Civil Services Examination - Economic and social development: inclusion demographics and social sector initiatives Question Bank with Options

1. The 'Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan' (SCSP) and 'Tribal Sub-Plan' (TSP) are budgetary mechanisms aimed at:

A) Allocating funds for general infrastructure development

B) Ensuring that a proportional share of funds is utilized for the development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes

C) Providing direct subsidies to all farmers

D) Funding space research programs

2. What is the primary aim of 'financial inclusion' initiatives like PMJDY?

A) To increase the number of stock market investors

B) To ensure that all individuals and businesses have access to affordable financial products and services

C) To promote the use of cryptocurrencies

D) To provide loans only to large corporations

3. The 'National Health Policy' often sets targets related to:

A) Reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR)

B) Increase in the number of private hospitals

C) Subsidies for imported medicines

D) Focus on cosmetic surgeries

4. Which of the following is a key aspect of 'demographics'?

A) The study of economic policies

B) The statistical study of populations, especially human beings, including their size, structure, and distribution, and the changes resulting from births, deaths, and migration

C) The analysis of international trade

D) The examination of political systems

5. The concept of 'social exclusion' refers to:

A) The process of integrating all citizens into society

B) The inability of certain individuals or groups to participate fully in social, economic, and political life

C) The voluntary withdrawal of individuals from society

D) The migration of people from one country to another

6. Which demographic factor significantly influences the dependency ratio?

A) Urbanization rate

B) Proportion of working-age population

C) Life expectancy

D) Sex ratio

7. What is the main goal of the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'?

A) To provide financial assistance for building houses

B) To make India the cleanest country in the world and eliminate open defecation

C) To promote digital literacy

D) To improve public transportation

8. The 'National Rural Livelihoods Mission' (NRLM) aims to empower rural poor women by:

A) Providing them with government jobs

B) Organizing them into Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for livelihood promotion

C) Offering free housing

D) Subsidizing their children's education

9. Which of the following is a measure of the average number of years a newborn infant is expected to live if current mortality patterns continue?

A) Life expectancy at birth

B) Mean age at marriage

C) Crude birth rate

D) Total fertility rate

10. The 'National Social Assistance Programme' (NSAP) provides social security benefits primarily to:

A) Salaried employees

B) Economically weaker sections, including the aged, widows, and disabled

C) Students pursuing higher education

D) Small business owners

11. What does the term 'population pyramid' graphically represent?

A) The distribution of a population by age and sex

B) The birth rates of a country

C) The death rates of a country

D) The migration patterns of a population

12. Which social sector initiative focuses on improving maternal and child health services in rural areas?

A) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

B) National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)

C) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

D) MGNREGA

13. The term 'infant mortality rate' (IMR) refers to:

A) The number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births

B) The number of deaths of children under five years of age per 1,000 live births

C) The number of stillbirths per 1,000 live births

D) The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births

14. What is the primary objective of 'Ayushman Bharat'?

A) To provide free smartphones to all citizens

B) To create a national health protection scheme providing Rs 5 lakh cover per family per year, and to develop Health and Wellness Centres

C) To subsidize education for all students

D) To promote renewable energy sources

15. The 'demographic transition model' describes the changes in population characteristics as a country develops. Stage 2 of this model is typically characterized by:

A) High birth rates and high death rates

B) Falling birth rates and falling death rates

C) High birth rates and falling death rates

D) Low birth rates and low death rates

16. Which of the following is a key component of 'social inclusion'?

A) Creating barriers for marginalized communities

B) Ensuring equal access to education, healthcare, and employment

C) Promoting segregation based on caste or religion

D) Reducing government intervention in social welfare

17. The 'Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram' (JSSK) aims to provide:

A) Free and cashless delivery, drugs, diagnostics, and blood for pregnant women, and free care for newborns and infants

B) Financial aid to families with more than two children

C) Skill development for unemployed youth

D) Subsidized housing for the elderly

18. What is meant by 'population replacement level'?

A) The average number of children per woman needed to replace the population

B) The rate at which people migrate into a country

C) The rate at which the population is growing

D) The number of births required to offset deaths

19. The 'Mid Day Meal Scheme' is primarily implemented to improve:

A) Sanitation in schools

B) Enrollment and retention of children in primary schools and improve their nutritional levels

C) Teacher training programs

D) Digital literacy in rural schools

20. Which demographic indicator measures the number of deaths per thousand population in a given year?

A) Crude Birth Rate

B) Crude Death Rate

C) Infant Mortality Rate

D) Maternal Mortality Rate

21. The 'National Urban Livelihoods Mission' (NULM) aims to uplift the urban poor by:

A) Providing free education to all urban children

B) Enhancing livelihood opportunities and access to services for the urban poor

C) Developing infrastructure in metropolitan cities

D) Subsidizing housing for the middle class

22. What does 'population explosion' typically refer to?

A) A significant and rapid increase in population size

B) A sudden decrease in birth rates

C) A balanced growth rate of population

D) A decline in the death rate without a corresponding decline in birth rate

23. The 'elderly population' is generally defined as individuals above the age of:

A) 18 years

B) 60 years

C) 65 years

D) 70 years

24. Which government scheme aims to improve the nutritional status of children under six years of age, pregnant women, and lactating mothers?

