Malthus argued that the population grows in a _______ progression, while agricultural production/food supply grows in a ______ progression. From the following options,choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks:Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A

   Linear, Exponential

   Option (a) claims population grows linearly and food supply exponentially. This reverses the core premise of Malthusian theory regarding resource limits.

2. B

   Exponential, Linear

   Option (b) claims population grows exponentially and food supply linearly, but misorders the terms as presented in the standard academic phrasing of the blanks.

3. C

   Arithmetic, Geometric

   Option (c) claims population grows in arithmetic progression and food supply in geometric progression, which inverts the actual sequence postulated by Thomas Malthus.

4. D

   Geometric, Arithmetic

   Option (d) correctly states that Thomas Malthus argued population grows in a geometric progression while agricultural production and food supply grow in an arithmetic progression. This precise formulation forms the foundation of his 1798 Essay on the Principle of Population, explaining the inevitable imbalance between human numbers and subsistence, making this option the definitive official key for the question.

Summary. Official key is (d) geometric, arithmetic. Thomas Malthus published his influential Essay on the Principle of Population in 1798, establishing the classical economic model of resource scarcity. He postulated that human population tends to increase at a geometric rate, doubling successively. Conversely, he argued that food production and agricultural output can only expand at a slower arithmetic rate due to diminishing returns on land. Students frequently confuse the two progressions, but the exponential or geometric expansion of people always outstrips the linear or arithmetic addition of sustenance in his framework.