Final answer:
The crude death rate is the general measure of the number of deaths per year per 1,000 people in a population, without considering specific causes or age groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
To adequately describe the observed number of deaths in a community, various rates can be used depending on the specifics of what is being measured. However, without additional context, the rate that generally describes the number of deaths across the entire population without factoring specific causes or age groups is the crude death rate. This measurement provides the number of deaths per year per 1,000 people in a given population. The other rates mentioned, such as cause-specific mortality rate, age-specific mortality rate, and standardized mortality rate, provide more detailed insights but are tailored to specific causes, age groups, or are adjusted to compare across different populations.