Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R). Assertion (A) : Selecting the right man for the right job at the right pay is the right approach. Reason (R) : A wrongly selected man is a liability. In the above context, which one of the following is correct?

Correct — option (2), Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct explanation of ‘A’.

Check three things in order: is A true, is R true, and does R explain why A holds?

Assertion (A): selecting the right man for the right job at the right pay is the right approach. It states a principle of selection: match the person to the job and pay him fittingly for it. A is true.

Reason (R): a wrongly selected man is a liability. A person placed in a job he does not fit costs the organisation instead of adding to it. R is true.

Does R explain A? Ask "why is right selection the right approach?" R answers: because a wrongly selected man is a liability. The reason given is the cost of the opposite choice, so R explains A.

So the answer is Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct explanation of ‘A’.

The idea to remember: R explains A when it answers "why is A so?", and the cost of doing the opposite can be that answer.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  ‘A’ is true but ‘R’ is false — Option (1) calls R false. But a wrongly selected man is a liability: a person who does not fit the job costs the organisation instead of adding to it.

  With R true, the choice is between the two "both true" options, and R does give the reason behind A.

• (3)
  ‘A’ is false but ‘R’ is true — Option (3) accepts R but calls A false. Yet R itself supports A: if a wrong selection is a liability, then selecting the right man for the right job is the right approach.

  A true R that points towards A cannot sit with a false A here.

• (4)
  Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true but ‘R’ is not correct explanation of ‘A’ — Option (4) accepts both statements but denies the link. R gives the reason behind A: the right man is to be selected because a wrongly selected one is a liability.

  This option fits a pair of true statements on unconnected points. Here R speaks to the very selection that A is about.

An assertion–reason item pairs two statements. Assertion (A) makes a claim, and Reason (R) is offered as its explanation.

The check runs in three steps. First, is A true? Second, is R true? Third, if both are true, does R answer the question "why is A so?"

A true R can fail the third step when it is related to A's subject but does not give the reason for A.

The four choices here follow from these steps: A true and R false; both true with R explaining A; A false and R true; both true with R not explaining A.

Key facts

• In an assertion–reason item, check whether A is true, whether R is true, and whether R answers "why is A so?"
• A true R that does not give the reason for A leads to "both true, but R is not the correct explanation".
• Here R, a wrongly selected man is a liability, gives the reason why right selection is the right approach.
• Article 320(1): Union and State Public Service Commissions conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the State.
• Article 320(3)(b): a Public Service Commission is consulted on, among other matters, the suitability of candidates for appointments, promotions and transfers.

Common traps

• Stopping once both statements are true. The third check, whether R answers "why A?", decides between options (2) and (4).
• Calling a normative assertion false because it sounds like advice. A principle such as "the right man for the right job" can be judged true as a principle.
• Expecting R to repeat every part of A. R speaks to selection and not separately to pay, yet it still gives the reason A's approach is right.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2016 and 2013 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Assertion (A) : A seat belt reduces injuries to a passenger when a car stops suddenly. Reason (R) : A seat belt holds the passenger's body back from being thrown forward. In the above context, which one of the following is correct?

  • (a)‘A’ is true but ‘R’ is false
  • (b)Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct explanation of ‘A’
  • (c)‘A’ is false but ‘R’ is true
  • (d)Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true but ‘R’ is not correct explanation of ‘A’
  Answer(2) — Both statements are true, and R answers why a seat belt reduces injuries: it stops the body from being thrown forward. Option (1) denies R, option (3) denies A, and option (4) denies the link that R supplies.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Assertion (A) : Iron objects left in moist air rust. Reason (R) : Iron is a metal. In the above context, which one of the following is correct?

  • (a)‘A’ is true but ‘R’ is false
  • (b)Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true and ‘R’ is the correct explanation of ‘A’
  • (c)‘A’ is false but ‘R’ is true
  • (d)Both ‘A’ and ‘R’ are true but ‘R’ is not correct explanation of ‘A’
  Answer(4) — Both statements are true, but being a metal does not explain rusting; iron rusts because it reacts with oxygen in the presence of water. Option (1) denies a true R, option (3) denies a true A, and option (2) treats R as the reason.