relative to their population size. These regions have untapped potential due to low population density, which limits economic activity and resource utilization.

Simple terms: Some areas, like parts of Australia, have more resources than people living there, so the resources are not fully used.

Question 24

Explain why the concept of a population ceiling may be relevant in LICs (low-income countries).

Answer 24

Original: Population ceilings are relevant in LICs because resource scarcity, low levels of technological development, and economic instability limit their ability to sustain large populations. Rapid population growth can exceed these limits, leading to poverty and resource depletion.

Simple terms: In poorer countries, there might not be enough food, water, or jobs to support too many people, so a population ceiling becomes necessary.

Question 25

What is meant by the term underpopulation?

Answer 25

Original: Underpopulation occurs when an area has more resources, land, and infrastructure than needed for its population. This leads to underutilized resources and opportunities for growth, as seen in sparsely populated regions like Canada.

Simple terms: Underpopulation is when there are more resources in an area than the people need, leaving resources unused.

Question 26

Assess the success of attempts to sustain an increasing population using technology and innovation.

Answer 26

Original: Advances in technology have increased food production (e.g., high-yield crops, GM technology), improved irrigation, and reduced waste. Innovations like renewable energy and vertical farming also help, but challenges remain, such as unequal access and environmental impacts.

Simple terms: Technology like better seeds, irrigation, and renewable energy has helped grow more food and use resources better, but some people and areas still don’t have access to these improvements.

Question 27

Explain the reasons why family planning services may not be available to everyone in LICs.

Answer 27

Original: Family planning services are often unavailable in LICs due to poverty, cultural and religious resistance, lack of education about contraception, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and limited funding from governments or NGOs.

Simple terms: Poorer countries may lack money, doctors, or education about contraception. Traditions or religious beliefs might also stop people from using family planning.

Question 28

Explain why birth rates may vary over time.

Answer 28

Original: Birth rates change due to factors like government policies (e.g., Singapore’s pro-natalist or anti-natalist measures), economic development, urbanization, access to healthcare and contraception, cultural or religious norms, and social changes such as women’s increased education and workforce participation.

Simple terms: Birth rates change because of things like government policies (e.g., Singapore encouraging more births or discouraging large families), education, access to contraception, and cultural attitudes about family size.

Question 29

Using one or more examples, describe and explain the problems that may be caused by a falling birth rate.

Answer 29

Original: Falling birth rates, as seen in Japan and Germany, cause aging populations, shrinking workforces, and increased dependency ratios, straining pensions and healthcare systems. Economic growth slows, and some countries resort to pro-natalist policies to reverse the trend.

Simple terms: Falling birth rates, like in Japan, mean fewer young workers and more old people needing care. This makes it harder for the economy to grow and pay for healthcare or pensions.

Question 30

Why is population growth unsustainable, given current population growth rates and existing resources?

Answer 30

Original: Rapid population growth strains resources like water, food, and energy, leading to deforestation, soil degradation, climate change, and increased poverty. Resource depletion and environmental destruction make long-term growth unsustainable.

Simple terms: Too many people means not enough food, water, or land. This can cause poverty, deforestation, pollution, and more problems for the planet.

Question 31

What is meant by the term fertility rate?

Answer 31

Original: Fertility rate is the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, often measured to assess population growth trends.

Simple terms: Fertility rate is the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime.

Question 32

Explain two factors that may influence levels of fertility.

Answer 32

Original: Fertility levels are influenced by access to contraception, healthcare, and education (especially for women) and by cultural, religious, or economic factors that affect family size preferences. Government policies, like pro-natalist or anti-natalist measures, also play a role.

Simple terms: Fertility depends on access to birth control and education, but also on culture or religion, which may encourage big families.

Question 33

How far do you agree with the view that population change is predictable?

Answer 33

Original: While demographic trends, such as declining fertility in developed countries, make population change partly predictable, external factors like pandemics, climate change, and political instability introduce significant uncertainty.

Simple terms: Population changes can be guessed based on birth rates and trends, but things like natural disasters or wars can suddenly change everything.

Question 34

What is meant by the term overpopulation?

Answer 34

Original: Overpopulation occurs when the number of people exceeds the resources, technology, and infrastructure available to sustain them, leading to resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and reduced quality of life.

Simple terms: Overpopulation happens when there are too many people for the resources like food and water to support them.

Question 35

What methods can be used to reduce the problem of overpopulation?

Answer 35

Original: Methods include improving access to family planning, education, especially for women, economic development to lower birth rates, government policies to manage population growth, and addressing poverty.

Simple terms: Educating people, making birth control available, and helping countries grow economically can help reduce overpopulation.

Question 36

Explain the causes and consequences of food shortages.

Answer 36

Original: Causes include natural disasters, climate change, conflict, poor agricultural practices, and population pressures. Consequences are malnutrition, starvation, economic decline, migration, and increased social unrest, often destabilizing affected regions.

Simple terms: Food shortages happen because of bad weather, wars, or poor farming. They cause hunger, health problems, and sometimes even violence.

Question 37

Explain why the theory of optimum population may not exist in real life.

Answer 37

Original: Optimum population theory assumes static resources and ignores technological advances and social changes. In reality, resources can increase through innovation, and population needs vary based on economic and environmental conditions.

Simple terms: The idea of optimum population doesn’t work because technology and resources keep changing, so there’s no fixed number of people that’s “just right.”

Question 38

What social and economic factors help explain population trends in HICs in stage 4 of the demographic transition model?

Answer 38

Original Answer: In stage 4, HICs experience low birth and death rates due to advanced healthcare systems, widespread access to education, especially for women, and greater gender equality. Increased use of contraception and family planning leads to smaller families, and economic prosperity enables higher living standards. Women often delay childbirth due to career opportunities, and infant mortality rates are extremely low, reducing the need for larger families.

Simple Terms Answer: In stage 4, HICs have low birth and death rates because of better healthcare, education, gender equality, and economic stability. Families are smaller because women delay childbirth and use contraception. Living standards are high, and infant mortality is very low.

Question 39

What explains differences in death rates between countries in different stages of the demographic transition model?

Answer 39

Original Answer: Death rates vary due to factors such as healthcare quality, sanitation, access to clean water, nutrition, and education. LICs in earlier stages of the model face higher death rates due to poor healthcare, malnutrition, and a higher prevalence of diseases. In contrast, HICs in later stages benefit from advanced healthcare, better sanitation, food security, vaccination programs, and effective disease control, leading to lower death rates. Additionally, conflict, poverty, and natural disasters may further exacerbate death rates in LICs.

Simple Terms Answer: Death rates are higher in poorer countries (LICs) because of bad healthcare, lack of clean water, poor food supply, and more diseases. Richer countries (HICs) have low death rates because of good healthcare, better sanitation, enough food, and disease prevention.