Previous Year Question

According to Census 2011, among the four States given in the options, Uttar Pradesh had the largest rural population.

The rural populations of these States were—

• Uttar Pradesh — 155,317,278

• Maharashtra — 61,556,074

• Madhya Pradesh — 52,557,404

• Punjab — 17,344,192

Thus, Uttar Pradesh had a rural population of about 155.3 million, which was more than two and a half times the approximately 61.6 million rural population of Maharashtra, the next highest among the given options.

The question asks about the absolute rural population, not the percentage of a State's total population living in rural areas. Therefore, merely comparing rural population percentages would not answer the question correctly.

In Census 2011, Uttar Pradesh had a total population of 199,812,341, of which 155,317,278, or about 77.7%, lived in rural areas.