NCERT Solutions: Human Resources

Q1. Answer the following questions.
(i) Why are people considered a resource?
Ans: People are considered a resource because they provide the skills, knowledge, labour and creativity needed to make use of natural wealth. With education, good health and training, people become better able to solve problems, invent things, run businesses and provide services. For example, a farmer who learns irrigation methods can grow more crops, and a doctor who gains medical training can improve community health. In this way human effort and ability turn natural materials into useful goods and services, making people valuable resources for society.

Human as a resource

(ii) What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world?
Ans: The distribution of population in the world is uneven - some areas are very crowded while others are sparsely populated. There are several reasons for this:

• Geographical factors: Favourable landforms, adequate rainfall, good soil fertility, and availability of water and minerals attract people. Areas such as fertile plains and river valleys tend to be densely populated.
• Social and cultural factors: Good housing, education and health facilities, as well as places of cultural or religious importance, draw people to certain areas.
• Economic factors: Places with industries, jobs, transport links and markets offer better livelihoods and therefore attract more people.

These factors often work together: for example, good geography leads to economic development, which then brings better social facilities and more people.

(iii) The world population has grown very rapidly. Why?
Ans: The world population has grown rapidly because the death rate has fallen while the birth rate has remained high in many regions. Improvements in food production, medical care, sanitation and vaccination have reduced deaths from disease and hunger. As a result, more children and adults survive, while many communities continue to have comparatively high numbers of births. This combination produces rapid population growth.

(iv) Discuss the role of any two factors influencing population change.
Ans: Two important factors that influence population change are the birth rate and the death rate.

• Birth rate: This is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a year. A high birth rate increases the size of the population. If births exceed deaths consistently, the population grows and the proportion of young people rises.
• Death rate: This is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a year. A fall in the death rate, often due to better health care and food supply, leads to population growth because more people live longer. If the death rate exceeds the birth rate, the population will decline.

When the birth and death rates are about equal, the population remains fairly stable. Migration (movement of people between places) is another factor that can increase or decrease a region's population, depending on whether more people move in or move out.

Example of population composition

(v) What is meant by population composition?
Ans: Population composition refers to the structure of a population by characteristics such as age, sex, religion, language, literacy, occupation and income. For example, it shows how many children, working-age adults and elderly people there are, and the balance of males and females. Knowing population composition helps planners decide on needs for schools, jobs, health care and social services.

(vi) What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding about the population of a country?
Ans: A population pyramid is a bar graph that shows the age and sex distribution of a country's population. The youngest age groups are shown at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the pyramid gives useful information: a broad base means many young people and a high birth rate (typical of growing populations), while a narrow base and wider top suggest low birth rates and an ageing population. Planners use population pyramids to estimate the number of dependents, the future size of the workforce, and the kinds of services a country will need.

Population pyramid

Q2. Tick the correct answer.
(i) Which does the term population distribution refer to?
(a) How population in a specified area changes over time.
(b) The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area.
(c) The way in which people are spread across a given area.
Ans: (c)
Explanation: Population distribution describes the pattern of where people live across a given area - for example, whether people are concentrated in cities, spread evenly, or clustered near rivers and plains. It does not refer to how population changes over time or to birth and death rates.

It can also be defined as a pattern of where people live.

(ii) Which are three main factors that cause population change?
 (a) Births, deaths and marriage
 (b) Births, deaths and migration
 (c) Births, deaths and life expectancy
Ans: (b)
Explanation: Population changes when people are born, when people die, and when people move from one place to another (migration). Births add to the population, deaths reduce it, and migration can increase or decrease the population of a particular place.

Births cause an increase in population whereas deaths cause a decrease. Migration refers to the phenomenon when people move from one place to another. Thus all three cause a change in population.

(iii) In 1999, the world population reached
(a) 1 billion
(b) 3 billion
(c) 6 billion
Ans: (c)
Explanation: The United Nations estimated that the world population reached 6 billion on 12 October 1999.

According to the United Nations, the world's human population reached 6 billion on October 12, 1999.

(iv) What is a population pyramid?
(a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population. 
(b) When the population density of an area is so high that people live in tall buildings.
(c) Pattern of population
Ans: (a)
Explanation: A population pyramid is a graph that shows the age and sex structure of a population. It arranges age groups vertically (youngest at the bottom) and shows the number or percentage of males and females in each group, helping us understand the population's growth and dependency levels.

A graphical presentation of the age and sex composition of a population. The Population Pyramid starts from the youngest at the bottom to the oldest at the top.

Q3. Complete the sentences below using some of the following words.
sparsely, favourable, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely
When people are attracted to an area it becomes ___________ populated. Factors that influence this include _________ climate; good supplies of ____________ resources and _____________ land.
Ans: When people are attracted to an area it becomes densely populated. Factors that influence this include favourable climate; good supplies of natural resources and fertile land.