Which among of the following States has highest sex-ratio in 2011 ?

Tamil Nadu is the answer. In Census 2011, Tamil Nadu recorded a sex ratio of 996 females per 1000 males, the highest among the four options. Andhra Pradesh stood at 993, Odisha at 979 and Karnataka at 973.

The concept here is the sex ratio, defined as the number of females per 1000 males, a standard indicator from the Census of India. Note that the question asks for the highest among the given options only. Kerala, with 1084, is the highest in the country as a whole, but it is not among the choices.

• Andhra Pradesh (B): close at 993, but still below Tamil Nadu.
• Karnataka (C): 973, one of the lower figures among these states.
• Odisha (D): 979, better than Karnataka but short of Tamil Nadu.

Mains angle: sex ratio links to the child sex ratio (0-6 years), which fell to 919 nationally in Census 2011. This leads to discussion of the PC-PNDT Act, 1994 and the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme launched in 2015.

Trap: candidates pick Kerala by reflex because it is the well-known high sex-ratio state. Always check whether the question restricts the comparison to the given options.