If both birth rate and death rate are low what can growth be like?

Correct answer: Slow or stable

The direct answer is A: growth may be slow or nearly stable. Natural population growth depends mainly on the difference between the birth rate and the death rate. When both rates are low, births and deaths may be close in number, so the difference is often small. A small difference produces slow growth or a population that is almost stable. Option A is correct because it allows both possibilities. Option B is wrong because very rapid growth generally requires births to be much higher than deaths, not simply that both rates are low. Option C is wrong because low birth and death rates do not always produce a decrease; the population can still grow if births are slightly higher than deaths. Option D is wrong because the relationship gives useful information about likely natural growth, although migration can also affect the final population. Memory cue: compare birth rate with death rate, not just whether each rate is labelled low.