Question

The magnitude of population growth refers to……….
A.The total population of an area
B.The number of persons added each year
C.The rate at which the population increases
D.The number of females per thousand males

Answer 1

Hint: The magnitude of growth refers to the actual number added to the population. It does not refer to the rate of increase of population. The magnitude of growth can be obtained each year or decade.

Complete answer: Population is a dynamic phenomenon where the number, distribution and composition of population are constantly changing. It is influenced by interaction of three processes: birth rate, death rate and migration. Growth in population id the change in number of inhabitants in a specific area over a specific time, say ten years. This change is often expressed in two ways: in terms of absolute numbers and in terms of percentage change per annum. The absolute number added each year or decade is the magnitude of increase i.e, the number of persons added each year or decade. It can be simply obtained by subtracting earlier population(e.g. that of 2001) from later population (e.g. that of 2011). This is the absolute increase.The rate of population increase is another important feature. It is expressed in percent per annum, e.g. a rate of increase of 2 percent per annum means in a given year. This is the annual growth rate.
Looking at the options given:
Option A: The total population of an area is not the magnitude of population growth. This is an incorrect answer.
Option B: The magnitude of population growth is the number of persons added each year. This is the correct answer.
Option C:The rate at which population increases is referred to as the annual growth rate. This is an incorrect answer.
Option D: The number of females per thousand male is called sex ratio. This is an incorrect answer.

Thus,option ‘B’ is correct.

Note: Do not confuse it with the annual growth rate. That is the rate at which the population increases per annum. Whereas the magnitude of population growth refers to the actual number of persons added each year.