2004 · Q50
50. Consider the following statements with reference to the Census 2001 of India :
- 1For the first time, the country has witnessed a faster growth in female literacy compared to that of males during the decade 1991–2001.
- 2During the decade 1991–2001, the rural-urban literacy gap continued to diverge.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
General StudiesDemographics
- A1 only
- B2 only
- CBoth 1 and 2
- DNeither 1 nor 2
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: between 1991 and 2001 female literacy rose from 39.3% to 54.2% (up 14.9 percentage points), outpacing male literacy growth (64.1% to 75.3%, up 11.2 points) — the first decade this happened. Statement 2 is incorrect: the rural–urban literacy gap narrowed from about 28.3 to 21.2 percentage points; it did not continue to diverge. Hence 1 only.