Question 1

What is one the reasons behind longer-term declines in world population?&#10;A) wars&#10;B) disease&#10;C) drought&#10;D) social conflict

Accepted Answer

Disease outbreaks can significantly impact population numbers, particularly if they are widespread and lethal. Examples of diseases that have caused significant population declines include the Black Death in the 14th century, which killed an estimated 75-200 million people, and the Spanish flu in the early 20th century, which is estimated to have killed up to 50 million people worldwide.

Question 2

What is a pandemic?&#10;A) An epidemic on a wide geographical scale.&#10;B) A widespread endemic disease.&#10;C) An epidemic that impacted small city-states.&#10;D) A rapidly spreading contagion.

Accepted Answer

A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads over a large area, typically worldwide. It is characterized by an increased number of cases of a particular disease beyond what is normally expected in a given population. A pandemic typically affects multiple countries or regions and can spread rapidly.

Question 3

Where did the Black Death occur?&#10;A) Asia, North Africa, and Europe&#10;B) Middle East, Asia, and Europe&#10;C) North America, Asia, and Europe&#10;D) Australia, North Africa, and Europe

Accepted Answer

The Black Death originated in Asia and spread to North Africa and Europe during the 14th century.

Question 4

Across the American continent, what percentage of the indigenous population was lost due to diseases brought from Europe?&#10;A) 50 percent&#10;B) 65 percent&#10;C) 84 percent&#10;D) 90 percent

Accepted Answer

The best choice is D) 90 percent because it is the highest percentage among the options provided and is generally accepted by historians and scholars as the most accurate estimate of the indigenous population lost due to diseases brought from Europe. This large-scale loss of life can be attributed to the lack of immunity of the indigenous populations to the diseases brought over by the Europeans.

Question 5

Patriarchy is a belief system and practice where men are the public authority figures and women are restricted to the private sphere of home and caregiving. What demographic condition is related to the development of patriarchy?

A) low reproductive efficiency
B) low reproductive capacity
C) high reproductive efficiency
D) high reproductive capacity

Accepted Answer

Low reproductive efficiency is related to the development of patriarchy because in societies where children's survival rates are low, women's roles become focused on frequent childbirth and caregiving to ensure enough children survive to adulthood, reinforcing their restriction to the private sphere and bolstering male dominance in public and political arenas.

Question 6

What is an accurate representation of the relationship between agricultural productivity and human populations?&#10;A) Increase in agricultural productivity would not support growth in human populations.&#10;B) Decline in human populations would mean that agricultural productivity increased.&#10;C) Increase in human population would have no effect on agricultural productivity.&#10;D) Decline in agricultural productivity would increase mortality and decrease births.

Accepted Answer

Decline in agricultural productivity would result in a decrease in food supply leading to mortality due to starvation and malnutrition. This would eventually lead to a decrease in births since these events would also affect fertility rates. On the other hand, an increase in agricultural productivity would lead to an increase in food supply supporting population growth.

Question 7

What best describes the American landscape of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries?&#10;A) North America was a vast wilderness before the coming of the Europeans.&#10;B) The Columbian Encounter introduced exotic European crop varieties to the Americas.&#10;C) North America was not a pristine landscape but human impact had diminished.&#10;D) The Columbian Encounter revealed the pristine nature of the American wilderness.

Accepted Answer

While North America was not a pristine wilderness before European arrival, human impact had significantly altered the landscape. Native Americans had been living on the land for thousands of years and had cultivated crops, managed forests, and shaped the environment to meet their needs. The introduction of European agriculture and livestock, as well as the displacement of Native American populations, further transformed the landscape.

