Which one of the following is known as acceleration stage in the urbanization curve ?
- (a)First stage
- (b)Second stage
- (c)Third stage
- (d)Fourth stage
Correct — B, Second stage. The urbanization curve (Ray M. Northam's classic S-shaped or logistic curve) divides the growth of a country's urban population share into three stages. The FIRST stage — the initial stage — is a long period of low urbanization (typically below about 25% urban) in a mainly rural, agrarian society. The SECOND stage — the ACCELERATION stage — is the steep, rapidly rising middle segment (roughly 25% to 70% urban), when industrialisation and rural-to-urban migration drive urban population up quickly. The THIRD stage — the terminal stage — is where the curve flattens at a high level (above about 70%), and urban growth slows. Because the acceleration stage is the rapid middle segment, it corresponds to the SECOND stage, so option (b) is correct.
- (a)First stage — Wrong — the first (initial) stage is the slow, low-urbanization phase of a predominantly rural society, not the phase of rapid acceleration.
- (c)Third stage — Wrong — the third (terminal) stage is where the curve flattens at a high urbanization level and growth decelerates; it is the opposite of acceleration.
- (d)Fourth stage — Wrong — the standard urbanization curve has only three stages (initial, acceleration, terminal); there is no fourth stage.
The urbanization curve describes how the proportion of a country's population living in urban areas changes over time. Geographer Ray M. Northam modelled it as an attenuated S-shaped (logistic) curve with three stages: (1) the initial stage — low, slowly rising urban share in an agrarian economy; (2) the acceleration stage — a rapid, steep rise as industry and services pull people into cities; and (3) the terminal stage — a high, slowly-rising or plateauing urban share in a mature, highly urbanised economy.
The key is to visualise the S-curve: a flat bottom, a steep rising middle, and a flat top. 'Acceleration' names the steep middle segment, which is the second of the three stages. Developing countries such as India are generally placed in this acceleration phase, where urban population grows fastest. Recognising the three-stage structure also kills option (d) outright, since there is no fourth stage.
- The urbanization curve (Northam) is an S-shaped/logistic curve with THREE stages.
- Stage 1 (initial): low urban share (~below 25%), agrarian society, slow growth.
- Stage 2 (acceleration): rapid rise (~25% to 70% urban) driven by industrialisation and migration.
- Stage 3 (terminal): high urban share (~above 70%), growth flattens; only three stages exist.
- Stage 1 — Initial: low urban %, slow rise (agrarian)
- Stage 2 — ACCELERATION: rapid rise (~25%→70%) — ANSWER
- Stage 3 — Terminal: high urban %, curve flattens
The steep middle segment is the acceleration stage → the second stage → option (b).
- Choosing 'Fourth stage' — the standard curve has only three stages
- Mixing up the acceleration (steep middle) stage with the terminal (flattening) stage
UPPSC tests settlement geography through the urbanization curve — remember it is an S-curve with initial, acceleration (middle/rapid) and terminal stages.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
In Northam's urbanization curve, the stage at which the urban population share rises most rapidly is the
- (a)Initial stage
- (b)Acceleration stage
- (c)Terminal stage
- (d)Stationary stage
Answer(b) Acceleration stage — the steep middle segment of the S-curve where urbanization increases fastest.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The urbanization curve proposed by Ray Northam is best described as
- (a)a straight upward line
- (b)an attenuated S-shaped (logistic) curve with three stages
- (c)a U-shaped curve
- (d)a bell-shaped curve
Answer(b) an attenuated S-shaped (logistic) curve with three stages — initial, acceleration and terminal.