On what ground did the 'Schedules' drawn up by the British Indian gov…

The correct answer is Option (1) → The massive discrimination practiced against them

Option (1) The massive discrimination practiced against them — Correct. The Schedules of 1935 recognised the castes and tribes as deserving special treatment because of the massive discrimination practiced against them. So discrimination was the ground for this special treatment.

Option (2) Their small share in the total population — Incorrect. Population share was not the ground for placing a group in the Schedules. It is used later, to fix the proportion of reserved seats for the Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Option (3) Their residence in remote forest and hill areas — Incorrect. Many tribes live in forest and hill areas, but the Schedules covered castes as well as tribes. The common ground for both groups was the discrimination practiced against them.

Option (4) Their low share in government jobs and education — Incorrect. A low share in jobs and education is a result of discrimination. Reservation in jobs and education came later as a remedy, so it was not the ground used by the Schedules.