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

Assertion: In pre-British times, the taluqdars were oppressors but many of them also appeared to be generous father figures

Reason: The taluqdars exacted a variety of dues from the peasants and were cruel and inconsiderate in times of need.

The Assertion is correct but the Reason is incorrect.

The correct answer is Option 4 - The Assertion is correct but the Reason is incorrect.

Assertion: In pre-British times, the taluqdars were oppressors but many of them also appeared to be generous father figures. (Correct)

Reason: The taluqdars exacted a variety of dues from the peasants and were cruel and inconsiderate in times of need. (Incorrect)

The dispossession of taluqdars meant the breakdown of an entire social order. The ties of loyalty and patronage that had bound the peasant to the taluqdar were disrupted. In pre-British times, the taluqdars were oppressors but many of them also appeared to be generous father figures: they exacted a variety of dues from the peasant but were often considerate in times of need. Now, under the British, the peasant was directly exposed to overassessment of revenue and inflexible methods of collection. There was no longer any guarantee that in times of hardship or crop failure the revenue demand of the state would be reduced or collection postponed; or that in times of festivities the peasant would get the loan and support that the taluqdar had earlier provided.