Question 8

What is NOT associated with the demographic transition?&#10;A) increase in life expectancy&#10;B) youthful population&#10;C) decline in mortality&#10;D) graying population

Accepted Answer

The demographic transition model is a theory that explains the changes in population growth and how it relates to industrialization and economic development. The four stages of demographic transition are characterized by changes in birth and death rates, leading to changes in overall population size and age structure. While an increase in life expectancy, a decline in mortality, and a graying population are all associated with the demographic transition, a youthful population is not. In fact, one of the defining features of the later stages of demographic transition is a decrease in the proportion of young people in the population, as fertility rates decline and people have fewer children.

Question 9

According to the demographic transition, what trend occurred after life expectancy increased?&#10;A) graying population&#10;B) increased births&#10;C) mortality increased&#10;D) decreased fertility

Accepted Answer

According to the demographic transition, when life expectancy increases, there is a decrease in fertility rates as people feel more secure that their children will survive to adulthood. This leads to a demographic shift where the population becomes older and there are fewer children being born.

Question 10

Where did the decline in mortality rates first begin, and what was responsible for it?&#10;A) In East Asia, improvements to hygiene and diet lowered mortality rates.&#10;B) In North America, mortality declined along with lower fertility rates and better diets.&#10;C) In Africa, public health progress and reduction in birth rates helped mortality decline.&#10;D) In Western Europe, mortality dropped when public health and hygiene improved.

Accepted Answer

The decline in mortality rates first began in Western Europe, where there were significant improvements in public health and hygiene. This led to a reduction in infectious diseases, which had been a major cause of death, and an increase in life expectancy.

Question 11

What country is likely to have the highest birth rates?&#10;A) Japan&#10;B) United States&#10;C) Mali&#10;D) Argentina

Accepted Answer

The answer of What country is likely to have the...

Question 12

What country is likely to have the largest percent over the age of 65?&#10;A) Japan&#10;B) United States&#10;C) Mali&#10;D) Argentina

Accepted Answer

The answer of What country is likely to have the...

Question 13

What phase of the demographic transition is characterized by both high birth and death rates, with stable slow population growth?&#10;A) First&#10;B) Second&#10;C) Third&#10;D) Fourth

Accepted Answer

The answer of What phase of the demographic transition is...

Question 14

What phase of the demographic transition is marked by falling birth and death rates, and with slowing population growth?&#10;A) First&#10;B) Second&#10;C) Third&#10;D) Fourth

Accepted Answer

The answer of What phase of the demographic transition is...

Question 15

What term describes the relative sizes of the working age and non-working age cohorts in a population?&#10;A) youth bulge&#10;B) dependency ratio&#10;C) graying population&#10;D) dependent population

Accepted Answer

The answer of What term describes the relative sizes of...

Question 16

What is the Lewis Turning Point?&#10;A) Location at which a population's agricultural output will increase and support growth.&#10;B) Increased demand for labor drives up wages and benefits, increasing cost to employers.&#10;C) When the supply of cheap labor associated with the demographic dividend runs out.&#10;D) As cheap labor dwindles, there is a need for implementing full female participation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the Lewis Turning Point?&#10;A) Location...

Question 17

What occurrence, usually in the early and middle phases of the demographic transition, has been linked to increases in political instability and possibility of political violence?&#10;A) a youth bulge of more than 20 percent of the population&#10;B) a dependency ratio of more than 20 percent of the population&#10;C) a graying population that is more than 20 percent of the population&#10;D) a female participation rate that is less than 20 percent of the population

Accepted Answer

The answer of What occurrence, usually in the early and...

Question 18

What is the fifth phase of the demographic transition?&#10;A) A return to high birth rates and high death rates and high population growth.&#10;B) A period of very low birth and death rates with stable or decreasing population.&#10;C) A condition where the youthful population balloons following increases in migration.&#10;D) A stage of population stability when both rates of births and deaths are equal.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the fifth phase of the...

Question 19

What country has the youngest median age and is likely between the second and third phases of the demographic transition?&#10;A) Uganda&#10;B) Guatemala&#10;C) India&#10;D) Japan

Accepted Answer

The answer of What country has the youngest median age...

Deck 3: Population Dynamics