Q51. The Global Hunger Index measures hunger on a 100-point scale where a score of zero represents:
Measurement of Development: HDI and Related Indices: RAS Prelims MCQs
100 RAS Prelims MCQs on the measurement of development cover the Human Development Index and related indices. The creator of HDI, its three dimensions, the goalposts used in the Education Index, the logarithm applied to income, min-max scaling, India’s category and the Gender Development Index are asked as facts and statements.
Practice questions based on the RPSC RAS Prelims syllabus. They follow the exam pattern but are not past-paper questions.
Showing 51–60 of 100 questions
Q52. Which of the following is NOT one of the four component indicators of the Global Hunger Index?
Explanation
To assess hunger, four specific components are measured: undernourishment in the general population, and three indicators focused on children under five. These child-focused measures are stunting, wasting, and mortality. While maternal health is vital for child outcomes, maternal undernutrition is not one of the four direct indicators used to calculate the composite hunger score in this specific annual global report.
Q53. The Global Hunger Index report is co-published annually by which two organizations?
Explanation
The annual report on global hunger is produced through a joint effort by two prominent non-governmental organizations based in Ireland and Germany. This partnership ensures that hunger is tracked across various nations using a standardized methodology. Their work aims to raise awareness and provide data-driven insights to help the international community achieve the goal of zero hunger by identifying the most affected regions.
Q54. Consider the following statements regarding the Global Hunger Index:
I. It is calculated primarily using data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and UNICEF.
II. Child stunting refers to children who have low weight for their height.
III. Child wasting refers to children who have low height for their age.
IV. Undernourishment measures the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
V. India has consistently ranked in the top 20 countries with the lowest hunger levels.
Which of the above combinations of statements is incorrect?
I. It is calculated primarily using data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and UNICEF.
II. Child stunting refers to children who have low weight for their height.
III. Child wasting refers to children who have low height for their age.
IV. Undernourishment measures the share of the population with insufficient caloric intake.
V. India has consistently ranked in the top 20 countries with the lowest hunger levels.
Which of the above combinations of statements is incorrect?
Explanation
Hunger is measured using data on food supply and child health. Stunting refers specifically to low height for age, reflecting chronic undernutrition, while wasting denotes low weight for height, indicating acute nutritional stress. India has historically faced challenges in these areas and has not been ranked among the top twenty countries with the lowest hunger levels in recent international reports and assessments.
Q55. Match the items in List I with those in List II:
| GHI Indicator | Underlying Condition Measured |
|---|---|
| A. Undernourishment | i. Acute undernutrition (low weight for height) |
| B. Child stunting | ii. Chronic undernutrition (low height for age) |
| C. Child wasting | iii. Inadequate food supply for the general population |
| D. Child mortality | iv. Unhealthy environment and inadequate nutrition causing fatal outcomes Options: |
Explanation
Different indicators in the hunger index measure specific nutritional problems. Undernourishment reflects general food shortages. Among children, stunting indicates long-term or chronic nutritional deficiencies, while wasting shows immediate or acute distress. Child mortality is an indicator of the fatal consequences of poor nutrition combined with an unhealthy environment. Together, these measures provide a comprehensive view of the severity of hunger.
Q56. The Human Poverty Index was initially introduced by the United Nations Development Programme in the Human Development Report of which year?
Explanation
During the late 1990s, a new measure was introduced to focus specifically on the deprivations people face rather than their average achievements. This metric was intended to complement existing human development assessments by highlighting the proportion of the population excluded from progress. It marked a significant step toward understanding the depth and distribution of poverty within both developing and high-income nations.
Q57. Which of the following appropriately distinguishes HPI-1 and HPI-2 developed by the UNDP?
Explanation
This poverty metric was designed in two versions to account for different economic contexts. The first version was tailored for developing countries, focusing on basic survival and literacy. The second version was created for high-income nations, adding a dimension for social exclusion, such as long-term unemployment. This distinction allowed for a more meaningful assessment of poverty relative to a country’s level of economic development.
