What term describes the number of deaths that occur in a population during a given time period?

• A. Death rate
• B. Mortality
• C. Birth rate
• D. Population growth

Answer: (A)

Focus on how fast deaths happen over a specific period. Death rate specifically expresses the number of deaths per unit time in a population, usually standardized per 1,000 individuals per year (or similar units). That time-based, per-period framing is exactly what the question asks for.

Mortality refers to deaths in general, but when you’re talking about the amount occurring during a given time, the rate form is the precise way to describe it. Birth rate covers births per time, not deaths. Population growth describes net change (births minus deaths plus movements) over time, not the tally of deaths by itself.

For example, if 20 individuals die in a population of 1,000 over one year, the death rate is 20 deaths per 1,000 per year.