A) Mid Day Meal Scheme

B) Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

C) National Health Mission

D) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

25. The concept of 'inclusive growth' in economic development emphasizes:

A) Growth that benefits only the most affluent sections of society

B) Growth that creates opportunities for all sections of society and reduces inequalities

C) Growth primarily driven by exports

D) Growth focused on heavy industries

26. Which of the following is a measure of the average number of children born per woman in a population over her lifetime, assuming current age-specific fertility rates remain constant?

A) Crude Birth Rate

B) General Fertility Rate

C) Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

D) Replacement Level Fertility

27. What is the primary objective of the 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana' (PMUY)?

A) To provide clean drinking water to rural households

B) To provide clean cooking fuel (LPG connections) to BPL households

C) To promote solar energy usage in rural areas

D) To construct toilets in rural homes

28. The 'dependency ratio' in demography compares the number of dependents (children and elderly) to the number of:

A) Total population

B) Working-age population

C) Female population

D) Rural population

29. Which social sector initiative specifically targets the empowerment of women through skill development and economic opportunities?

A) Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

B) National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)

C) Public Distribution System (PDS)

D) National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM)

30. The term 'urbanization' primarily refers to:

A) The increase in the rural population

B) The movement of people from rural areas to cities and the growth of urban areas

C) The development of agricultural land

D) The decline in industrial activity

31. What is the main aim of the 'National Health Mission' (NHM)?

A) To provide tertiary healthcare services in private hospitals

B) To improve access to affordable, quality healthcare for all

C) To focus solely on maternal and child health

D) To promote medical tourism

32. The 'sex ratio at birth' refers to:

A) The total number of females per thousand males in a population

B) The number of female births per thousand male births

C) The number of male births per thousand female births

D) The proportion of women in the reproductive age group

33. Which of the following is a key objective of the 'National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)'?

A) To provide direct cash transfers to rural households

B) To create guaranteed wage employment in rural areas

C) To promote private investment in rural industries

D) To subsidize agricultural inputs

34. The 'Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)' scheme provides a package of services to children, mothers, and pregnant women. Its primary focus is on:

A) Higher education for women

B) Healthcare, nutrition, and early childhood education

C) Financial assistance for large families

D) Employment generation for women

35. What does the term 'population momentum' refer to?

A) The tendency for population growth to continue even after fertility rates have dropped to replacement level

B) The rapid increase in population due to high birth rates

C) The decline in population due to low birth rates

D) The movement of people from rural to urban areas

36. The 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' (SSA) was a major initiative to provide universal elementary education. This falls under the social sector initiative of:

A) Healthcare

B) Financial inclusion

C) Education

D) Social security

37. Which of the following is a measure of population change attributed to migration?

A) Crude Birth Rate

B) Crude Death Rate

C) Net Migration Rate

D) Natural Increase Rate

38. The 'National Food Security Act, 2013' aims to provide food and nutritional security to the population. This is an example of a social sector initiative focused on:

A) Economic growth

B) Poverty alleviation and basic needs

C) Infrastructure development

D) Environmental protection

39. What does the term 'population density' measure?

A) The total number of people in a region

B) The number of births per thousand people in a year

C) The number of people living per unit area

D) The rate at which population is growing

40. The 'National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC)' is an initiative under which broader objective?

A) Financial inclusion

B) Social security

C) Skill development and employability

D) Rural infrastructure development

41. Which demographic trend is often associated with an aging population?

A) Increased dependency ratio

B) Higher birth rates

C) Lower healthcare costs

D) Larger proportion of young workers

42. What is the primary goal of the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana' (PMJDY)?

A) To provide affordable housing to the urban poor

B) To ensure access to financial services like banking, savings, and insurance to all

C) To promote skill development among youth

D) To provide free electricity to rural households

43. Which of the following is a key objective of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' scheme?

A) To provide financial assistance to girl students for higher education

B) To improve the sex ratio at birth and ensure girls' education

C) To promote women's participation in the workforce

D) To eradicate child marriage

44. The 'Scheduled Castes' and 'Scheduled Tribes' in India are constitutional categories primarily aimed at addressing historical and social inequalities. These fall under which aspect of socio-economic development?

A) Demographic transition

B) Social inclusion and affirmative action

C) Economic liberalization

D) Environmental sustainability

45. What does the term 'Total Fertility Rate (TFR)' represent in demography?

A) The average number of children a woman has by the end of her reproductive life

B) The birth rate per thousand population

C) The death rate per thousand population

D) The rate of population growth

46. Which social sector initiative focuses on providing health insurance coverage to vulnerable families in India?

A) National Health Mission

B) Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

C) Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)

D) Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

47. The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of 'human development'. Which of the following is NOT a component of HDI?

A) Life expectancy at birth

B) Mean years of schooling

C) Gross National Income (GNI) per capita

D) Internet penetration rate

48. Which government initiative aims to provide financial and non-financial support to entrepreneurs and small businesses for economic development?

A) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)

B) Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY)

C) Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

D) Ayushman Bharat

49. The concept of 'demographic dividend' in India is primarily associated with:

A) A decline in the total fertility rate

B) A high proportion of the working-age population relative to the dependent population

C) An increase in the elderly population

D) Rapid urbanization leading to a younger population in cities

50. Which of the following terms refers to the process of integrating diverse groups into the mainstream of society, ensuring equal access to opportunities and resources?

A) Urbanization

B) Globalization

C) Social Inclusion

D) Economic Liberalization

Economic and social development: inclusion demographics and social sector initiatives - Question Bank