Economists have Defined Four Stages Societies Pass through Based on Demographics GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

Economists have defined four stages societies pass through based on demographics, economics, agricultural productivity, and technological advancements. The first stage is a traditional society, characterized by low population density and low economic and population growth. In this society, which may be a country or a region, high birthrates match high death rates, while primitive technology contributes to low income and low living standards.

The second stage is a developing stage, occurring when a society' s technological advancements result in sustainable agricultural production and plant and animal domestication. The result is a more plentiful food supply, which helps increase population growth mainly by slowing death rates. When population and food production growth are combined with industrialization and urbanization at this stage, the result is environmental exploitation and degradation present in many developing societies.

Increases in agricultural productivity and production bring economic surpluses that allow growth in capital and per capita income and the third stage, the developed society, is born. Birthrates fall faster than death rates as the roles of women change and developments in birth-control methods allow adults to choose the number of children they desire.

Finally, stage four, the mature society, sees notable technological change evolve beyond agriculture (particularly in medicine and public health), making death rates decline further. While many technological breakthroughs in developing societies come from innovative laypersons, breakthroughs in developed societies tend to require scarce, highly trained, experienced, and costly technicians and scientists. By the time the mature society develops, the most readily accessible raw materials have been exploited. Obsolescence of current technology requires investment in maintenance rather than in new technologies. Increase in productivity of service activities, which grow in importance, becomes more difficult than increases in agricultural and manufacturing productivity. Some developed regions choose to sacrifice some economic growth for equity. Thus, while productivity and income continue to rise, the rate of these increases slows.

Rapid agricultural productivity gains continue in developed societies as investments in education and science made in the development stage produce long-term payoffs and as urbanization and industrialization lead to an exodus of agricultural labor. At the same time, slowing rates of income growth and population growth slow down the growth in demand for food. Food self-sufficiency increases in some countries after falling in the development stage. However, agricultural trade typically grows, as more affluent consumers demand a variety of foods from around the world.

Many developed countries have recently entered or will soon enter the fourth stage--the mature society--the future society of the world' s inhabitants. It is a long-held view that global population growth will more or less stabilize; recent evidence, however presents a strong case for negative global population growth as the seminal attribute of the mature society.

“Economists have Defined Four Stages Societies Pass through Based on Demographics” - is a reading comprehension passage with answers for the GMAT. Candidates must have a strong understanding of English GMAT reading comprehension. This GMAT Reading Comprehension section contains 4 comprehension questions.
The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are intended to assess candidates' abilities to comprehend, analyze, and apply information or concepts. GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions can help candidates actively prepare.

Solution and Explanation

1. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) discuss a plan for investigation of a process
(B) summarize a theory and suggest a revision that overcomes a problem with the theory
(C) describe a course of development
(D) present a mechanism that causes change and development
(E) challenge the validity of a theory by exposing inconsistencies

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the birth rates in a third stage society is

(A) the same as that of a fourth stage society
(B) lower than that of a fourth stage society
(C) the same as that of a second stage society
(D) lower than that of a second stage society
(E) faster than that of second stage society

3. According to the passage, the categorization of societies into four stages outlined in the passage has been created by

(A) industrialists
(B) economists
(C) politicians
(D) the United Nations
(E) sociologists

4. According to recent evidence, negative global population growth is considered

(A) a superfluous attribute of a mature society
(B) a common aspiration of a mature society
(C) the most important determining attribute of the mature society
(D) the most important determining attribute of the developed society
(E) a common myth of a developing society

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