Question 1.
Describe the basic factors affecting the population of India.
Answer:
The basic factors affecting the population of India are as under :

• Birth Rate: It is the number of live births per 1,000 individuals of a population per annum. It increases both population size and population density.
• Death or Mortality Rate: It is expressed as the number of death per 1,000 individuals of a population per year. It decreases both population size and population density.
• Migration: Migration is the movement of the people across regions and territories. Migration can be internal or international.

Question 2.
What is meant by population growth and how do you calculate it?
Answer:
Growth of population refers to the change in the number of inhabitants of a country/territory during a specific period or time as an instance, during the last 10 years. Such a change can be expressed in two ways: in terms of absolute numbers and in terms of percentage change per year.

It is obtained by simply subtracting the earlier population from the later population. It is referred to as absolute increase.

Question 3.
Distinguish between Total Population and Average Density of Population.
Answer:

Total Population	Average Density of Population
(i) It is the number of people actually existing in the area.	(i) It is the number of people in a unit area after the distribution of the total population uniformly.
(ii) Its unit of measurement is number of people.	(ii) Its unit of measurement is the number of people per unit area.
(iii) Its value depends on the number of people only.	(iii) Its value depends on both the number of people as well as the total area.

Question 4.
What are the push and pull factors of internal migration in India?
Answer:
In India, most migrations have been from rural to urban areas because of the ‘push’ factor in rural areas. These are adverse conditions of poverty and unemployment in the rural areas and the ‘pull’ of the city in terms of increased employment opportunities and better living conditions.

Question 5.
Why do we need high literacy rate in a country? Who is a literate person?
Answer:
Literacy is a very important quality of a population. Only an informed and educated citizen can make intelligent choices and undertake research and development projects.
Low levels of literacy are a serious obstacle for economic improvement.
According to the Census 2011, a person aged 7 years and above, who can read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.

Question 6.
What are the factors that influence the population distribution in India?
Answer:
Factors that influence the population distribution are :

• Type of Climate: Areas having moderate climate have more population than the areas having extreme climatic conditions. Leh and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir and western Rajasthan have extreme type of climate. Therefore, these regions have less or sparse population.
• Type of Soil: India’s northern plains and coastal plains are made up of alluvial soil which is very fertile. So, these areas are densely populated. On the other hand, hilly areas and deserts are thinly populated.
• Opportunity for Jobs: The areas which have more opportunities of jobs are thickly populated, whereas areas which do not provide people with job opportunities are sparsely populated. Urban areas are thickly populated because of this factor.
• Religious and Historical Places like Allahabad, Varanasi, Rameshwaram, Agra etc. are also thickly populated. (any three points)

Question 7.
How do you classify occupations?
Answer:
Occupations are, generally, classified as primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

• Primary activities include agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, etc.
• Secondary activities include manufacturing industry, building and construction work, etc.
• Tertiary activities include transport, communications, commerce, administration and other services.

Question 8.
Write a short note on adolescent population.
Answer:
The most significant feature of the Indian population is the size of its adolescent population. It constitutes one-fifth of the total population of India. Adolescents are generally, grouped in the age-group of 10 to 19 years. They are the most important resource for the future. Nutrition requirements of adolescents are higher than those of a normal child or adult. Poor nutrition can lead to deficiency and stunted growth. But in India, the diet available to adolescents is inadequate in all nutrients. A large number of adolescent girls suffer from anaemia. Their problems have so far not received adequate attention in the process of development. The adolescent girls have to be sensitised to the problems they confront. Their awareness can be improved through the spread of literacy and education among them.

Question 9.
What are the improvements made in the health status of people of India?
Answer:
Health is an important component of population composition, which affects the process of development. Sustained efforts of government programmes have registered significant improvements in the health conditions of the Indian population. Death rates have declined from 25 per 1000 population in 1951 to 7.2 per 1000 in 2011 and life expectancy at birth has increased from 36.7 years in 1951 to 67.9 years in 2012.

The substantial improvement is the result of many factors including improvement in public health, prevention of infectious diseases and application of modern medical practices in diagnosis and treatment of ailments.

Question 10.
Categorize the population of a nation into three broad categories based on age composition.
Answer:
The population of a nation is generally grouped into three broad categories :

• Children (below 15 years): This group is economically unproductive. They need to be provided with food, clothing, education and medical care.
• Working Age (15 to 59 years): They are economically productive and biologically reproductive. This group bears the burden of children and aged people.
• Aged (above 59 years): They can be economically productive through they may have retired.

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