Overpopulation and Poverty
(Longman Pearson)
Review Exercise
I. Fill in the blanks.
1. World Bank is an organisation of the UN that provides economic assistance to the developing countries.
2. After the Green Revolution, that took place in the 1960s and 1970s, many countries became self-sufficient.
3. The two most highly populated countries in the world are China and India.
4. Absolute poverty is the condition which is marked by lack of basic human needs and health care.
5. The Five Year Plans are undertaken by the Government of India for the economic development of our country.
6. Inflow of refugees is a factor that has led to an increase in the Overpopulation of our country.
II. Answer these questions.
1. What are the factors responsible for the rapid increase in population?
= The factors responsible for the rapid increase in population vary from country to country. In the more developed countries, the reasons for overpopulation include :
❐ industrialisation,
❐ improved medical techniques leading to increase in birth rate and decrease in death rate,
❐ immigration.
However, in many developing countries, apart from the already discussed reasons, there are other factors that are responsible for population growth. These include ignorance, illiteracy, traditional rigidities and improved medical techniques that have increased the lifespan of people.
2. Write a note on the effects of population explosion.
= Population explosion can lead to several harmful effects on both humans and the environment. Some of the effects of overpopulation include :
❐ rise poverty;
❐ low life expectancy;
❐ increase cases of malnutrition and inadequate, inaccessible, or non-existent health care;
❐ water crisis which may lead to inadequate supply of water;
❐ depletion of natural resources;
❐ increased level of population - air, water, soil and noise;
❐ deforestation and loss of ecosystems - around eight million hectors of forest is lost each year;
❐ lack of proper living space forcing people to live in unhygienic living conditions;
❐ grave health problems due to the outbreak of epidemics.
3. State the reasons behind development of slums.
= The developing countries face other problems such as shortage of space for accommodation and land for agriculture, which force people to seek livelihood in the urban areas. As a result, the cities and towns slowly become overcrowded, leading to the development of slums. The people in the slums live in extremely unhealthy conditions.
❐ Generally people in slums do not have access to proper water supply, sanitation and electricity.
❐ They may be illiterate and unemployed. This also leads to an increase in crime rates.
❐ They usually suffer from hunger, poverty, malnutrition and poor health.
4. Do you think that poverty often forces people to take up crime? Give reasons to justify your answer.
= Yes, I think that poverty often forces people to take up crime.
Poverty means a condition under which people do not have sufficient financial aids to take care of their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. This results in hunger, malnutrition and fatal diseases. Poverty is a serious global problem in contemporary times. People who do not have access to basic human needs, such as food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter and health care are sometimes attracted to commit crimes to get things easily.
5. What was the significance of the Green Revolution?
= Many countries in the world became self-sufficient during the 1960s and 1970s when the Green Revolution took place. It solved the problem of scarcity of food in the countries.
6. What do you understand by the term poverty?
= Poverty means a condition under which people do not have sufficient financial aids to take care of their basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter.
7. What are the factors responsible for poverty?
= Poverty in India is widespread. India is believed to have one of the largest concentrations of poor people in the world. Some of the factors responsible for the growing poverty in India are :
❐ overpopulation,
❐ slow economic growth,
❐ illiteracy,
❐ prevalence of caste system;
❐ agricultural backwardness;
❐ inability to make use of the human resources and talents available in the country.
Also, India's long history of British rule and over dependence on agriculture are some of the other factors responsible for the problem of poverty.
8. What measures have the Indian government taken to eradicate poverty in rural and urban areas?
= Our government has adopted several measures to reduce poverty in both the rural and the urban areas. India has made gigantic efforts to eliminate poverty and hunger by adopting Five Years Plans, which were aimed at promoting agriculture and industries. The main purpose of the plans has been to make India self-reliant through industrial and agricultural development.
Today, the Green Revolution has enabled India to become one of the highest agricultural producers in the world. However, despite this, most of the people living in India are poor and do not get enough to eat. Thus, the government has initiated various programmes to tackle the problem of rural and urban poverty. Some of these programmes include :
❐ Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
❐ National Food for Work Programme.
❐ Nehru Rozgar Yojana.
❐ Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana.
❐ Swarn Jayanti Rozgar Yojana.
9. When do we say that a habitat is overpopulated?
= Overpopulation is when there are too many people living in a particular place.
10. According to you which factors are responsible for poverty in India? Suggest a few ways in which you think the problem of poverty can be tackled in India.
= According to me, the factors which are responsible for poverty in India are - illiteracy, ignorance and corruption.
If we can make most of the citizens literate, then only ignorance will be abolished and corruption will also be abolished. This will lead to employment and poverty will decrease.
11. What is the difference between absolute and relative poverty?
= People who do not have access to basic human needs, such as food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter and health care are said to be living in absolute poverty.
Relative poverty, on the other hand, refers to a standard of living defined in relation to the position of other people in the income/expenditure distribution.
III. Write short notes.
1. Slums in cities.
= The developing countries face other problems such as shortage of space for accommodation and land for agriculture, which force people to seek livelihood in the urban areas. As a result, the cities and towns slowly become overcrowded, leading to the development of slums. The people in the slums live in extremely unhealthy conditions.
❐ Generally people in slums do not have access to proper water supply, sanitation and electricity.
❐ They may be illiterate and unemployed. This also leads to an increase in crime rates.
❐ They usually suffer from hunger, poverty, malnutrition and poor health.
2. Green Revolution.
= Many countries in the world became self-sufficient during the 1960s and 1970s when the Green Revolution took place. It solved the problem of scarcity of food in the countries.
3. Effects of overpopulation.
= Population explosion can lead to several harmful effects on both humans and the environment. Some of the effects of overpopulation include :
❐ rise poverty;
❐ low life expectancy;
❐ increase cases of malnutrition and inadequate, inaccessible, or non-existent health care;
❐ water crisis which may lead to inadequate supply of water;
❐ depletion of natural resources;
❐ increased level of population - air, water, soil and noise;
❐ deforestation and loss of ecosystems - around eight million hectors of forest is lost each year;
❐ lack of proper living space forcing people to live in unhygienic living conditions;
❐ grave health problems due to the outbreak of epidemics.