Question

Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A): Thorium is a by-product of the extraction of rare earths from monazite sands. Reason (R): India's Kakrapara-1 reactor is the world's first reactor which uses thorium. In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• 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:

\[ \boxed{ \begin{aligned} \text{Monazite Sands} &\rightarrow \text{Rare Earths + Thorium}, \text{Kakrapar-1} &\rightarrow \text{PHWR (Uranium Fuel)}. \end{aligned} } \] Mnemonic: “Monazite gives Thorium; Kakrapar is not a Thorium reactor.”

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: Monazite sands contain rare earth elements along with thorium. During the extraction of rare earths, thorium is obtained as a by-product. However, Kakrapar-1 is a Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) using uranium fuel, not the world's first thorium reactor.

Step 1: Evaluate Assertion (A). \[ \boxed{\text{Assertion (A) is True}} \]

Step 2: Evaluate Reason (R). Kakrapar-1 does not use thorium as its primary fuel. \[ \boxed{\text{Reason (R) is False}} \] Hence, \[ \boxed{\text{(C)}} \]