History and Future of World Population Ch.2 Exam Questions

Chapter 2

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The rate of population growth peaked around
   1. 1970
   2. 1960
   3. 1990
   4. 2000
2. What was the approximate size of the global population in the Roman Period, 1 CE?
   1. 1 billion
   2. 2 billion
   3. 500,000
   4. 200,000,000
3. With a 1.1% growth rate, about how many people are added to the world’s population annually?
   1. 78 million
   2. 58 million
   3. 28 million
   4. 278 million
4. The United States

a. Has achieved zero population growth.

b. Is the fifth most populous nation in the world.

c. Has 14% of the world’s population.

d. Subsidizes highways more than public transportation.

1. What the primary factor that explains the explosion in human population since 1750?
   1. Women were more fecund after the Industrial Revolution.
   2. Death rates declined dramatically.
   3. Couples were marrying earlier and starting families at earlier ages.
   4. The introduction of modern medicine.
2. Approximately when did Europe reach its agricultural carrying capacity?
   1. 1500
   2. 1200
   3. 1700
   4. 1950
3. Which of the following was not a major factor in postponing deaths in human populations during the 19^th century?
   1. Antibiotics
   2. Clean water
   3. Small pox vaccinations
   4. Improved nutrition
4. In 1900, the world’s population was
   1. Six billion
   2. Two billion
   3. Less than one billion
   4. Less than two billion

1. In 1975, the world’s population was approximately
   1. Six billion
   2. Three billion
   3. Four billion
   4. Five billion
2. Which of the following countries is not one of the world’s five most populous countries?
   1. United Kingdom
   2. United States
   3. Indonesia
   4. Brazil
3. Which of the following was not discussed in Chapter 2 as a solution to the “silver tsunami?’
   1. Trying to increase the birth rate
   2. Trying to increase the death rate
   3. Trying to increase labor force participation among the elderly.
   4. Trying to increase immigration

1. Which country is projected to be the most important source of population increase between now and 2050?
   1. Brazil
   2. China
   3. Mexico
   4. India
2. The United Nations Population Division projects that world population will reach 8 billion by
   1. 2050
   2. 2085
   3. 2015
   4. 2025

True False Questions

1. T F Migration streams generally flow from poorer to richer economies.
2. T F For most of human history the population was growing very slowly.
3. T F In 1500, sub-Saharan Africa had about as many people as did Europe.
4. T F In 2010, were there were 16 countries that had fewer people than in 2000. All 16 of these were in Eastern Europe.
5. T F From 1750 to 1950, the rich countries are where populations grew most quickly.
6. T F About 65 percent of the current global population lives in rural areas.
7. T F The twenty most populous countries in the world account for nearly three-fourths of the world’s population, but less than 40 percent of the world’s land surface.
8. T F About a quarter of the Japanese population is 65 years of age and older.
9. T F Recent surveys indicate that immigration is strongly supported by most Europeans.
10. T F Countries with the lowest fertility rates are those in which the most accommodations have been made to permit women to simultaneously have jobs and families.
11. T F Because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Africa’s population is expected to decline during the twenty-first century
12. T F Today, the populations of poorer countries are growing faster than those of richer countries.
13. T F China is expected to halt its population growth in the near future.

Essay Questions (main points listed after each question)

1. Over time, what kinds of social and religious practices have human beings created in order to maintain the species?
   1. Early universal marriage, especially for females.
   2. Prohibitions against contraception and abortion.
   3. Pressure on women to conceive and bear children
2. If the U.S. reaches 400 million by 2050, that growth will “have been fueled almost entirely by immigrants and their children.” What ramifications would this have for the country? How does this example illustrate issues in international migration?
   1. Higher proportion of Hispanics in US population
   2. Cultural shifts including more Spanish-speaking people.
   3. Poorer country to richer country migration is the current norm in international migration
   4. Assimilation issues in receiving country.
3. Why was population growth so slow for much of human history?
   1. Death rates were high, especially among children
   2. Few populations tried to maximize the number of children they had
   3. High maternal mortality.
   4. Lower fecundity.
4. When did the European migration expansion begin and end? What were the factors that led to its inception and cessation?
   1. Fourteenth century beginning as agricultural land became limited
   2. Massive emigration in the nineteenth century
   3. Ceases by 1930.
   4. After World War II, populations in other parts of the world were growing rapidly