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

Assertion: In the nineteenth century the principles of rural egalitarianism were seen in the villages by British officials.

Reason: British officials in the nineteenth century saw the village as a “little republic” made up of fraternal partners sharing resources and labor in a collective. 

The Assertion is incorrect but the Reason is correct.

It was not a sign of rural egalitarianism.

Some British officials in the nineteenth century saw the village as a “little republic” made up of fraternal partners sharing resources and labor in a collective. However, this was not a sign of rural egalitarianism. There was individual ownership of assets and deep inequities based on caste and gender distinctions. A group of powerful individuals decided the affairs of the village, exploited the weaker sections, and had the authority to dispense justice.