Why People Move

Geography · People & Environments · ages 9-12

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Which of these is a pull factor?
- War at home
- Jobs waiting in the city
- No clean water at home
Which of these is a push factor?
- A drought that ruins the crops
- A new job in the city
- A safer neighborhood
A pull factor is something that pushes people away from home.
Circle one: True False
What pulled Amara's family to the city?
- Her uncle's factory job
- The drought that ruined their crops
- Losing their farmland
In Amara's story, what pushed her family to leave their farm?
- Her uncle's factory job
- Wanting to live near her uncle
- Two dry years that ruined their crops
A village loses many young people who move to the city for work. What is one change the village might see?
- The village population grew larger
- Fewer young workers to help with farm work
- New festivals arrived in the village
Divya says migration only happens because of exciting new opportunities pulling people in, never because people are forced to leave. What is wrong with her idea?
- She forgets that pull factors like jobs exist
- Nothing, she is completely right
- She forgets that push factors like drought or conflict can force people to leave
This chart shows a village's population before and after many families moved to the city for work. How many people left the village?
Answer: ______________

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Jobs waiting in the city · A pull factor draws people toward a new place, like jobs waiting for them there.
A drought that ruins the crops · A push factor forces people to leave, like a drought that destroys the crops they depend on.
False · That is backwards. A push factor pushes people away from home; a pull factor pulls them toward somewhere new.
Her uncle's factory job · Her uncle's factory job, and the chance of work for her father, drew the family to the city.
Two dry years that ruined their crops · The drought ruined their crops and left no work nearby, which pushed the family to leave the farm.
Fewer young workers to help with farm work · When young workers leave for the city, the village has fewer hands left to do farm work and other jobs.
She forgets that push factors like drought or conflict can force people to leave · Many people migrate because push factors, like drought, conflict, or scarce work, force them to leave, not only because of exciting pull factors.
45 · 120 people lived there before migration and 75 remained after, so 120 minus 75 equals 45 people who left.