8.1 Human populationsIB Environmental Systems and Societies SL: Subtopic test

1. 1
   Country X has a population of 60 million. In one year it recorded 1.8 million births, 0.6 million deaths, 0.2 million immigrants and 0.2 million emigrants.

   (a)

   Which pair of processes are inputs to the population of Country X?

   [1 mark]

   • ABirths and emigration
   • BBirths and immigration
   • CDeaths and immigration
   • DDeaths and emigration

   (b)

   What is the natural increase rate of Country X?

   [1 mark]

   • A1.0%
   • B3.0%
   • C2.0%
   • D3.3%

   (c)

   Using the rule of 70, calculate the doubling time of the population of Country X, assuming it continues to grow at the same rate. Show your working.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 1: 4 marks

2. 2
   Japan's population peaked at about 128 million around 2008 and has since fallen slightly. Its total fertility rate (TFR) is about 1.3, well below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is among the highest in the world, at over 84 years, and nearly three in ten Japanese people are aged 65 or over. Its age-sex pyramid has a narrow base, with the largest numbers of people in the middle and older age bands.

   (a)

   Which statement defines total fertility rate (TFR)?

   [1 mark]

   • AThe average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime at current age-specific birth rates
   • BThe number of live births per 1000 people per year
   • CThe number of children born to each woman in a particular year
   • DThe average number of years a newborn is expected to live

   (b)

   Which description best fits the age-sex pyramid of Japan?

   [1 mark]

   • AWide base that narrows steadily towards the top
   • BStraight sides, with similar numbers in each age band
   • CA wide base and a very narrow top because few people survive to old age
   • DA narrow base, with more people in the middle and older age bands than among the young

   (c)

   Suggest two ways in which an ageing population such as Japan's may create challenges for the government.

   [2 marks]

   Total for question 2: 4 marks

3. 3
   A middle-income country recorded the following (hypothetical) vital rates, per 1000 people per year. In 1960: crude birth rate 40, crude death rate 22. In 1990: crude birth rate 38, crude death rate 8. In 2020: crude birth rate 14, crude death rate 8. Net migration was close to zero throughout.

   (a)

   Calculate the natural increase rate per 1000 for 1990 and describe how the natural increase rate changed between 1960 and 2020.

   [3 marks]

   (b)

   Using the demographic transition model, explain the changes in the crude death rate and crude birth rate shown by the data.

   [4 marks]

   Total for question 3: 7 marks

4. 4
   China introduced a one-child policy in 1979, enforced through fines, loss of benefits and, in some areas, forced abortions; it was relaxed to two children in 2016 and three in 2021. Iran began a national family-planning programme in 1989 that provided free contraception through rural health clinics and encouraged girls' schooling, and its TFR fell from about 6.5 in the mid-1980s to about 2 by the early 2000s.

   (a)

   Evaluate China's one-child policy as a way of managing population growth.

   [6 marks]

   (b)

   Discuss how indirect policies, such as those used in Iran, can manage population growth.

   [6 marks]

   Total for question 4: 12 marks

End of questions