The reason that the increase in population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries did not lead to famine as Thomas Malthus predicted was because

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Let’s break down what the question is asking: why the classic Malthusian prediction of inevitable famine due to population growth did not come to pass in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Option 1: 'there was diminishing marginal product of labor' This statement describes a situation where adding more labor yields progressively smaller increases in output, which by itself would not explain why famines were avoided. In fact, diminishing marginal product of labor is more of a general characteristic of some production functions, not a direct mechanism that prevented famine through higher productivity or resource availability. So this option does not capture the key reason.
Option 2: 'increases in technology, physical capital, and human capital raised labor productivity' This option points to a trio of structural advances: better technology (e.g., agricultural innovations), more physical capital (machinery, infrastructure), and better human capital (education, health). Together, these raised output per worker and the efficiency of resource use, offsetting population pressures predicted by Malthus. This aligns with the standard explanation that productivity growth outpaced population growth.
Option 3: 'people learned to eat less' This is not an accurate or widely accepted mechanism for averting famine at the societal level in the historical context. Food intake per person did not systematically decline as a primary mechanism; rather, agricultural and economic improvements increased supply and resilience. Therefore, this is incorrect.
Option 4: 'wars kept the population in check' While conflicts have affected populations, they are not the central cause for the long-run growth of output and food availability that offset Malthus’s prediction. Wars typically destroy capital and disrupt production, making this explanation inadequate as the primary reason for the absence of famine due to population growth.
Option 5: 'worldwide population didn't actually grow' This is factually false for the period in question; world population did grow substantially, which is precisely why Malthus’s concerns were raised. The statement contradicts historical data, so it cannot be the correct reasoning.
In summary, the most plausible explanation among the choices is the acceleration of output per worker driven by technological progress, accumulation of capital, and improvements in education and health, all contributing to higher labor productivity and preventing famine in the face of rising populations. The remaining options either misstate economic relationships, rely on historically unsupported claims, or mischaracterize the drivers of growth.

The reason that the increase in population growth in the 19th and 20th centuries did not lead to famine as Thomas Malthus predicted was because单项选择题

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