Question

20.
please read the passage and answer the questions that follow.
how populations change in size
over time, the growth rates of populations change because birth rates and death rates increase or decrease. growth rates can be positive, negative, or zero. for a population’s growth rate to be zero, the average number of births must equal the average number of deaths. a population would remain the same size if each pair of adults produced exactly two offspring, and each of those offspring survived to reproduce. if the adults in a population are not replaced by new births, the growth rate will be negative and the population will shrink.

which of these occurs when the average number of deaths is greater than the average number of births?
○ positive growth rate
a
negative growth rate
zero growth rate
exponential growth rate
○ b
○ c
○ d

Explanation:

The passage states that when adults are not replaced by new births (deaths exceed births), the growth rate is negative and the population shrinks. This matches the scenario where average deaths are greater than average births.

Answer:

B. negative growth rate