The number of deaths among the army personnel is 8 in 1000, but among the civilian population it is 20 per 1000. Which one of the following inferences can be drawn from this statement ?
- (a) It is better to join the army.
- (b) The relationship is fortuitous.
- (c) Quality of Life Index is very high within the armed forces.
- (d) The groups cannot be compared due to their heterogeneity. ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• The statement gives crude mortality rates: 8 deaths per 1000 army personnel and 20 deaths per 1000 civilians.
• Crude rates do not adjust for age, sex, health status, occupation, or selection criteria.
• Army personnel are a selected group with a different age, sex, and health composition from the civilian population.
• Therefore, the two groups are heterogeneous in the factors that determine mortality.
• Hence, the only valid inference is that the groups cannot be compared directly due to their heterogeneity, which is option (d).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) It is better to join the army.
- A lower crude death rate of 8 per 1000 versus 20 per 1000 does not prove that joining the army is better overall.
- (b) The relationship is fortuitous.
- The statement reports two crude death rates and does not show that the relationship between the groups is fortuitous.
- (c) Quality of Life Index is very high within the armed forces.
- A crude death rate alone cannot establish that the Quality of Life Index is very high within the armed forces.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2014, held on 24 August 2014. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.