Question

Two statements are given below. They are Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read both the statements carefully and choose the correct option.

Assertion (A) : The period from 1901 to 1921 is referred to as a period of stagnant growth of India's population.

Reason (R) : During this period, both birth rate and death rate were very high.

• A. Assertion (A) is correct, but Reason (R) is incorrect.
• B. Assertion (A) is incorrect, but Reason (R) is correct.
• C. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
• D. Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).

Hint:

1901-1921 was the stagnant phase because high births were cancelled out by high deaths, so R explains A.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understand the concept:
Population growth in India is divided into phases by the Census. NCERT calls 1901-1921 the period of stagnant or stationary growth.
We check Assertion (A), then Reason (R), then see whether R explains A.

Step 2: Check Assertion (A):
Between 1901 and 1921 the population grew very slowly. The growth rate was even negative in 1911-1921.
So (A) is correct.

Step 3: Check Reason (R):
In this period both birth rate and death rate were very high, and they almost balanced each other.
Poor health services, famines and epidemics such as the 1918-19 influenza kept deaths high. So (R) is correct.

Step 4: Does R explain A?:
High births added people, but high deaths removed nearly as many. The net increase stayed small.
So R is the correct explanation of A.

Step 5: Why the other options are wrong:
Option 1 says R is incorrect. R is correct, so this is wrong.
Option 2 says A is incorrect. A is correct, so this is wrong.
Option 4 says R does not explain A. It does explain A, so this is wrong.

Final Answer:
Both A and R are correct and R is the correct explanation of A. This is option 3.