Question

Direction: The passage below is accompanied by a set of questions. Choose the best Answer to each question. Throughout much of recorded human history, China has boasted the largest population in the world – and until recently, by some margin. So news that the Chinese population is now in decline, and will sometime later this year be surpassed by that of India, is big news even if long predicted. This decline in numbers will spur a trend that already concerns demographers in China: a rapidly aging society. By 2040, around a quarter of the Chinese population is predicted to be over the age of 65. In short, this is a seismic shift. It will have huge symbolic and substantive impacts on China in three main areas. This historical turning point in China’s population trend serves as a further wake-up call to move the country’s model more quickly to a post-manufacturing, post-industrial economy – an aging, shrinking population does not fit the purposes of a labour-intensive economic model. As to what it means for China’s economy, and that of the world, population decline and an aging society will certainly provide Beijing with short-term and long-term challenges. In short, it means there will be fewer workers able to feed the economy and spur further economic growth on one side of the ledger; on the other, a growing post-work population will need potentially costly support. It is perhaps no coincidence then that 2022, as well as being a pivotal year for China in terms of demographics, also saw one of the worst economic performances the country has experienced since 1976, according to data released on Jan. 17. How the Chinese government responds to the challenges presented by this dramatic demographic shift will be key. Failure to live up to the expectations of the public in its response could result in a crisis for the Chinese Communist Party, whose legitimacy is tied closely to economic growth. Any economic decline could have severe consequences for the Chinese Communist Party. It will also be judged on how well the state is able to fix its social support system. Indeed, there is already a strong case to be made that the Chinese government has moved too slowly. The onechild policy that played a significant role in the slowing growth, and now decline, in population was a government policy for more than three decades. It has been known since the 1990s that the Chinese fertility rate was too low to sustain current population numbers. Yet it was only in 2016 that Beijing acted and relaxed the policy to allow more couples to have a second, and then in 2021 a third, child. This action to spur population growth, or at least slow its decline, came too late to prevent China from soon losing its crown as the world’s largest nation. Loss of prestige is one thing though, the political impact of any economic downturn resulting from a shrinking population is quite another.
The author claims that, “It is perhaps no coincidence then that 2022, as well as being a pivotal year for China in terms of demographics, also saw one of the worst economic performances the country has experienced since 1976.” Which one of the following statements best expresses the point being made by the author here?

• A. China’s population decline was instrumental in its poor economic performance.
• B. It was in 2022 that China experienced a population decline which is now likely to be permanent.
• C. Economic performance is directly linked to population growth.
• D. China’s poor economic performance is directly connected to its population decline and this is expected to continue.
• E. 2022 was the worst year for the Chinese economy ever due to demographic shifts.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Passage Summary- China’s population decline poses a serious challenge for its government. If economic growth falters due to population decline, the government could be in serious trouble. As of now the government’s response has been too slow.

‘Pivotal year for China in terms of demographics’ means that the population decline is permanent and set to continue. Moreover, the quote connects China’s poor economic performance to its declining population. Option D mentions these two vital points and is the correct answer.

Option A does not mention that China’s poorv economic performance is set to continue.

Option B does not make the connection between China’s population decline and poor economic performance.

Option C is a generic statement that is not borne out by the passage.

Option E does not mention that China’s poor economic performance is likely to continue due to its continuing population decline. Secondly, 2022 was not China’s worst ever economic performance but its worst since 1976.

Hence, the correct Answer is option D.