RAS question
Rajasthan's overall literacy rate (Census 2011) is:
Correct answer: (A) 66.11%.
Rajasthan's overall literacy rate in Census 2011 was 66.11%.
Explanation
Census 2011 records Rajasthan's overall literacy rate at 66.11%, with male literacy at 79.19% and female literacy at 52.12%. The Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26 also gives the 2011 rate as 66.11% and notes that it rose from 60.40% in 2001. Here, "overall" means the combined state rate, not the male, female, or urban literacy rate or the national rate. Therefore, option A matches Rajasthan's overall literacy rate in Census 2011.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) 72.34% is associated with the national average, not Rajasthan's overall literacy rate in Census 2011. The Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26 gives the state's rate as 66.11%.
- (C) 60.41% is associated with the national female literacy rate, not Rajasthan's overall rate. Rajasthan's overall rate was 66.11%, and its female literacy rate was 52.12%.
- (D) 52.66% is not Rajasthan's overall literacy rate in Census 2011; the official state rate was 66.11%.
Concept
The literacy rate reported by the census is a key indicator in the study of Rajasthan's geography and human development. Literacy rates recur in RAS because they help explain the relationship among education, male-female gaps, social progress, district-level planning, and population geography.