Chapter 6 Solutions — Dynamics of Population

Questions and Activities

1. 1.
   Why is it important for a country to study its population through demography?
2. 2.
   How can a low fertility rate affect a country's future economy and workforce?
3. 3.
   Do you think a high birth rate is always good for a country? Why or why not?
4. 4.
   Do you think it's better to have more people or fewer people in a country? What are the challenges countries face in the case of a fast-growing or shrinking population?
5. 5.
   How does the age structure of a country affect the kind of jobs and services it needs? Explain with examples.
6. 6.
   Why do you think families are generally getting smaller? Does having fewer children ensure better education and health for them? How does it affect families and society?
7. 7.
   Observe the graph below showing changes in life expectancy across gender in India and answer the questions given below: a) Has the life expectancy in India increased? If yes, what could be the reasons? b) What was the life expectancy of males and females in 2010?
8. 8.
   What is a demographic dividend, and how does it benefit a country? What do you think India needs to do today to make the most of its demographic dividend before 2050?
9. 9.
   Choose two countries (for example: India and Japan, or Nigeria and Italy). Find out their: Population size, Fertility rate, Life expectancy, Age distribution. How are they different? What might be the reasons behind these differences? For instance, find out how countries with ageing populations are managing this.
10. 10.
    Imagine you are a researcher who intends to study migration patterns in your locality. Make a questionnaire to collect data on the following questions: Name of the person, Age of the person, Occupation of the person, Place of residence, Number of years lived in the place, List the factors contributing to migration, such as lack of facilities, poor infrastructure, limited job opportunities and so…
11. 11.
    Draw a population pyramid on graph paper for India using the data given in the following table. (Age-group-wise percentage distribution of population, estimated for 2021)
12. 12.
    Observe the population pyramid for Japan in 2023 below. What can you infer from this? Write your observations and share in the class.