O Level Geography: Population and Settlement — Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, in the style and at the standard of the examination. They are not reproduced past-paper questions — examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers available free from your board.

Related: Population and Settlement revision notes

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Section A

1. Define birth rate, death rate, natural increase and population density. [4]

2. Name the stages of the Demographic Transition Model and state the birth and death rates in each. [5]

Section B

3. Explain three reasons for a high birth rate in a low-income country. [6]

4. Explain the problems caused by (a) a rapidly growing young population and (b) an ageing population. [8]

5. Explain the difference between push and pull factors, and give three of each for rural-to-urban migration. [8]

6. Explain three problems caused by rapid urbanisation in a low-income country and one strategy to address each. [9]

Section C — Settlement

7. Distinguish between the site and the situation of a settlement, giving an example factor for each. [4]

8. Explain the meaning of range and threshold population, and explain why a large department store is found in far fewer settlements than a newsagent. [5]

9. Describe the typical land use of the CBD and explain two reasons why land values are highest there. [4]

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Answers

1. Birth rate — the number of live births per 1000 people per year [1]. Death rate — the number of deaths per 1000 people per year [1]. Natural increase — the birth rate minus the death rate, expressed as a percentage [1]. Population density — the average number of people per square kilometre [1].

2. Stage 1 — high birth rate, high fluctuating death rate, so population is stable and low [1]. Stage 2 — high birth rate, rapidly falling death rate, so population grows rapidly [1]. Stage 3 — falling birth rate, low death rate, so growth slows [1]. Stage 4 — low birth rate, low death rate, so population is high and stable [1]. Stage 5 — birth rate falls below the death rate, so population declines [1].

3. Any three, 2 marks each: high infant mortality means parents have more children in the expectation that some will not survive to adulthood [1] [1]; children are an economic asset, working on the land from a young age and providing security for parents in old age where there is no state pension [1] [1]; limited access to contraception and family planning education, particularly in rural areas [1] [1]; religious or cultural traditions that value large families and early marriage [1] [1]; low status and education of women, so women marry earlier and have fewer alternatives to childbearing [1] [1].

4. (a) Young population: a high dependency ratio, since a small working population supports many children through taxation [1] [1]; pressure on schools, healthcare and housing, which the government may be unable to fund [1]; when this cohort reaches working age there may be insufficient jobs, causing unemployment and emigration [1]. (b) Ageing population: a rising cost of pensions and healthcare falling on a shrinking workforce [1] [1]; a shortage of workers, which may require immigration or a higher retirement age [1]; increased demand for care homes and social services, and pressure on families providing informal care [1].

5. Push factors are the negative conditions that drive people away from an area [1]; pull factors are the attractions that draw them to a destination [1]. Push: lack of employment or low agricultural wages [1]; poor services — few schools, clinics or electricity [1]; natural hazards such as drought, flood or crop failure, or land fragmentation and mechanisation reducing the need for labour [1]. Pull: more and better-paid jobs in industry and services [1]; better schools, hospitals and housing [1]; the perception of a better quality of life and modern amenities, often exaggerated by media and by relatives already there [1].

6. Any three, 3 marks each: Squatter settlements — housing supply cannot keep pace, so informal settlements grow with no sanitation or secure tenure [1] [1]; addressed by site-and-service schemes or self-help schemes, where the authority supplies land, water and sewerage and residents build their own homes with low-cost materials and loans [1]. Unemployment and the informal sector — arrivals exceed formal job creation, so many work insecurely as street vendors with no protection [1] [1]; addressed by microfinance and training schemes that raise incomes in the informal sector [1]. Traffic congestion and air pollution — road capacity and public transport lag behind growth, harming health and productivity [1] [1]; addressed by investment in mass transit systems such as bus rapid transit, which moves large numbers cheaply on existing roads [1]. Pressure on water supply and waste disposal — untreated sewage spreads disease [1] [1]; addressed by standpipes, low-cost sanitation and community waste collection [1].

7. Site is the actual land a settlement is built on [1], e.g. a dry point above a floodplain [1]. Situation is its position relative to other places [1], e.g. at the confluence of two rivers or on a major trade route [1].

8. Range is how far people are willing to travel to use a service [1]. Threshold population is the minimum number of people needed to make a service viable [1]. A department store has a high threshold population and a large range — it needs many customers to be profitable, and people will travel further for it, so only large settlements can support one, and few settlements contain one [1] [1]. A newsagent has a low threshold and a small range, so even a small settlement can support one, and there are many of them [1].

9. The CBD is dominated by shops, offices and tall, high-density buildings, with little residential land use [1]. Land values are highest there because it is the most accessible point in the settlement, where transport routes converge, so the greatest number of potential customers can reach it [1]; this high demand for a limited amount of central land pushes up the price competitors are willing to pay for it, which is reflected in tall buildings that maximise the floor space obtained from expensive land [1].

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Where marks are usually lost

• Defining birth rate without “per 1000 per year”.
• Saying the death rate rises in stage 3.
• Confusing push with pull factors.
• Giving urban problems without a realistic strategy.