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Read the following… (Class 12 Economics SQP 2026-27, Q20)

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EconomicsCBSE Class 12 · Sample paper, session 2026-27 · 1 mark · Assertion-reason

CBSE Class 12 Economics sample paper 2026-27: question 20

From the official CBSE sample question paper for 2026-27, section B, question 20, for 1 mark. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q20 · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonCompetency-basedIndian Economy on the Eve of Independence

Read the following statements: Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Choose the correct option from those given below:
Assertion (A): The real motive behind the infrastructural development initiated by the British was to subserve the colonial interests.
Reason (R): Commercialisation of Indian agriculture during the British rule helped to strengthen the self-sufficiency of the village economies in India.

  1. (A)Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
  2. (B)Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of Assertion (A).
  3. (C)Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.
  4. (D)Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

Source: official sample paper from cbseacademic.nic.in (PDF). See it in the full Sample paper 2026-27.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Who gained from the railways built by the British?

Hint 2

Did growing cash crops make villages more or less self-sufficient?

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. Assertion: True. Roads, railways, ports and the telegraph were developed mainly to serve colonial interests: moving troops, raw materials and British goods and maintaining control.

    Reason: False. Commercialisation of agriculture (growing cash crops for British industry) broke down the self-sufficiency of village economies; it did not strengthen it.

  2. A is true and R is false. Option (C).

    1 mark

Answer: (C) Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.

Where the marks are

  • Truth of A and R and the link between them (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Indian Economy on the Eve of Independence, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paperSample paper 2026-27: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.