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In Class 12 Geography, this topic explains population density as the number of people living in a unit area, usually a square kilometre. Within “The World Population – Distribution, Density and Growth,” students learn how density is calculated and how physical factors, economic opportunities, transport, urbanisation, and historical conditions create variations across regions. The topic also helps them interpret population-density patterns, compare densely and sparsely populated areas, and understand the relationship between population distribution and available resources.
TOPIC PRACTICE
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25 questions
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Medium · Level 4View options
It can hide actual spatial differences within a region
It does not use total population
It does not use area
It cannot be expressed numerically
Medium · Level 4View options
Yes always
No because their spatial distribution may differ
Only if their areas are equal
Only if their populations are equal
Medium · Level 4View options
Out-migration
In-migration
Expansion of area
Population decline
Medium · Level 4View options
400 persons per square kilometre
450 persons per square kilometre
500 persons per square kilometre
600 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
300 persons per square kilometre
320 persons per square kilometre
340 persons per square kilometre
380 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
270 persons per square kilometre
280 persons per square kilometre
300 persons per square kilometre
320 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
220000 people
240000 people
260000 people
280000 people
Medium · Level 4View options
250000 people
275000 people
300000 people
325000 people
Medium · Level 4View options
500 square kilometres
600 square kilometres
700 square kilometres
800 square kilometres
Medium · Level 4View options
275 persons per square kilometre
300 persons per square kilometre
325 persons per square kilometre
350 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
120 persons per square kilometre
150 persons per square kilometre
160 persons per square kilometre
180 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
Region with smaller land area
Region with larger land area
Density is always equal
Area has no relation to density
Medium · Level 4View options
The population-to-area ratio is 250
Exactly 250 people live in every square kilometre
On average there are 250 people per square kilometre
It is an average measure
Medium · Level 4View options
First region
Second region
Both are equal
Cannot be compared
Medium · Level 4View options
310 persons per square kilometre
320 persons per square kilometre
330 persons per square kilometre
360 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
600 square kilometres
700 square kilometres
800 square kilometres
1000 square kilometres
Medium · Level 4View options
20 percent
25 percent
30 percent
60 percent
Medium · Level 4View options
20 percent
25 percent
30 percent
40 percent
Medium · Level 4View options
Level well-watered plain
High ice-covered plateau
Extremely arid desert
Inaccessible mountain slope
Medium · Level 4View options
Large-scale employment-based in-migration
Prolonged out-migration
Closure of all industries
Collapse of transport network
Medium · Level 4View options
250 persons per square kilometre
267 persons per square kilometre
300 persons per square kilometre
333 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
300 persons per square kilometre
325 persons per square kilometre
350 persons per square kilometre
400 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
175 persons per square kilometre
200 persons per square kilometre
225 persons per square kilometre
250 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
250 persons per square kilometre
264 persons per square kilometre
280 persons per square kilometre
300 persons per square kilometre
Medium · Level 4View options
250 persons per square kilometre
275 persons per square kilometre
292 persons per square kilometre
300 persons per square kilometre
Question 1MediumLevel 4
What is a major limitation of average population density?
Correct answer: A
Average population density gives one overall figure by dividing the total population of a region by its total area. This is useful for comparison, but it treats the whole area as if people were spread evenly. In reality, settlement is often concentrated near cities, rivers, coasts, transport routes, fertile plains, or other favourable places. Large deserts, mountains, forests, or protected areas may have very few inhabitants.
For example, a country can have a moderate average density even when a small part is extremely crowded and a large part is almost empty. The average hides these internal differences because it combines all places into one number. Therefore, option A is correct. Options B and C are false because the calculation uses both total population and area. Option D is false because average density is a clear numerical measure.
If two regions have the same average population density must their population distribution also be the same?
Correct answer: B
Average density represents the ratio of total population to total area. It does not describe the exact spatial pattern of that population. Two regions can have the same ratio while having very different settlement arrangements: one may contain a few crowded cities and wide empty spaces, while the other may have people spread more evenly.
Thus, option B is correct. Equal areas or equal populations are not required for the key point; what matters is that the population-to-area ratio is equal. Options A, C and D incorrectly treat an average measure as proof of identical distribution.
Which factor can most directly contribute to increasing population density when area remains fixed?
Correct answer: B
When the area of a region stays fixed, density changes directly with its population. In-migration means people enter the region from elsewhere. Their arrival increases the total population while the area remains the same, so the number of people per square kilometre rises. This is the most direct factor among the choices.
Therefore, option B, in-migration, is correct. Out-migration removes people and normally lowers density. Population decline has the same downward effect. Expansion of area, if population does not rise proportionately, would generally lower density rather than increase it. The conclusion assumes the incoming population is added to the region.
If the population of an industrial town rises from 80000 to 100000 while its area remains 200 square kilometres what is the new density?
