Deck 8: The Human Population

Question 1

Which of the following statements is/are true of Population Growth Momentum?
1) it is the potential for future increase or decrease in a population based on the present age structure
2) there is no relation between population growth momentum and replacement-level fertility
3) a country can have replacement-level fertility and still experience population growth
4) it is the growth pattern of a given country's population

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) 1 and 3

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Zero Population growth is:

A) when the death rate equals the growth rate
B) when the birth rate equals the death rate
C) when the birth rate equals the growth rate
D) when the growth rate equals the declining rate
E) when the birth rate plus the death rate equals zero

Answer 2

B

Question 3

An improving socioeconomic condition of a country is generally correlated with

A) increased birth rate and increased population growth rate
B) increased death rate and decreased population growth rate
C) decreased birth rate and increased population growth rate
D) decreased birth rate and decreased population growth rate
E) decreased death rate and increased population growth rate

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Developing countries fall into two categories, moderately developed and less developed. Which of the following is not classified as a less developed country?

A) Laos
B) Niger
C) Bangladesh
D) Thailand
E) Ethiopia

Question 5

In the postindustrial stage there is:

A) modest population growth.
B) a high death rate.
C) greater affluence and higher levels of education.
D) a high birth rate.
E) high infant mortality.

Question 6

An age structure diagram shaped like a pyramid is characteristic of a country with:

A) a decreasing population growth rate.
B) an increasing population growth rate.
C) a steady rate of population growth.
D) a population crash.
E) a population at its carrying capacity.

Question 7

Which of the following is not true of highly developed countries?

A) a list would include Japan, Australia, and Germany
B) have high fertility rates
C) have very low infant mortality rates
D) have longer life expectancies than less developed countries
E) have low rates of population growth

Question 8

Food insecurity is the condition in which people live in hunger or fear of starvation. Where are the two regions in the world with the greatest food insecurity?

A) South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa
B) Indonesia and Southern Korea
C) Eastern Asia and Saharan Africa
D) Micronesia and the Kalahari Desert
E) Egypt and adjacent to the Aral Sea

Question 9

In the pre-industrial demographic stage:

A) birth and death rates are high.
B) there is a low death rate.
C) there is only very light industrialization.
D) there is a low birth rate.
E) there is low infant mortality.

Question 10

As of 2011, the current size of the human population was

A) 2 billion
B) 3 billion
C) 4 billion
D) 5 billion
E) 7 billion

Question 11

A scientist who first sounded the alarm about the growth of the human population and the ability of the earth to handle a large population of humans was

A) Charles Darwin
B) Paul Ehrlich
C) Thomas Malthus
D) Rachel Carson
E) James Lovelock

Question 12

The challenges for countries with aging populations include all of the following concerns EXCEPT

A) ways to deal with an increase in violent crimes
B) a need to increase the age of retirement
C) reduction in financial benefits for the elderly
D) not enough young people to support the elderly population
E) a greater demand for health and social services

Question 13

Over the past several years the world growth rate has:

A) increased
B) decreased
C) stayed the same
D) doubled
E) increased exponentially

Question 14

The human population is increasing because of:

A) medical advances.
B) agricultural advances.
C) sanitation practices.
D) improved water quality.
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 15

Relative to the United States, China:

A) has higher CO2 production per unit of energy
B) has higher per-capita CO2 emissions
C) has lower overall CO2 emissions
D) burns much less coal

Question 16

Which of the following is a true statement about the global human population size?

A) It is no longer increasing
B) It is predicted to increase exponentially far into the future
C) It is currently decreasing slowly
D) It is predicted to stop growing in the next 100 years

Question 17

The science of population structure and growth is called:

A) ecology
B) demography
C) democracy
D) human dynamics
E) ethology

Question 18

Which of the following represent the two regions of the world with the greatest food insecurity?

