In the given question, a statement of Assertion is followed by a statement of Reason. Mark the correct answer. 

Assertion: Marriages in many rural communities required the payment of the bride's price rather than the dowry to the bride’s family in medieval India.

Reason: Owing to malnutrition, frequent pregnancies, and death during childbirth, there was a shortage of wives. 

Both the Assertion and the Reason are correct and the Reason is the correct explanation of the Assertion.

High mortality rates among women – owing to malnutrition, frequent pregnancies, and death during childbirth – often meant a shortage of wives. This led to the emergence of social customs in peasant and artisan communities that were distinct from those prevalent among elite groups. Marriages in many rural communities required the payment of bride-price rather than dowry to the bride’s family.