World Population & Human Settlements – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2009-I]
Dry point settlements are common in:
(a) Deserts
(b) Plateaus
(c) Mountain regions
(d) Deltas

Answer: (d) Deltas
River deltas are frequently flooded. People settled on slightly elevated dry spots — called dry point settlements — to avoid floods while remaining close to water and fertile farmland. Deserts have no flooding problem — the “dry” in dry point refers to avoiding water, not lacking water.

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Question 2 [NDA 2014-I]
Tuareg is a pastoral nomad living in the desert of:
(a) Kalahari
(b) Sahara
(c) Arabia
(d) Patagonia

Answer: (b) Sahara
The Tuareg are a Berber nomadic people traditionally living in the Sahara Desert of North Africa — particularly in Mali, Niger, and Algeria. They are not found in the Kalahari (southern Africa), Arabia (Arabian Peninsula), or Patagonia (southern South America).

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Question 3 [NDA 2014-II]
At the beginning of the year, the population of a village is 5,000. During the year, 250 children were born. 60 persons died. 30 persons migrated into the village from outside and 15 persons out-migrated. What was the population at the end of the year?
(a) 5,205
(b) 5,195
(c) 5,185
(d) 5,175

Answer: (a) 5,205
5,000 + 250 − 60 + 30 − 15 = 5,205. Population change = Births − Deaths + Immigration − Emigration = 250 − 60 + 30 − 15 = 205. Final population = 5,000 + 205 = 5,205.

Question 4 [NDA 2015-I]
The concept of demographic transition provides a model for:
(a) Analysing government responses to population growth
(b) Explaining global population movement
(c) Analysing spatial variations in distribution
(d) Examining the relationship between economic development and natural population change

Answer: (d) Examining the relationship between economic development and natural population change
The Demographic Transition Model shows how birth rates and death rates change as a country develops economically — moving through four stages from high birth and death rates (pre-industrial) to low birth and death rates (post-industrial). It is specifically about the relationship between economic development and natural population change.

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Question 5 [NDA 2015-I]
Yakuts are the nomadic herders of:
(a) Gobi
(b) Sahara
(c) Tundra
(d) Kalahari

Answer: (c) Tundra
The Yakuts (Sakha people) are an indigenous Siberian people who have traditionally herded reindeer and horses across the tundra and taiga of northeastern Russia — particularly in the Sakha Republic. They live in some of the most extreme cold conditions of any inhabited area on Earth.

Question 6 [NDA 2022-II]
Which of the following statements about population density is/are correct?

1. Physiological density is computed by dividing total population by net cultivable area.
2. Agricultural density is computed by dividing total agricultural population by net cultivable area.
3. Population density is computed by dividing total population by total area.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
All three statements correctly define their respective density measures. Physiological density = total population ÷ arable area. Agricultural density = agricultural population ÷ arable area. Population (arithmetic) density = total population ÷ total area. All three definitions are accurate.

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