Q20. In India, the first census was held in which year?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 13 December 2022, Shift 3]
(A) 1872
(B) 1860
(C) 1900
(D) 1920
Answer: (A) 1872
Explanation: The first all-India census attempt took place in 1872, although enumeration was not conducted simultaneously throughout the country. The first complete synchronous census followed in 1881, establishing the regular ten-year sequence used in subsequent Indian population counts.
Q19. Which state government decided to conduct a caste-based census known as the “Jaati Aadharit Ganana”?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 12 December 2022, Shift 1]
(A) Madhya Pradesh
(B) Rajasthan
(C) Tripura
(D) Bihar
Answer: (D) Bihar
Explanation: Bihar announced the Jaati Aadharit Ganana exercise to enumerate the social and economic profile of caste groups in the state. It was a state-level undertaking rather than the regular all-India decennial population census supervised by the Union government.
Q18. The official enumeration of population conducted periodically is called what?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 7 December 2022, Shift 4]
(A) Census
(B) Demographic count
(C) Estimation
(D) Record
Answer: (A) Census
Explanation: A census is an organised official count of a country’s population and its demographic characteristics. Indian censuses gather information about age, sex, literacy, residence and occupation, providing a statistical basis for government planning and resource allocation.
Q17. According to Census 2011, which was the least populous Indian state?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 2 December 2022, Shift 4]
(A) Nagaland
(B) Sikkim
(C) Arunachal Pradesh
(D) Goa
Answer: (B) Sikkim
Explanation: Sikkim was India’s least populous state in 2011, with about 6.1 lakh residents. It must not be confused with the least populated Union Territory, Lakshadweep, because census comparisons distinguish states from Union Territories.
Q16. In which year was the first complete census of India conducted?
[SSC CGL Tier-I, 1 December 2022, Shift 3]
(A) 1881
(B) 1872
(C) 1900
(D) 1860
Answer: (A) 1881
Explanation: The 1881 enumeration is considered India’s first complete and synchronous census. An earlier exercise took place in 1872 but was spread over different times in different regions, so it is distinguished from the regular modern census series.
Q15. According to Census 2011, what was the sex ratio in Daman and Diu?
[RRB NTPC CBT-II Level 3, 17 June 2022, Shift 1]
(A) 748 females per 1,000 males
(B) 696 females per 1,000 males
(C) 723 females per 1,000 males
(D) 618 females per 1,000 males
Answer: (D) 618 females per 1,000 males
Explanation: The former Union Territory of Daman and Diu recorded only 618 females per 1,000 males in 2011. Significant male-dominated labour migration was associated with the imbalance. This figure relates to the pre-merger territory, not its later administrative configuration.
Q14. What was Kerala’s sex ratio according to Census 2011?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 4 March 2021, Shift 2]
(A) 1,084
(B) 1,058
(C) 963
(D) 943
Answer: (A) 1,084
Explanation: Kerala recorded 1,084 females for every 1,000 males in Census 2011, the highest overall sex ratio among Indian states. The figure of 943 represents the national overall ratio and should not be substituted for Kerala’s state value.
Q13. What was India’s overall sex ratio according to Census 2011?
[RRB NTPC CBT-I, 4 January 2021, Shift 2]
(A) 930
(B) 960
(C) 943
(D) 925
Answer: (C) 943
Explanation: India’s final 2011 sex ratio was 943 females per thousand males, compared with 933 in 2001. The provisional 2011 result was frequently reported as 940, which explains why both values sometimes appear in older study materials.
Q12. The last completed Indian population census was held in which year?
[WBCS Preliminary Examination, 2020]
(A) 1991
(B) 2001
(C) 2011
(D) 2019
Answer: (C) 2011
Explanation: The last completed national decennial enumeration available to the 2020 examination was Census 2011. Census records provide an official snapshot of population size, household conditions and socio-economic characteristics; later population estimates do not themselves constitute a census.
Q11. What is meant by a demographic dividend?
[WBCS Preliminary Examination, 2019]
(A) Increase in the population aged 0–5 years
(B) Increase in the population aged 6–15 years
(C) Increase in the population aged 16–64 years
(D) Increase in the population aged above 65 years
Answer: (C) Increase in the population aged 16–64 years
Explanation: A demographic dividend is the potential economic advantage arising when the working-age share of a population rises relative to dependants. The exam expresses that working-age group as 16–64 years, highlighting the importance of employment and productive participation.
