Population Growth

Correct answer: A. School demand may remain high while the local labor force weakens

Different age groups can create different population pressures at the same time. Many births increase the number of children, so schools may continue to face high demand. However, the migration of people aged 20 to 40 removes many working-age adults, reducing the local labour force and potentially weakening the productive base.

Thus both effects can occur together: school demand may remain high because of the large child population, while the local labour force declines because working-age people leave. Option A is correct. It is not necessary for both indicators to rise or fall together, since they concern different age groups and demographic processes.

Correct answer: C. 0 percent

Total population growth combines natural increase with net migration. Natural increase is positive 1.3 percent, while net out-migration is negative 1.3 percent. Because the two percentages have equal size and opposite signs, the loss through migration exactly offsets the increase from births minus deaths.

The calculation is \(1.3+(-1.3)=0\) percent. Therefore, option C is correct. This means the total population may remain numerically stable during the period. It does not mean that no births, deaths, or movements occur; it means their combined effect is zero. The positive and negative components must be added with their signs, not treated as two positive increases.

Correct answer: A. Labor-force pressure and pension and health demand may rise

Total population does not reveal the full demographic situation. Age structure matters because different age groups create different needs and contribute differently to the labor force, tax revenue, care systems, and public services. If the elderly share rises while the working-age share falls, fewer workers may have to support more retirees and health-care needs.

Therefore, labor supply and possibly the tax base may come under pressure, while demand for pensions, medical care, and long-term support may increase. Option A is the most likely effect. A stable total population does not remove these pressures because the composition of the population is changing. School demand would not necessarily rise; with fewer younger people, it could remain stable or decline.

Correct answer: B. It will decrease

Per-capita food availability is found by dividing total food production by the number of people. If the population increases faster than food production, the total food must be shared among a relatively larger number of people. With other conditions unchanged, this lowers the average amount available to each person.

Here, population grows by 7 percent, while food production grows by only 4 percent. Although total production rises, it does not rise enough to match the increase in people. Therefore, food availability per person decreases, so option B is correct. This conclusion concerns average availability; imports, waste, distribution, or changes in diet could affect actual access, but those factors are excluded by the question.

Correct answer: A. Pressure on per-capita water capacity will increase

Per-person water capacity depends on both the total supply capacity and the population. If the population rises by 12 percent while supply capacity rises by only 5 percent, people are increasing faster than the system serving them. Even without calculating an exact value, the capacity available per person is likely to fall, creating greater pressure on the water system.

Therefore, option A is correct. If the original capacity is represented by 100 units for a population of 100 units, the new ratio becomes 105 units of capacity for 112 people, which is less capacity per person than before. The water demand does not automatically decline, and there is clearly an effect because population growth exceeds capacity growth.

Correct answer: A. Large cohorts born earlier are entering working ages

Population growth at the present time and the size of the working-age group do not respond at exactly the same moment. Working-age people were born many years earlier, so today’s working-age population reflects the birth patterns of the past. A country can have a declining current growth rate while a large earlier birth cohort is reaching working ages.

Thus, large groups born in previous decades may enter the working-age range during the next decade. The falling growth rate does not make every age group shrink immediately. Working-age population is related to birth history, and migration is not always zero. Therefore option A correctly explains the situation.

Correct answer: A. Births, deaths, migration, age structure, absolute growth, and changes in rates over time

A total growth rate tells how quickly population size changes, but it does not fully explain why the change occurs or what kind of population is being formed. Births and deaths reveal natural increase, while migration can add or remove people and can alter the age and skill structure. Age structure helps predict future births, workforce size, and dependency needs.

Absolute growth shows the actual number added, and comparing rates over time reveals whether growth is accelerating, slowing, or reversing. Therefore, option A provides the most complete combination. Land area, final population, or birth rate alone cannot identify all sources, structures, and trends of population change.