Which sector has recorded maximum growth in CO2 emissions during 2005 to 2009 ?
2014
Which sector has recorded maximum growth in CO2 emissions during 2005 to 2009 ?
Answer: D. Agriculture — Concept Growth over a period can be measured in two different ways. Absolute growth is the plain difference, final value minus initial value, and it carries…
- A.
Power
- B.
Industry
- C.
Commercial
- D.
Agriculture
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
Growth over a period can be measured in two different ways. Absolute growth is the plain difference, final value minus initial value, and it carries the same unit as the data. Relative growth, or growth rate, expresses that same difference as a fraction of the starting value: (final - initial) / initial x 100.
The two measures need not agree. A large quantity added on top of a large base can still be a small percentage, while a small quantity added on top of a very small base can be a large percentage. So a growth rate is decided by how big the increase is relative to the base it starts from, not by the size of the increase alone.
Applying it to this table
Read each sector's first and last year from the table: Power 500 to 800, Industry 200 to 450, Commercial 150 to 320, Agriculture 80 to 200 (million metric tons).
Absolute rise = 2009 value - 2005 value. Power: 800 - 500 = 300. Industry: 450 - 200 = 250. Commercial: 320 - 150 = 170. Agriculture: 200 - 80 = 120.
Growth rate = (rise / 2005 value) x 100. Power: (300 / 500) x 100 = 60%. Industry: (250 / 200) x 100 = 125%. Commercial: (170 / 150) x 100 = 113.3% approximately. Agriculture: (120 / 80) x 100 = 150%.
Compare the four growth rates against one another: 150% > 125% > 113.3% > 60%. Each of these is the ratio of a sector’s own rise to its own 2005 base, so this ranking need not match the ranking by absolute rise.
Cross-check and contrast
Sector | 2005 | 2009 | Rise | Growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | 500 | 800 | 300 | 60% |
Industry | 200 | 450 | 250 | 125% |
Commercial | 150 | 320 | 170 | 113.3% |
Agriculture | 80 | 200 | 120 | 150% |
Power adds the largest tonnage, 300 million metric tons, but on a 2005 base of 500, so its growth rate works out to only 60%.
Agriculture adds the smallest tonnage among the four choices, 120 million metric tons, but on a 2005 base of just 80, which is why its growth rate is the largest at 150%.
Domestic (100 to 180, a growth rate of 80%) also appears in the table but is not offered as a choice, and it does not exceed 150% either.
Had the question asked for the largest increase in quantity rather than for growth, the answer would have been Power. The official CBSE key for this paper reads 'maximum growth' as the growth rate and marks Agriculture.
Answer: Agriculture, whose CO2 emissions grew by 150% between 2005 and 2009, the highest growth rate among the sectors offered.