Write in descending order the following States on the basis of their population as per Census, 2011 : 1. Bihar 2. Andhra Pradesh 3. Uttar Pradesh 4. West Bengal Choose the correct answer with the help of the following codes :
- (a)3, 4, 1, 2
- (b)1, 3, 2, 4
- (c)1, 3, 4, 2
- (d)3, 1, 4, 2
Correct — D, 3, 1, 4, 2. On the Census 2011 counts the four states fall in this order: Uttar Pradesh (3) 19,98,12,341 — the most populous state in India; Bihar (1) 10,40,99,452 — third in the country after Maharashtra; West Bengal (4) 9,12,76,115 — fourth; and Andhra Pradesh (2) 8,45,80,777 as enumerated in 2011, i.e. before the 2014 bifurcation. Descending order is therefore Uttar Pradesh → Bihar → West Bengal → Andhra Pradesh = 3, 1, 4, 2.
- (a)3, 4, 1, 2 — The most tempting error — it starts correctly with Uttar Pradesh but then places West Bengal (9.13 crore) above Bihar (10.41 crore). Bihar overtook West Bengal to become India's third most populous state; West Bengal is fourth.
- (b)1, 3, 2, 4 — Puts Bihar ahead of Uttar Pradesh, which is impossible — UP's 19.98 crore is nearly double Bihar's 10.41 crore. It also places Andhra Pradesh above West Bengal.
- (c)1, 3, 4, 2 — Gets the last two right but again opens with Bihar instead of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in the country by population.
Census 2011 was the 15th census of India and the seventh since Independence, counting a population of about 121 crore. The five most populous states were Uttar Pradesh (19.98 crore), Maharashtra (11.24 crore), Bihar (10.41 crore), West Bengal (9.13 crore) and Madhya Pradesh (7.26 crore). Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for roughly one-sixth of the country's people, which is why it sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha. Bihar recorded the highest population density of any state, about 1,106 persons per sq km.
Only two facts actually decide this question. UP is first — that fixes the head and kills options (b) and (c) at once. Then it is Bihar versus West Bengal, and Bihar is comfortably ahead by about 1.3 crore, which kills option (a). Andhra Pradesh is safely last on either reading of the 2011 figure: as enumerated it was 8.46 crore (undivided), and after the 2014 bifurcation the residual state has roughly 4.96 crore with Telangana at about 3.50 crore — smaller than West Bengal either way. Note that the question deliberately omits Maharashtra, which would otherwise sit second.
- Census 2011 populations: Uttar Pradesh 19,98,12,341; Bihar 10,40,99,452; West Bengal 9,12,76,115; Andhra Pradesh (undivided) 8,45,80,777
- All-India ranking in 2011: Uttar Pradesh 1st, Maharashtra 2nd, Bihar 3rd, West Bengal 4th, Madhya Pradesh 5th
- Andhra Pradesh was enumerated undivided in 2011; the 2014 bifurcation split it into residual Andhra Pradesh (~4.96 crore) and Telangana (~3.50 crore)
- Bihar had the highest population density among states in 2011 at about 1,106 persons per sq km, while Uttar Pradesh had the largest absolute population
Descending order among the four = 3, 1, 4, 2 = option (d). The highlighted pair is the discriminator: Bihar is third in India and West Bengal fourth, not the other way round.
- Placing West Bengal above Bihar — Bihar is India's third most populous state, West Bengal fourth
- Using post-2014 residual Andhra Pradesh figures when the question says 'as per Census, 2011', where AP was enumerated undivided
- Forgetting that Maharashtra sits second nationally and is simply absent from this list, which can make the ordering look wrong
UPPSC asks population questions as rank-and-order drills tied to a named census year — 'most populous state', 'lowest density', 'arrange in descending order' — while UPSC prefers the analytical side (density, sex ratio, growth-rate comparisons) or ordering countries rather than states.
Consider the following countries: 1. Brazil 2. Indonesia 3. Japan 4. Russia What is the descending order of the size of the following countries population wise?
- (a) 1, 2, 4, 3
- (b) 2, 3, 1, 4
- (c) 2, 1, 4, 3
- (d) 2, 4, 1, 3
Answer(c) 2, 1, 4, 3
Identical skill in a different frame — rank four named units in descending order of population, where the whole question turns on remembering two adjacent ranks correctly.
As per the Census, 2011 estimates, which one of the following is the most populous State in India ?
- (a) Bihar
- (b) Madhya Pradesh
- (c) Maharashtra
- (d) Uttar Pradesh
Answer(d) Uttar Pradesh
The same Census 2011 state-ranking fact, asked three years earlier in its simplest form: Uttar Pradesh is first, which is exactly the anchor that fixes the head of the 2024 sequence.
- practice — not a real PYQ
As per Census 2011, which State of India recorded the highest density of population ?
- (a)West Bengal
- (b)Bihar
- (c)Kerala
- (d)Uttar Pradesh
Answer(b) Bihar — about 1,106 persons per sq km, the highest of any State in Census 2011 (West Bengal is next).
- practice — not a real PYQ
As per Census 2011, which State ranked second in India by total population ?
- (a)Bihar
- (b)West Bengal
- (c)Maharashtra
- (d)Madhya Pradesh
Answer(c) Maharashtra — 11.24 crore, behind Uttar Pradesh (19.98 crore) and ahead of Bihar (10.41 crore).