Question

Assertion (A): A person who hears voices talking to him even when no one is present is likely to be suffering from schizophrenia.

Reason (R): Primary delusions are characteristic of schizophrenia.

• A. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A
• B. Both A and R are true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A
• C. A is true but R is false
• D. A is false but R is true

Hint:

Hallucinations and delusions are different symptoms; one does not explain the other.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Check the Assertion.
Hearing voices when no one is actually speaking is an auditory hallucination. Auditory hallucinations, especially voices commenting on the person or talking to each other, are one of the most common and classic symptoms of schizophrenia. So the Assertion is true.

Step 2: Check the Reason.
Primary delusions, fixed false beliefs that arise suddenly without any understandable trigger, are indeed a well recognised feature of schizophrenia. So the Reason is also true taken on its own.

Step 3: See if the Reason explains the Assertion.
The Assertion is about hearing voices, which is a hallucination, a disorder of perception. The Reason talks about primary delusions, which is a disorder of belief, a completely different symptom category. Delusions do not explain why someone hears voices, hallucinations and delusions are separate features that can occur together in schizophrenia but do not cause one another. So the Reason, though true, does not explain the Assertion.

Step 4: Rule out the other codes.
The option where R correctly explains A does not fit, since the two symptoms are unrelated in mechanism. The option that calls A false does not fit, since hallucinated voices are indeed suggestive of schizophrenia. The option that calls R false does not fit, since primary delusions are a real feature of schizophrenia.

Final Answer:
Both statements are true, but the Reason does not explain the Assertion.