Q58. Read the following statements carefully:
Statement I: The Human Poverty Index measured deprivations in the same three dimensions as the Human Development Index.
Statement II: The Human Poverty Index was ultimately discontinued and replaced by the Multidimensional Poverty Index.
Which of the following is correct?
Statement I: The Human Poverty Index measured deprivations in the same three dimensions as the Human Development Index.
Statement II: The Human Poverty Index was ultimately discontinued and replaced by the Multidimensional Poverty Index.
Which of the following is correct?
Explanation
The older poverty metric focused on the same core dimensions of health, education, and standard of living as the standard human development index. It measured the lack of progress in these areas rather than average gains. Eventually, it was discontinued and replaced by a more sophisticated household-level measure that could identify the specific individuals suffering from multiple overlapping deprivations simultaneously.
Q59. Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as
Reason (R).
Assertion (A): The Human Poverty Index was largely replaced by the Multidimensional Poverty Index globally.
Reason (R): The Human Poverty Index used macro-level averages and could not identify which specific individuals or households were experiencing multiple overlapping deprivations.
Reason (R).
Assertion (A): The Human Poverty Index was largely replaced by the Multidimensional Poverty Index globally.
Reason (R): The Human Poverty Index used macro-level averages and could not identify which specific individuals or households were experiencing multiple overlapping deprivations.
Explanation
The transition to a newer poverty measure occurred because the older version relied on national-level averages. These averages could not show if the same individual was suffering from several different problems at once, such as being both uneducated and malnourished. The newer multidimensional approach solves this by using household data to identify exactly how many people face multiple simultaneous deprivations.
Q60. Choose the correct chronological sequence representing the evolution of poverty measurement approaches adopted by the United Nations Development Programme:
Explanation
The evolution of measuring human progress began with a broad index in 1990. Seven years later, a specific measure focusing on deprivations was introduced to better understand the poor. Finally, in 2010, the international community shifted to a multidimensional approach that identifies overlapping hardships at the household level. This chronological progression reflects an increasing sophistication in how global development and poverty are understood.Answer key for these questions
| Q | Correct answer |
|---|---|
| 51 | (c) No hunger |
| 52 | (d) Maternal undernutrition |
| 53 | (c) Concern Worldwide and Welthungerhilfe |
| 54 | (b) II, III and V |
| 55 | (a) A-iii, B-ii, C-i, D-iv |
| 56 | (b) 1997 |
| 57 | (c) For developing and high-income OECD nations |
| 58 | (a) Both Statement I and Statement II are correct |
| 59 | (a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A. |
| 60 | (b) Human Development Index, Human Poverty Index, Multidimensional Poverty Index |
Key facts from Measurement of Development: HDI and Related Indices
- Mahbub ul Haq is credited with creating the Human Development Index.
- The three dimensions of HDI are health, education and standard of living.
- Income is transformed by a logarithm to account for diminishing marginal utility of income.
- The maximum goalposts in the Education Index are 18 years for expected years of schooling and 15 years for mean years of schooling.
- HDI values are normalised by min-max scaling; India falls in the Medium Human Development category.
- The Gender Development Index is the ratio of the female HDI to the male HDI; Sri Lanka has consistently been placed higher than India among its neighbours.
Frequently asked questions
How many RAS Prelims practice MCQs are there on Measurement of Development: HDI and Related Indices?
This page has 100 practice MCQs on Measurement of Development: HDI and Related Indices (Indian Economy). Each has the correct answer, and most have an explanation.
Who created the Human Development Index?
The economist Mahbub ul Haq, who developed it with Amartya Sen’s ideas for the UNDP’s first Human Development Report in 1990. It measures achievement in health, education and standard of living, not income alone.
Why is income transformed using a logarithm in HDI?
To account for diminishing marginal utility of income. Each additional rupee adds less to human well-being at higher incomes, so the index counts a rise in income at low levels as more important than the same rise at high levels.
What does the Gender Development Index measure?
It measures gender gaps in human development achievements by taking the ratio of the female HDI to the male HDI. A value of 1 means that women and men have equal achievement.