Given below are two statements, one is labelled asAssertion (A) :and the other as Reason (R).Assertion (A):Red soil denotes the second largest soil group of India.Reason (R):Red soil surrounds the black soil in the south, east and north directions.Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

1. A

   Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

   Option (a) claims that both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and that (R) correctly explains (A). While both statements are factually correct, the geographical encirclement of black soil by red soil does not explain why red soil constitutes the second largest soil group in India.

2. B

   (A) is false, but (R) is true.

   Option (b) claims that Assertion (A) is false and Reason (R) is true. This is incorrect because red soil indeed covers the second largest area among Indian soil groups, making the assertion a true statement.

3. C

   Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

   Option (c) claims that both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A). Red soil covers about 18.5 percent of India's total geographical area, making it the second largest soil group after alluvial soil. Furthermore, red soil does surround the black soil tracts in the southern, eastern, and northern directions due to weathering of ancient crystalline rocks. However, the spatial distribution and surrounding pattern of these soils do not constitute the causal reason for red soil being the second largest soil group in the country.

4. D

   (A) is true, but (R) is false.

   Option (d) claims that Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false. This is incorrect because the geographical distribution describing red soil surrounding black soil in the south, east, and north is also factually correct.

Summary. Official key is (c) because both the assertion and reason are independently true statements about Indian soils. Red soil is indeed the second largest soil group in the country after alluvial soil, covering vast tracts of the Deccan plateau. The reason correctly describes the spatial distribution of red soil surrounding the black soil region in the southern, eastern, and northern directions. However, this topographical encirclement does not serve as the scientific explanation for why red soil occupies the second largest area in India. Thus, both statements are verified facts, but the second does not explain the first.