Correct answer: C
The question asks for the density after the population changes, so the new population must be used. Population density is calculated by dividing population by area. Here the new population is 100,000 and the unchanged area is 200 square kilometres. Thus, \(D=\frac{100000}{200}=500\) persons per square kilometre.
Therefore, option C is correct. The earlier population of 80,000 is useful only if we want to compare the old density; it gives \(80,000\div200=400\) persons per square kilometre. The increase in population raises density because the available area has not changed. The units are persons per square kilometre, not simply persons or square kilometres.
A region has a density of 400 persons per square kilometre. Population decreases by 20 percent while area remains unchanged. What is the new density?
Correct answer: B
When the area remains unchanged, population density changes by the same percentage as the population. A decrease of 20 percent means that 80 percent of the original population remains. Since the original density is 400 persons per square kilometre, the new density is \(400\times0.80=320\) persons per square kilometre. Therefore option B is correct.
The same result can be found by calculating the decrease directly. Twenty percent of 400 is \(0.20\times400=80\). Subtracting this decrease from the original density gives \(400-80=320\). The values 300, 340, and 380 do not represent the stated 20 percent reduction. This reasoning works because the area has not changed; if area also changed, the percentage change in density would need another calculation.
A region has a density of 240 persons per square kilometre. Its population increases by 25 percent while its area remains unchanged. What is the new density?
Correct answer: C
Correct answer: C, 300 persons per square kilometre. Because the area is unchanged, a 25% increase in population produces a 25% increase in density. First calculate 25% of 240: 240 × 25/100 = 60. Add this increase to the original density: 240 + 60 = 300 persons per square kilometre. Equivalently, multiply by 1.25: 240 × 1.25 = 300. Option A adds only 30, which is not 25% of 240. Option B adds 40 and is also too small. Option D adds 80, which represents a larger increase than 25%. The important idea is that density follows population proportionally only because area is fixed. A useful shortcut is to remember that 25% means one-fourth; one-fourth of 240 is 60.
A district has a density of 150 persons per square kilometre and an area of 1600 square kilometres. What is its population?
Correct answer: B
The relationship among population, density, and area is density equals population divided by area. Rearranging this gives population equals density multiplied by area. Here the density is 150 persons per square kilometre and the area is 1,600 square kilometres. Therefore population is \(150\times1600=240000\) people, so option B is correct.
The multiplication can be checked as \(15\times16=240\), followed by four zeros from 150 and 1,600, giving 240,000. The units also confirm the result: persons per square kilometre multiplied by square kilometres leaves persons. The other options do not result from the given density and area. No division is needed because population is being found from density and area.
A region has a population density of 375 persons per square kilometre and an area of 800 square kilometres. What is its total population?
Correct answer: C
The relationship among population, density, and area is \(Population=Density\times Area\). The given density is 375 persons per square kilometre and the area is 800 square kilometres. Therefore, the total population is \(375\times800\). First calculate \(375\times8=3000\), then multiply by 100 because 800 is 8 hundreds. This gives 300000 people. Hence, option C is correct.
The units also confirm the method: persons per square kilometre multiplied by square kilometres leaves persons. Dividing instead would not produce the required population. A quick check is \(300000\div800=375\), which returns the stated density. The values 250000, 275000, and 325000 would give different densities for the same area, so they do not match the data.
If population density is 500 persons per square kilometre and total population is 350000 what is the area?
Correct answer: C
The relationship among population, area, and density is \(D=P/A\). If density and population are known, the area can be found by rearranging this relationship to \(A=P/D\). The units also guide the calculation: persons divided by persons per square kilometre leaves square kilometres.
The population is 350,000 and density is 500 persons per square kilometre. Therefore, \(A=350000\div500=700\) square kilometres. Checking the result, \(700\times500=350000\), which reproduces the given population. Hence option C is correct. The number 500 is a density, not an area, so it must be used as the divisor.
A region has a population of 200000 and density of 250. If population rises to 240000 while area remains unchanged what is the new density?
Correct answer: B
Population density is calculated by dividing population by area: \(D=\frac{P}{A}\). The original population is 200,000 and the original density is 250 persons per square kilometre. Thus the area is \(200000\div250=800\) square kilometres. The question states that this area does not change, so only the population must be replaced in the new calculation.
The new density is \(240000\div800=300\) persons per square kilometre. Hence option B is correct. The increase in population is 40,000, or 20 percent, and because the area stays fixed, density also rises by 20 percent, from 250 to 300. The other choices do not result from the density formula.
A region has a density of 180 persons per square kilometre and a population of 90,000. If its area increases by 100 square kilometres while the population remains unchanged, what is the new density?
