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Question 10 of 10

Q.Two statements are given below. They are Assertion (A) and Reason (R). Read both the statements carefully and choose the correct option : Assertion (A) : The concept of ‘sustainable development’ emerged in 1990’s. Reason (R) : General awareness about environmental issues originated during 1960’s in the western world. Options : (A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A). (B) Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A). (C) (A) is correct but (R) is incorrect. (D) (A) is incorrect but (R) is correct.

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2026MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
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The assertion that sustainable development emerged in the 1990s is incorrect, while the reason about environmental awareness originating in the 1960s is correct, making option (D) the right choice.

The idea of sustainable development did not suddenly appear in the 1990s. Its roots go back much further. The term gained global prominence with the 1987 Brundtland Commission report, Our Common Future, which defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. By the 1990s, the concept was already being discussed at major international conferences like the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. So the assertion that it emerged in the 1990s is historically inaccurate — it emerged earlier and was simply consolidated and popularised during that decade.

The reason, however, is on firmer ground. The 1960s did see a surge in environmental consciousness in the Western world. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962) exposed the dangers of pesticides, and the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. These events marked the beginning of widespread public concern about pollution, resource depletion, and ecological damage. So the reason correctly identifies the 1960s as the period when general environmental awareness took root.

Now, even if both statements were true, the reason would not explain the assertion. The rise of environmental awareness in the 1960s did not directly cause the concept of sustainable development to emerge in the 1990s — that emergence was driven by later global debates, economic pressures, and the work of international commissions. But since the assertion itself is false, the relationship between them is irrelevant. …

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