Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched? Decade A) 1971-81 B) 1981-91 C) 1991-2001 D) 2001-2011 Decadial growth rate of population (in percent) 1) 24.66 2) 23.87 3) 21.54 4) 19.05

The correct answer is D. The 2001-2011 decade is mismatched with 19.05 per cent. The Census of India 2011 recorded a decadal growth rate of 17.64 per cent for 2001-2011, so the figure given in option 4 is wrong.

The other three pairs are correct:

• A) 1971-81 with 24.66 per cent: correct, as recorded in the 1981 Census.
• B) 1981-91 with 23.87 per cent: correct, as recorded in the 1991 Census.
• C) 1991-2001 with 21.54 per cent: correct, as recorded in the 2001 Census.

The core concept is the decadal growth rate from the Census of India, which tracks the demographic transition. The fall from 21.54 to 17.64 is a sharp drop in a single decade, driven by falling fertility. That is the basis for the Mains discussion on demographic dividend and stabilising population. NFHS-5 puts the total fertility rate at about 2.0, just below replacement level.

Trap: aspirants often pick 19.05 as a plausible intermediate value and assume it belongs to 2001-11. Memorise the 2001 and 2011 census figures directly rather than estimating.