Which statement describes Stage 1 of the demographic transition?

• A. Stage 2: high birth, falling death
• B. Stage 3: falling birth, low death
• C. Stage 1: high birth and death
• D. Stage 4: low birth and death

Answer: (C)

Stage 1 shows societies with both high birth rates and high death rates. In pre-industrial conditions, families tend to have many children to help with labor and to ensure some survive to adulthood, but widespread disease, poor sanitation, and limited medical care keep death rates high. Because births and deaths are both high, population growth is slow and fluctuates rather than rising rapidly.

So the statement that Stage 1 involves high birth and high death best matches this pattern. Descriptions of later stages reflect changes like falling death rates with still-high births (Stage 2), then falling birth rates as death rates stay low (Stage 3), and finally both birth and death rates low with stabilized population (Stage 4).