Correct answer: B
Correct answer: B, 150 persons per square kilometre. The original area is found by rearranging density = population ÷ area: area = population ÷ density = 90,000 ÷ 180 = 500 square kilometres. The area then increases by 100, so the new area is 600 square kilometres. Population remains 90,000. Therefore, new density = 90,000 ÷ 600 = 150 persons per square kilometre. Option A would require an area of 750 square kilometres, while option C would require 562.5 square kilometres. Option D is the old density and ignores the increased area. The direction of change also gives a useful check: when the same population is spread over a larger area, density must fall.
Which region is likely to have higher arithmetic density if both have the same total population?
Correct answer: A
Arithmetic density is the number of people divided by the total land area. In this comparison, both regions have the same population, so the numerator is equal. The region with less land has the smaller denominator. Dividing the same number by a smaller positive number produces a larger result, so its arithmetic density will be higher. This conclusion concerns arithmetic density, not necessarily agricultural or physiological density.
Option A is therefore correct. For example, if 100,000 people live in 500 square kilometres, density is 200 persons per square kilometre; in 1,000 square kilometres it is only 100. Option B reverses the mathematical relationship. Option C is wrong because equal population does not ensure equal density when areas differ, and option D ignores that area is essential to the calculation.
A country's national average density is 250 persons per square kilometre. Which conclusion cannot be made with certainty?
Correct answer: B
A national average density of 250 persons per square kilometre is obtained by dividing the country's total population by its total area. It describes an average for the whole country, not the exact number of residents in every small part of it. Population is usually unevenly distributed: cities, fertile plains, and transport corridors may be crowded, while deserts, mountains, forests, or protected areas may have few residents.
Therefore, option B cannot be concluded with certainty. The statement that the population-to-area ratio is 250, the statement that the average is 250, and the description of density as an average all follow directly from the given information. They do not claim uniform settlement. A national average can remain 250 even when individual square kilometres have values far above or below 250, so exact equality everywhere is the incorrect inference.
One region has a population of 400000 and an area of 1600 square kilometres. Another has 300000 people and an area of 1000. Which has higher density?
Correct answer: B
To compare densities, calculate population divided by area for each region. For the first region, density is \(\frac{400000}{1600}=250\) persons per square kilometre. For the second region, density is \(\frac{300000}{1000}=300\) persons per square kilometre. Since 300 is greater than 250, the second region has the higher density, so option B is correct.
A larger total population does not automatically mean a higher density. The first region has more people, but it also covers a much larger area. The second region has fewer people overall, yet those people are distributed across a smaller area. This produces more people per square kilometre. Comparing only populations would therefore give the wrong conclusion.
If a region has a density of 300 and an area of 900 square kilometres what will the new density be after a 10 percent population increase if area does not change?
Correct answer: C
When area remains unchanged, density changes in the same proportion as population because \(Density=\frac{Population}{Area}\). A 10 percent increase in population therefore produces a 10 percent increase in density. Ten percent of the original density 300 is \(0.10\times300=30\). Adding this increase gives \(300+30=330\) persons per square kilometre.
Thus option C is correct. The area of 900 square kilometres is not needed for this shortcut, although it can be used as a check. The original population is \(300\times900=270000\); after a 10 percent increase it is 297,000, and \(297000\div900=330\). Options A and B show smaller increases, while D represents a 20 percent increase.
If density is 500 persons per square kilometre and population is 400000 what is the area and which option is correct?
Correct answer: C
The relationship among population, area, and density is \(\text{Density}=\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Area}}\). If density and population are known, the area must therefore be calculated by dividing population by density. The density value of 500 is not itself the area; it tells us how many people live in each square kilometre.
Here, \(\text{Area}=400000\div500=800\) square kilometres. The result can be checked by multiplying density by area: \(500\times800=400000\). Thus 800 square kilometres satisfies all the given information. Therefore, option C is correct; 1,000 would give a population of 500,000 instead.
A region's density rises from 200 to 260 persons per square kilometre. What is the percentage increase?
Correct answer: C
Correct answer: C, 30 percent. First find the absolute increase: 260 − 200 = 60 persons per square kilometre. Percentage increase is calculated relative to the original value, not the new value: (increase ÷ original density) × 100 = (60 ÷ 200) × 100 = 30%. Option A is incorrect because 20% of 200 is only 40. Option B is incorrect because 25% of 200 is 50. Option D confuses the numerical increase, 60, with a percentage. The denominator must be the original density, 200, because the question asks how much the value increased from its starting point. Memory cue: percentage change = change ÷ original × 100.
A region's density falls from 400 to 300 persons per square kilometre. What is the percentage decrease?
