Population slowdowns
The 20th century was marked by rapid population growth, with the world population nearly quadrupling from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion. However, the 20th century was also shaped by major events that exerted downward pressure on population increases. Which of these events caused the largest population slowdown?
A. World Wars I and II
B. Global influenza epidemic of 1918
C. HIV/AIDS epidemic
D. China’s ‘‘one child’’ policy
D. China's "one child" policy is correct
Concerned about the consequences of its growing population, China in the late 1970s adopted a "one child" policy to limit population growth. This halved China's fertility rate from about 3.3 children per couple to about 1.7 children per couple.
If the 1970s fertility level had remained constant until today, China's population would be 400 million larger than it is today, reaching 1.7 billion (compared with its current population of 1.3 billion).
World War I resulted in about 22 million military and civilian deaths, compared with 40 million to 50 million for World War II. The 1918 influenza epidemic killed about 50 million, and the AIDS epidemic has killed about 25 million.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington- based research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2007 The Globalist, theglobalist.com. 