JAMB and WAEC Economics questions: Population

30 questions with answers and explanations. Tap an option to check yourself.

1. Question 1· Population· JAMB

   The 2006 census put Nigeria's population at about

   • A140 million
   • B88 million
   • C200 million
   • D40 million

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   Explanation and discussion

2. Question 2· Population· JAMB

   Malthus argued that population growth would be checked by

   • Aindustrialisation
   • Bhigher wages
   • Cfamine, disease and war
   • Dforeign aid

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   Explanation and discussion

3. Question 3· Population· WAEC

   A high dependency ratio means that

   • Aa large share of the population depends on a small working population
   • Bmost people are working
   • Cthe population is falling
   • Deveryone is retired

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4. Question 4· Population· JAMB

   A large population can benefit an economy by providing

   • Aless demand
   • Bfewer workers
   • Ca large market and labour force
   • Dlower output

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   Explanation and discussion

5. Question 5· Population· JAMB

   Population growth can benefit an economy by

   • Aremoving workers
   • Breducing demand
   • Clowering output
   • Dincreasing the labour force and market size

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6. Question 6· Population· WAEC

   A country with fewer people than its resources could support efficiently is

   • Aover-populated
   • Bunder-populated
   • Cat its optimum population
   • Dageing

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7. Question 7· Population· WAEC

   The optimum population is the size at which

   • Adeath rate is zero
   • Bpopulation is largest
   • Cbirth rate is highest
   • Doutput per head is maximum

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8. Question 8· Population· JAMB

   According to Malthus, population increases

   • Aonly during wars
   • Barithmetically while food supply increases geometrically
   • Cat the same rate as food supply
   • Dgeometrically while food supply increases arithmetically

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9. Question 9· Population· WAEC

   Malthus argued that population grows

   • Ageometrically while food grows arithmetically
   • Barithmetically
   • Cat the same rate as food
   • Dnot at all

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10. Question 10· Population· JAMB

    Population censuses are important mainly because they

    • Aprovide data for planning
    • Bincrease the population
    • Creduce taxes
    • Dfix wages

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    Explanation and discussion

11. Question 11· Population· WAEC

    A country has 200 million people, of whom 80 million are of working age and in work. How many dependants are there per worker?

    • A1.5
    • B0.4
    • C2.5
    • D0.67

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12. Question 12· Population· JAMB

    A population pyramid with a broad base indicates

    • Aan ageing population
    • Ba high birth rate
    • Ca low birth rate
    • Dhigh life expectancy

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    Explanation and discussion

13. Question 13· Population· JAMB

    A major effect of rural–urban migration on rural areas is

    • Amore industries in villages
    • Bovercrowding of villages
    • Ca shortage of farm labour
    • Dhigher food output

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14. Question 14· Population· JAMB

    Population censuses in Nigeria are conducted by the

    • ACentral Bank of Nigeria
    • BNational Population Commission
    • CIndependent National Electoral Commission
    • DNational Bureau of Statistics only

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    Explanation and discussion

15. Question 15· Population· WAEC

    A country with a high birth rate and a falling death rate will have

    • Aan ageing population
    • Ba declining population
    • Ca stable population
    • Da rapidly growing population

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16. Question 16· Population· WAEC

    A country whose population is ageing will face

    • Arising birth rates
    • Bmore school places needed
    • Chigher spending on pensions and health care
    • Da larger young labour force

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17. Question 17· Population· WAEC

    Rural–urban migration is mainly caused by

    • Athe search for better jobs and amenities in towns
    • Bthe attraction of farm work
    • Clower costs of living in towns
    • Dlack of schools in towns

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18. Question 18· Population· WAEC

    Population census is

    • Athe counting of voters only
    • Bthe official counting of all people in a country
    • Cthe sale of land
    • Dthe registration of firms

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19. Question 19· Population· WAEC

    A population with a large proportion of young people has a population pyramid with

    • Aa narrow base
    • Ba broad base
    • Cequal bars for all age groups
    • Da wide top

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20. Question 20· Population· WAEC

    Optimum population is the size of population at which

    • Aoutput per head is at its maximum
    • Bbirth rate equals death rate only
    • Cthere is no unemployment at all
    • Dthe country is overcrowded

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    Explanation and discussion