Directions: The question consists of two statements an Assertion(A) and a Reason(R).Read both the statements and decide which of the following answer choices correctly depicts the relationship between these two statements.Assertion(A): According to the Doctrine of Lapse, any Indian princely state under British East India Company would have its princely status abolished if the ruler was either "manifestly incompetent or died without a male heir".Reason(R): The policy is most commonly associated with Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor-General of the East India Company in India between 1848 and 1856.

The answer choices are usually as follows:

1. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A.
2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.
3. A is true but R is false.
4. A is false but R is true.
5. Both A and R are false.

In this case, both the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) are true. The Doctrine of Lapse was indeed a policy that stated any Indian princely state under the British East India Company would lose its princely status if the ruler was incompetent or died without a male heir. This policy is also correctly associated with Lord Dalhousie, who was the Governor-General of the East India Company in India from 1848 to 1856.

However, the Reason (R) is not the correct explanation of the Assertion (A). While Lord Dalhousie is associated with the policy, the reason for the policy was to annex as many Indian states as possible to the British East India Company. Therefore, the correct answer is:

2. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A.