Passage
During the 19th century, the industrial revolution led to advances in health care in the United States that resulted in declines in the death rate followed by population growth. Around 1860, the U.S. birth rate also began to steadily decline until reaching its current plateau of about two births per woman during her lifetime. Since 1860, the U.S. birth rate has significantly increased during only one period: the post-World War II era known as the baby boom."Baby boomers," the generation of Americans born roughly between 1946 and 1964, are living longer than any prior generation, and their aging has evolving social and historical significance. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be about 61 million baby boomers in their eighties. In 1950, there were approximately seven times more producers (people age 15-64) than elderly (people age 65 and over) ; by 2030 there are projected to be less than three times more producers than elderly. Providing medical and social care to this aging cohort will have a major negative impact on the American economy due to the costs associated with health care and basic social services.Also impacting the U.S. population distribution is the fact that younger Americans (referred to as "millennials," born roughly between 1982 and 2004) are delaying marriage and children more so than any preceding generation, resulting in declining U.S. fertility rates. Figure 1 compares the U.S. population pyramid in 2000 to a projected population pyramid in 2030.
Figure 1 United States population pyramid from 2000 and a projected population pyramid for 2030
-The passage provides specific data for which of the following in the United States?

Question

Passage
During the 19th century, the industrial revolution led to advances in health care in the United States that resulted in declines in the death rate followed by population growth. Around 1860, the U.S. birth rate also began to steadily decline until reaching its current plateau of about two births per woman during her lifetime. Since 1860, the U.S. birth rate has significantly increased during only one period: the post-World War II era known as the baby boom."Baby boomers," the generation of Americans born roughly between 1946 and 1964, are living longer than any prior generation, and their aging has evolving social and historical significance. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be about 61 million baby boomers in their eighties. In 1950, there were approximately seven times more producers (people age 15-64) than elderly (people age 65 and over) ; by 2030 there are projected to be less than three times more producers than elderly. Providing medical and social care to this aging cohort will have a major negative impact on the American economy due to the costs associated with health care and basic social services.Also impacting the U.S. population distribution is the fact that younger Americans (referred to as "millennials," born roughly between 1982 and 2004) are delaying marriage and children more so than any preceding generation, resulting in declining U.S. fertility rates. Figure 1 compares the U.S. population pyramid in 2000 to a projected population pyramid in 2030.

Figure 1 United States population pyramid from 2000 and a projected population pyramid for 2030
-The passage provides specific data for which of the following in the United States?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fertility rate is a measure of the number of people being added to a given population through birth (as opposed to immigration). There are multiple ways demographers express fertility (or birth) rates. Total fertility rate (TFR) is the average number of children born per woman during her lifetime. For example, in 1955 (the middle of the "baby boom") the TFR in the U.S. was 3.6 children per woman, whereas in 2012 the TFR was 1.8. For a population to remain constant without immigration, the TFR must be 2 (referred to as the replacement rate), which is the number required to replace the two individuals required to create the two children. A TFR above 2 means the population is growing and below 2, that it is shrinking. The passage provides specific data for TFR only because it mentions the number of births per woman is about two (Paragraph 1). (Choice A) The crude birth rate (CBR) is the number of live births per year for every 1,000 members of a population, regardless of sex or age. An underdeveloped country may have a CBR of 50, whereas a more developed country may have a CBR of 10. CBR is used as a rough estimate of population growth through birth only. The last paragraph mentions birth rates declining, but does not provide any numbers (no specific data for CBR). (Choice B) Demographers more commonly use the general fertility rate (GFR), the total number of live births per year for every 1,000 women of childbearing age in a population, which is a better measure of fertility than the CBR because it accounts for the age distribution and sex ratio of the population. There are no specific data for GFR provided in the passage. (Choice D) The age-specific fertility rate (ASFR) is the number of live births per year for 1,000 women in a certain age group in a population. For example, the ASFR per 1,000 women age 25-29 may be in the hundreds, whereas the ASFR per 1,000 women age 40-44 may be in the single digits. There are no specific data for ASFR provided in the passage. Educational objective: The crude birth rate refers to the number of live births per year for every 1,000 people in a population; the general fertility rate refers to the total number of live births per year for every 1,000 women of childbearing age; the total fertility rate refers to the average number of children born per woman during her lifetime. The age-specific fertility rate refers to the number of live births per year for every 1,000 women of a certain age group.

Passage During the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution Led to Advances