If an area has high birth rate and high death rate, why can growth be low?

Correct answer: Because the difference between the birth rate and death rate can be small

The direct answer is A: the difference between the birth rate and death rate can be small. Natural increase is found by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate. For example, if the birth rate is 30 per thousand and the death rate is 28 per thousand, natural increase is only 2 per thousand. Both rates are high, but most births are offset by deaths, so the resulting growth is low. A is correct because population growth depends on the gap between the two rates, not simply on whether each rate is called high or low. B is wrong because births directly add people and therefore affect growth. C is wrong because deaths remove people and a high death rate normally reduces growth. D is wrong because migration is not always positive and has not been supplied in the question. Memory cue: compare the rates; do not judge growth from the birth rate alone.