Question

28. Malthus based his idea that land could only grow arithmetically on a. data from the United States b. a thought experiment c. the trend in agricultural prices in the eighteenth century d. nothing at all -- it was just an assumption

Answer 1

Maltus argued that the population will grow geometrically and food will grow arithmetically. He stated that population will increase faster than the food production.

Malthus thought that the power of land to produce is limited and law of diminishing returns operated in the agriculture field which prevent the increase in food production with the same pace of population growth.

Thus, Malthus based his idea that land could only grow arithmetically a thought experiment.

So, the correct answer is an option (b).