Population Growth & Movements is one of 9 topics in the Grade 10 Geography CAPS syllabus, covered across 3 lessons on Study Vault. Below are real practice questions from this topic with full worked answers.
Sample practice questions
Easy
1. For most of human history, world population grew very slowly mainly because:
High death rates roughly balanced high birth rates
There were no births occurring anywhere on Earth
Birth rates were always extremely low throughout history
The world's land area used to be much smaller than it is today
Answer: High death rates roughly balanced high birth rates — For most of human history, high death rates (from disease, famine and limited medical knowledge) roughly balanced high birth rates, keeping population growth slow.
Easy
2. The rapid acceleration of world population growth from the 1900s onward is mainly explained by:
A significant decline in death rates while birth rates remained high for longer
A significant increase in death rates worldwide
Birth rates falling to zero in most countries
A sudden decrease in the total land area available to live on
Answer: A significant decline in death rates while birth rates remained high for longer — Death rates fell sharply due to improved medical care, sanitation and food security, while birth rates in many places remained high for longer, widening the gap between births and deaths and driving rapid population growth.
Medium
3. What term describes the birth rate needed to keep a population stable from one generation to the next, without any migration?
Answer: Replacement level — Replacement level refers to the birth rate needed to keep a population stable from generation to generation, in the absence of migration.
