Census 2011 — Set 12

Correct Answer: A. 17.70%

• **17.70%** = India's decadal population growth rate from 2001 to 2011 was 17.70%, the lowest in six decades. • **17.70% growth** — It marked a consistent decline from 21.54% in 1991-2001, indicating falling birth rates. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 19.30%: 19.30% does not correspond to any official decadal census growth rate; 21.54%: 21.54% was the 1991-2001 growth rate, not 2001-2011; 15.50%: India's growth rate had not yet fallen to 15.5% by 2011.

Correct Answer: B. Kerala

• **Kerala** = Kerala has the highest sex ratio among all states with 1,084 females per 1,000 males as per the 2011 Census. • **1,084 females per 1,000 males** — Tamil Nadu ranked second with 996, far below Kerala's figure. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh's sex ratio was 991, slightly below Tamil Nadu and well below Kerala; Andhra Pradesh: Andhra Pradesh's ratio was 993, third among states, below Kerala's 1,084; Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu at 996 was second, not first.

Correct Answer: C. Bihar

• **Bihar** = Bihar is the most densely populated state in India with 1,106 persons per square kilometer as per the 2011 Census. • **1,106 persons per sq km** — West Bengal moved to second with 1,028 after Bihar took the top position. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: West Bengal: West Bengal at 1,028 persons per sq km is second, not first; Kerala: Kerala at 859 per sq km ranks third among densely populated states; Uttar Pradesh: UP's density was 828, well below Bihar's 1,106.

Correct Answer: A. Delhi

• **Delhi** = Delhi has the highest population density among all UTs with 11,320 persons per square kilometer as per 2011 Census. • **11,320 per sq km** — Chandigarh ranked second with 9,258 persons per sq km. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Puducherry: Puducherry's density was 2,598 per sq km, far below Delhi; Chandigarh: Chandigarh at 9,258 was second, not first; Lakshadweep: Lakshadweep's density was 2,013 per sq km, much lower than Delhi.

Correct Answer: D. Maharashtra

• **Maharashtra** = Maharashtra has the largest absolute urban population with over 5.08 crore people living in cities as per 2011 Census. • **~5.08 crore urban population** — Maharashtra's urbanisation (45.2%) is driven by cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: West Bengal: West Bengal's urban population was about 2.90 crore, well below Maharashtra; Uttar Pradesh: UP had a large urban population of about 4.44 crore but below Maharashtra; Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu's urban population was about 3.49 crore, also below Maharashtra.

Correct Answer: C. Serchhip

• **Serchhip** = Serchhip district in Mizoram recorded the highest literacy rate in India at 98.23% in 2011. • **98.23% literacy** — It was followed by Aizawl (Mizoram) and Kottayam (Kerala), all topping 97%. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Aizawl: Aizawl ranked second with about 97.9% literacy, not first; Kottayam: Kottayam had about 97.2% literacy, third in India; Mahe: Mahe is known for its high sex ratio, not for topping literacy ranks.

Correct Answer: A. Mizoram

• **Mizoram** = Mizoram has the highest percentage of Scheduled Tribes at 94.4% of its total population as per the 2011 Census. • **94.4% ST population** — This means nearly all residents of Mizoram belong to Scheduled Tribe communities. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Madhya Pradesh: MP has the largest ST population in absolute numbers (~1.53 crore) but only ~21% share; Meghalaya: Meghalaya's ST percentage was about 86.1%, second highest but below Mizoram; Nagaland: Nagaland's ST share was about 86.5%, also high but below Mizoram.

Correct Answer: C. R.A. Gopalaswami

• **R.A. Gopalaswami** = R.A. Gopalaswami was the first Registrar General and Census Commissioner of independent India, overseeing the 1951 Census. • **1951 Census Commissioner** — He supervised the first census after independence covering a newly reorganised India. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: C. Chandramouli: Chandramouli was the commissioner for the 2011 Census, not the first post-independence one; M.W.M. Yeatts: Yeatts was the Superintendent of Census Operations in British India (1931), not independent India; Ashok Mitra: Ashok Mitra was India's Census Commissioner for the 1971 Census, not the first.

Correct Answer: B. Punjab

• **Punjab** = Punjab has the highest proportion of Scheduled Castes at 31.9% of its total population as per the 2011 Census. • **31.9% SC population** — This is the highest SC share of any Indian state, nearly one-third of Punjab's residents. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: Uttar Pradesh: UP has the largest absolute SC count but only about 20.7% share, far below Punjab; West Bengal: West Bengal's SC share was about 23.5%, lower than Punjab's 31.9%; Himachal Pradesh: HP's SC share was about 25.2%, also below Punjab.

Correct Answer: C. 7 years and above

• **7 years and above** = In India's census, a person aged 7 years and above who can read and write in any language is counted as literate. • **Age 7+ threshold** — Children below 7 are excluded from the literacy denominator regardless of school enrolment. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: 10 years and above: the threshold is 7, not 10; raising it would exclude many young literates; 5 years and above: the threshold is 7, not 5; children aged 5-6 are not counted as literates; 6 years and above: the official Census India threshold is 7, not 6 years.