CM9.1-7 | Demography and Vital Statistics — Practice Quiz

Correct. CBR uses the mid-year total population (all ages, both sexes) as denominator, multiplied by 1,000. This is its key limitation — it ignores age-sex structure.

Vital rate denominators tested in NMC exams: CBR/CDR/IMR = per 1,000; MMR = per 100,000 live births; TFR = sum of ASFRs × 5 (dimensionless lifetime average).

Incorrect. CBR denominator is mid-year total population per 1,000. Option A is the denominator for the General Fertility Rate (GFR). Option C is a nonsensical circular definition. Option D is used for maternal mortality ratio.

Correct. NFHS-5 (2019–21) reported India's TFR at 2.0, just at replacement level (2.1). This marks a milestone — India has reached near-replacement fertility for the first time.

TFR progression: NFHS-1 (1992–93) = 3.4 → NFHS-4 (2015–16) = 2.3 → NFHS-5 (2019–21) = 2.0. Replacement TFR = 2.1. SRS 2020 CBR ≈ 19.5.

Incorrect. NFHS-5 reported TFR = 2.0. A TFR of 1.8 is below replacement (some European countries). 2.3 was India's TFR in NFHS-4 (2015–16). 3.1 was the mid-1990s figure.

Correct. India is in late Stage 3 (transitional). CDR has fallen to ~6 (SRS 2020), CBR is 19.5, and TFR has reached 2.0 (NFHS-5). Natural increase is still positive but narrowing.

The demographic cycle/transition model: Stage 1 (high-high) → Stage 2 (high birth, falling death = population explosion) → Stage 3 (falling birth, low death) → Stage 4 (low-low). India moved from Stage 2 to Stage 3 around the 1970s–80s.

Incorrect. India is in Stage 3. Stage 1 describes pre-modern societies. Stage 2 (which India was in through mid-20th century) has declining CDR but still high CBR. Stage 4 (near-zero growth) applies to most Western nations.

Correct. SRS uses a dual-record system: a part-time enumerator registers events continuously, while a full-time supervisor conducts an independent retrospective half-yearly survey. Matched and unmatched events are used to estimate completeness.

SRS is the gold-standard source for India's vital rates (CBR, CDR, IMR, TFR). CRS has historically under-registered events. Census provides population denominators. NFHS provides fertility/mortality via household surveys.

Incorrect. Option A describes the Civil Registration System (CRS), not SRS. Option C describes the Census. Option D is a hospital surveillance system. SRS is a sample-based dual-record system.

Correct. Census 2011 child sex ratio (0–6 years) = 914 per 1,000 males, the lowest since Independence. This is distinct from the overall sex ratio of 943 per 1,000 males.

Two sex ratios to know: (1) Overall sex ratio Census 2011 = 943 females/1,000 males; (2) Child sex ratio 0–6 years Census 2011 = 914 (down from 945 in 2001). Child sex ratio reflects son preference and sex-selective practices more sensitively.

Incorrect. The child sex ratio (0–6 years, Census 2011) = 914. The overall sex ratio (all ages) = 943. 945 was the child sex ratio in Census 2001 — it actually declined to 914 by 2011. 933 is not a standard reference figure.

Correct. NRR = 1.0 means each woman on average replaces herself with exactly one surviving daughter — so the reproductive population is stable. R correctly explains A because NRR incorporates age-specific mortality (survival probability) unlike GRR, which does not.

GRR (Gross Reproduction Rate) = number of daughters a woman would bear if she survived to end of reproductive age. NRR = GRR × probability of female infant surviving to mean age of childbearing. NRR = 1 → replacement = population stability.

Incorrect. Both A and R are true AND R explains A. NRR adjusts GRR for female survival to reproductive age. GRR = 1 does not guarantee stability (some daughters may die before reproducing), but NRR = 1 does.

Correct. Census 2011 recorded India's population at approximately 1,210 million (1.21 billion), comprising 623.7 million males and 586.5 million females.

Census milestones: 1991 = 846 million; 2001 = 1,028 million (crossed 1 billion); 2011 = 1,210 million. The 2021 census was postponed due to COVID-19. India became the world's most populous country in 2023.

Incorrect. 846 million was Census 1991. 1,028 million (approximately 1 billion) was Census 2001. 1,380 million (1.38 billion) reflects the 2022 estimate. Census 2011 = 1,210 million.

Correct. NPP 2000 has three objectives: (1) Immediate — address unmet needs for contraception and reproductive health services; (2) Medium-term — bring TFR to replacement level (2.1) by 2010; (3) Long-term — achieve a stable population by 2045.

NPP 2000 framework: Immediate (unmet needs) → Medium-term (TFR 2.1 by 2010) → Long-term (stable population by 2045). Key approach: voluntary, informed choice, cafeteria approach to contraception, with focus on women's empowerment.

Incorrect. Option A is the long-term objective. Option B is the medium-term objective. Option D is not part of NPP 2000 (two-child norms at state level are separate state initiatives not mandated nationally). The immediate objective is service provision.

Correct. CBR = (Live births / Mid-year population) × 1,000 = (12,500 / 500,000) × 1,000 = 25 per 1,000.

Incorrect. CBR = (12,500 / 500,000) × 1,000 = 25. Option A uses ×1,000 but wrong denominator. Option C = 25 × 2 (error). Option D is CDR = (3,000 / 500,000) × 1,000 = 6.

Correct. MMR = (Maternal deaths / Live births) × 100,000 = (375 / 12,500) × 100,000 = 3,000 per 100,000 live births. (This is very high — India's national MMR is 97 per SRS 2018–20, indicating a severe district-level problem).

Incorrect. MMR denominator is LIVE BIRTHS (not total population, not women 15–49). MMR = (375 / 12,500) × 100,000 = 3,000 per 100,000 live births. Options A and B use wrong denominators — common exam errors.

Correct. India's population pyramid is a broad-base expanding pyramid, reflecting high birth rates (wide 0–14 base), declining mortality (gradual tapering), and a young demographic. This is characteristic of Stage 3 transition with a large youth bulge.

Population pyramid shapes: (1) Expanding pyramid (broad base) — young population, high fertility, developing countries including India; (2) Constrictive pyramid (narrow base) — declining fertility, transitioning; (3) Stationary/pillar — replacement fertility; (4) Beehive (narrow base, wide middle-top) — aging population, post-transition. The dependency ratio = (0–14 + 65+) / (15–64) × 100.

Incorrect. The beehive/pillar shapes indicate low fertility with aging populations (Germany, Japan — Stage 4/5). The barrel shape is not standard terminology. India's broad-base pyramid reflects its predominantly young population.