Population explosion occurs when death rates decline rapidly but birth rates remain high.

Question

Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are given below. Choose the correct option:

Assertion (A): Population explosion occurs when death rates decline rapidly but birth rates remain high.

Reason (R): Societal reproductive behavior changes instantly with improvements in healthcare.

1. A. Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
2. B. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation
3. C. A is true, but R is false (Correct answer)
4. D. A is false, but R is true

Correct Answer

Option C — A is true, but R is false

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is A is true, but R is false.

Key Points

• Assertion is true: a population explosion is exactly the gap that opens when death rates fall quickly while birth rates stay high.
• Reason is false as stated: reproductive behaviour does *not* change immediately. Birth rates fall only after a considerable lag, and that lag is what produces the explosion.
• So A is true and R is false.

Additional Information

• This is Stage 2 of the demographic transition model: medicine, sanitation and food security cut mortality long before fertility responds.
• The lag has social causes — high desired family size, low female education and old-age security through children — which change slowly.
• India's growth is now driven mainly by population momentum from a young age structure; the total fertility rate has already fallen to about 2.0, just below replacement.

प्रश्न (हिन्दी में)

नीचे अभिकथन (A) और कारण (R) दिए गए हैं। सही विकल्प चुनें:

अभिकथन (A): जनसंख्या विस्फोट तब होता है जब मृत्यु दर में तेज़ी से गिरावट आती है लेकिन जन्म दर ऊँची रहती है।

कारण (R): स्वास्थ्य सेवा में सुधार के साथ सामाजिक प्रजनन व्यवहार में तुरंत बदलाव आता है।

1. A. A और R दोनों सत्य, R, A का सही स्पष्टीकरण
2. B. A और R दोनों सत्य, लेकिन R सही स्पष्टीकरण नहीं
3. C. A सत्य, लेकिन R असत्य
4. D. A असत्य, लेकिन R सत्य