A) Sub-Saharan Africa and South America
B) Central and South America
C) South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa
D) South Asia and South America
E) Central America and South Asia

Question 19

In the fourth demographic stage (postindustrial stage) of the demographic transition the population will stabilize

A) at the carrying capacity of the environment
B) at a population larger than before the transition, but with very slow or no growth
C) at a rate of growth that is higher than before the transition
D) at a size close to the original before the transition
E) at a size much smaller than the original population

Question 20

The potential for future increases or decreases in a population based on the present age structure is called

A) intrinsic rate of increase
B) population density
C) population growth momentum
D) total fertility rate
E) age structure

Question 21

Which of the following statements about the relationship between economics and population growth is true?

A) Population growth has no effect on economic development.
B) Economic development does not affect population growth.
C) If a country's standard of living is to increase, then its population growth must decrease to almost zero.
D) Economic growth in developing countries would profit from slower population growth.
E) The debt burden in developing countries is not affecting economic development.

Question 22

In addition to providing information on reproductive physiology, family planning services also provide:

A) Contraceptives
B) Marriage licenses
C) Long term childcare
D) Infertility medical treatment
E) Religious support groups

Question 23

Which of the following statements about per capita resource use is not true?

A) In highly developed countries, per capita resource use is high.
B) In developing countries, per capita resource use is high.
C) Many people in more affluent nations exploit resources in order to meet their desires.
D) In highly developed countries, resource demands exceed the requirements for survival.
E) The resources that are essential to an individual's survival are small.

Question 24

Increasing education results in a decrease in total fertility, primarily by:

A) accelerating marriage age.
B) delaying the age at which women have their first child.
C) decreasing access to contraceptives.
D) leading to a greater understanding of traditional and religious beliefs.
E) decreasing the economic standing of childless individuals.

Question 25

Which of the following does not apply to family planning measures in Mexico?

A) improved health services to improve infant mortality rates
B) measures have not been effective, and total fertility rate has stayed constant over the past 30 years
C) multimedia campaigns, including soap operas
D) social workers are trained in family planning
E) public school curriculum includes population education

Question 26

Family planning services affect total fertility rate because where family planning services are available:

A) men and women are able to limit family size
B) safeguards are in place for individual health rights
C) the quality of life for children are improved
D) total fertility rates decrease
E) all of these choices are correct

Question 27

The single most important factor affecting high total fertility rates may be:

A) limited access to family planning services.
B) the low status of women in many societies.
C) the economic status of large families.
D) tradition.
E) religious values.

Question 28

Famines are attributed to all of the following except:

A) Insect outbreaks
B) Armed conflict
C) droughts
D) floods
E) food insecurity

Question 29

Which of the following does not apply to family planning measures used now or in the past in China?

A) compulsory sterilization of fathers after males are born
B) penalties and fines for a second child
C) many newborn girls abandoned or killed
D) abortion is common when the woman is pregnant with a second child
E) education and publicity problems

Question 30

The country with the current largest population in the world is:

A) Brazil.
B) China.
C) India.
D) Russia.
E) United States.

Question 31

Each person who scales back unnecessary consumption lessens the effects of population growth. The way of life that involves wanting and spending less is:

A) Intentional complexity
B) Parsimony
C) Dedicated spending
D) Voluntary simplicity
E) Unrestricted expenditure

Question 32

Which of the following is not a reason for high fertility rates?

A) economic and societal roles of children
B) high infant mortality rate
C) educating women
D) religious pressures
E) desire for more male children

Question 33

Family planning services:

A) are generally more available in developing countries than in developed countries.
B) have resulted in about 70% of married women using contraceptives.
C) provide information on reproductive physiology and contraceptive methods.
D) force people to limit family size.
E) always encourage pregnant poor women to have an abortion.

Question 34

The ideas and customs of a group of people at a given period and passed from generation to generation is defined as:

A) Religion
B) Carrying capacity
C) Ethnicity
D) Culture
E) Value system

Question 35

Which of the following makes it impossible to determine the carrying capacity for humans?

