Assertion:. Highways in Russia are not as important as railways.

Reasoning: Russia has a huge geographical Area.

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

The correct answer is Option 1: Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and R is the correct explanation of A.

Assertion:. Highways in Russia are not as important as railways. This is true. Railways are the major means of long-distance transport in Russia.

Reasoning: Russia has a huge geographical Area. This is also true. Russia is the largest country in the world by geographical area, spanning vast distances across extreme climates (including significant permafrost and harsh winters).

Does R explains A? Yes. Because of the sheer scale of the country and its challenging terrain, maintaining an extensive network of highways is both logistically difficult and prohibitively expensive. Railways are much more efficient for traversing such massive distances, providing a reliable, year-round, and cost-effective transport solution for goods and passengers across Russia's vast expanse. 

NCERT: "In Russia, a dense highway network is developed in the industrialised region west of the Urals with Moscow as the hub. The important Moscow-Vladivostok Highway serves the region to the east. Due to the vast geographical area, highways in Russia are not as important as railways".