If the crude death rate surpasses the crude birth rate, the population of an area will ________.

• A. Increase.
• B. Stay the same.
• C. Decline.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the definitions: The crude birth rate (CBR) is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population per year, and the crude death rate (CDR) is the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population per year.
2. Recognize that population change depends on the difference between births and deaths. If more people are born than die, the population increases; if more people die than are born, the population decreases.
3. Analyze the scenario where the crude death rate surpasses the crude birth rate, meaning deaths per 1,000 people are higher than births per 1,000 people.
4. Conclude that when the crude death rate is higher than the crude birth rate, the number of deaths exceeds the number of births, leading to a natural decrease in population size.
5. Therefore, the population of the area will decline because the loss of people through death is not compensated by new births.