A) Quality of life and quantity of people are intertwined in this issue.
B) Fertility rates differ between highly developed and developing countries.
C) Contraceptives are not used uniformly on a global basis.
D) The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has yet to be determined.
E) Government policies on population growth vary dramatically between countries.

Question 36

In a typical year, what percentage of the world's hungry people are without food because of famine?

A) 5-10%
B) 20-25%
C) 30-35%
D) Approximately 50%
E) 90-95%

Question 37

High fertility rates are generally encouraged in developing countries because:

A) children contribute to the family's livelihood.
B) children must care for aging parents.
C) male children are culturally more desirable, so families continue to have children until male children are born.
D) high fertility rates compensate for high infant mortality rates.
E) All of these choices are correct.

Question 38

Which of the following factors affects the total fertility rate for human populations today?

A) Availability of family planning services
B) Cultural and religious traditions
C) Government policies
D) Marriage age
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 39

Even with lower birth rates, Mexico's positive __________will cause its population to increase because of the large number of young women having babies.

A) Pronatalists
B) Population growth momentum
C) Welfare system
D) Access to maternal medical assistance
E) TFR (total fertility rate)

Question 40

The social construct that results in women not having the same rights, opportunities or privileges as men is

A) Gender impartiality
B) Gender inequality
C) Masculinity dominance
D) Feminine discrimination
E) Sexual equivalence

Question 41

The involvement of governments in childbearing and child rearing is well established. All of the following are government interventions to influence population growth EXCEPT:

A) In the U.S., laws governing the minimum age people may marry
B) In the U.S., tax structures which provide allowances based on family size
C) In China, enforcement of penalties and fines with the birth of a second child
D) In China, preferential housing for couples who sign a pledge to limit themselves to a single child
E) In Mexico, monetary "baby bonuses", paid maternity and paternity leaves, and government sponsored child care

Question 42

Who was Thomas Malthus and what were his ideas about human population growth? Was he correct or not? Justify your answer.

Question 43

How does the population growth of the United States compare to that of other countries, both highly developed and developing? What factor(s) may account for the unique aspects of population growth seen in the U.S.?

Question 44

Discuss the relationship between world hunger and population growth, and explain why the world food problem is difficult to solve.

Question 45

Discuss ways in which family planning services may be used effectively to reduce total fertility rates.

Question 46

What is the goal of the Poverty Action Lab?

A) To conduct scientifically rigorous studies of anti-poverty programs
B) To bring attention to global poverty
C) To analyze the chemical composition of a few common global food crops
D) To study the history of poverty
E) To connect governments in the developing world with agencies that fund anti-poverty programs

Question 47

What is the goal of the Millennium Villages Project?

A) To solicit input from villagers on potential development projects
B) To reduce migration of villagers to cities
C) To transfer management of development projects to rural communities
D) To study patterns of village life around the world
E) To connect villages to urban centers

Question 48

Discuss ways that the total fertility rate (TFR) can be reduced and identify the cultural values that make this process more complicated.

Question 49

Identify and describe three of the goals drafted at the 2000 UN Millennium Summit.

Question 50

In Sri Lanka, the average age at marriage is 25, and the average number of children born per woman is 2.0. In Bangladesh, the average age at marriage is 17, and the average number of children born per woman is 3.3. Which of the following conclusions is supported by these data?

A) The earlier a woman marries, the more children she is likely to have.
B) The more highly educated the woman, the less children she is likely to have.
C) The doubling time of the Bangladesh population is 58 years at its current rate of natural increase.
D) The earlier a woman marries, the less children she is likely to have.
E) There is no relationship between fertility rate and marriage age.

Question 51

To date, all highly developed and moderately developed countries with more advanced economies have gone through a process of demographic transition. Describe the four steps in this process in terms of the impact birth and death rates have on population growth.

Question 52

Why is it impossible to precisely determine the Earth's carrying capacity for the human population?

Question 53

The countries with the greatest food shortages have some of the

A) Lowest food insecurities
B) Fastest economic developments
C) Lowest foreign debt
D) Highest average levels of education
E) Highest total fertility rates (TFR's)