Correct answer: B
Correct answer: B, 25 percent. First calculate the decrease: 400 − 300 = 100 persons per square kilometre. For a percentage decrease, divide the decrease by the original value and multiply by 100: (100 ÷ 400) × 100 = 25%. Option A is wrong because 20% of 400 equals 80. Option C is wrong because 30% of 400 equals 120. Option D is wrong because 40% of 400 equals 160. The number 100 is the absolute decrease, not the percentage decrease. The original density must be used as the reference because the question asks how much the value fell from 400. Memory cue: decrease percentage = decrease ÷ starting value × 100.
Which region is more favourable for high density if other factors are equal?
Correct answer: A
A level plain with reliable water is generally favourable for a high population density when other conditions are equal. Flat land makes farming, construction, road building, and settlement easier. Water supports household needs, irrigation, livestock, and many economic activities. Such a region can usually support more people than a place where steep slopes, ice, extreme dryness, or difficult access restrict daily life and production.
Option A is therefore correct. An ice-covered plateau has severe limits on habitation and agriculture. An extremely arid desert lacks dependable water, while an inaccessible mountain slope creates difficulties for transport, construction, and cultivation. These places may have settlements, but their average density is usually lower under the stated condition. The word “if” is important: real density also depends on technology, jobs, history, and infrastructure. The supplied answer is consistent.
Which human factor can cause a city's population density to rise rapidly?
Correct answer: A
Employment-based in-migration means that people move into a city to obtain jobs. If many workers and their families arrive while the city boundary or built-up area changes little, more people are living within nearly the same space. The population-to-area ratio therefore rises, producing higher density.
Option A is correct because job opportunities are a strong human factor shaping settlement and concentration. Out-migration would usually reduce the number of residents, while industrial closure would remove jobs and may encourage people to leave. A collapsed transport network would generally weaken accessibility rather than attract a rapid population increase.
If 270000 people live in 900 square kilometres and 30000 people move out what will the new density be?
Correct answer: B
When people move out and the area does not change, first subtract the people who left from the original population. The new population is \(270000-30000=240000\). The area remains 900 square kilometres, so the new density is \(240000\div900=266.666\ldots\) persons per square kilometre. Rounded to the nearest whole person, this is about 267. Therefore, option B is correct.
The original density was 300 persons per square kilometre because \(270000\div900=300\). The population loss is spread across 900 square kilometres, reducing density by \(30000\div900=33.33\), giving \(266.67\). Option C is the old density and ignores the out-migration, while 250 and 333 do not follow from the calculation. The approximate wording justifies rounding to 267.
If 180000 people live in 600 square kilometres and 30000 more people settle there what will the new density be?
Correct answer: C
Population density means the number of people living in one unit of area. When more people settle in the same region, the population increases, but the area does not change. Therefore, the density rises. The relevant relationship is \(\text{Density}=\frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Area}}\), and the area must remain in square kilometres.
The new population is \(180000+30000=210000\). The area is still 600 square kilometres, so the new density is \(\frac{210000}{600}=350\) persons per square kilometre. Thus, option C is correct. The value 300 is the original density before the additional people arrived, while 400 is not obtained from the given figures.
If a region has a density of 150 persons per square kilometre and its area falls from 2000 to 1500 square kilometres while population remains the same what is the new density?
Correct answer: B
Density changes when population or area changes. First find the unchanged population from the original density and area: population = density × area = 150 × 2,000 = 300,000 people. The question says that this population stays constant while the area becomes 1,500 square kilometres.
Now divide the same population by the new area: new density = 300,000 ÷ 1,500 = 200 persons per square kilometre. The density rises because the same number of people is now spread over a smaller area. Thus option B is correct. The result is not 225 or 250, since those would require a still smaller area or a larger population.
A region has a density of 240 and an area of 500 square kilometres. If population increases by 12000 what is the new density?
Correct answer: B
The given density and area first allow us to find the original population. Population equals density multiplied by area, so the original population is \(240\times500=120,000\). When 12,000 people are added, the new population becomes 132,000. The area has not changed, so only the numerator in the density calculation changes.
Now divide the new population by the unchanged area: \(132000\div500=264\). The new density is therefore 264 persons per square kilometre, making option B correct. Adding 12,000 directly to 240 would mix population and density units and is not valid. Option C would also imply a larger increase than the stated population change.
A region has a population of 210000 and density of 350. If population decreases by 35000 while area stays the same what is the new density?
Correct answer: C
Density is the number of people living in each unit of area. The original population is 210,000 and the original density is 350 people per square kilometre. Since density equals population divided by area, the original area can be found by reversing the formula. This gives an area of 600 square kilometres. The population then falls by 35,000, leaving 175,000 people.
The new density is \(\frac{175000}{600}=291.666\ldots\) people per square kilometre. Rounded to the nearest whole number, this is 292 persons per square kilometre. Therefore option C is correct. Option D would be too high, because the area has not changed while the population has decreased. The supplied calculation and mapping are accurate.
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