Assertion: Climate along with terrain and availability of water largely determines the pattern of the population distribution.
Reasoning: The North Indian Plains, deltas and Coastal Plains have higher proportion of population than the interior districts of southern and central Indian States, Himalayas, some of the north eastern and the western states.

Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and but R is not the correct explanation of A.

The correct answer is Option 2: Both Assertion (A) and reasoning (R) are correct and but R is not the correct explanation of A.

• The Assertion is correct because climate, terrain, and availability of water do play a major role in deciding where people live. People prefer to settle in areas that are flat, have good climate, and access to water.

• The Reason is also correct. It gives real examples – like the North Indian Plains, deltas, and coastal plains – where population is dense, and contrasts them with less populated areas like Himalayas, North-Eastern states, and interior central and southern regions.

Does Reason (R) explain why A is true?

• R gives examples of population distribution.

• But it does not directly explain how climate, terrain, and water cause that pattern.

• It just states the pattern, not the cause.

• The correct reasoning would be - People prefer to live in regions that have moderate climate, flat and fertile land, and easy access to water for agriculture, drinking, and other needs.