Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R). Assertion (A): In 1946, the Muslim League withdrew its acceptance of the Cabinet Mission Plan. Reason (R): The Muslim League joined the interim government formed in 1946. Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

The answer is B. Both statements are true, but the reason does not explain the assertion.

The Cabinet Mission Plan (May 1946) was accepted by the Muslim League on 6 June 1946. The League withdrew that acceptance on 29 July 1946, after disputes over the grouping of provinces and the Constituent Assembly's procedure. This led to the call for Direct Action Day on 16 August 1946. So A is true.

The Interim Government was formed on 2 September 1946 under Nehru, with the League initially staying out. The League joined it only on 26 October 1946, which is after its withdrawal. So R is a true fact, but it is a later development, not the reason for the withdrawal.

• Option A is wrong because R does not explain A.
• Option C is wrong because A is true.
• Option D is wrong because R is true; the League did join the Interim Government, in October.

Core concept: the sequence of the 1946 negotiations, which shaped Partition. For Mains, link it to the failure of the Cabinet Mission and the growing communal polarisation.

Trap: students see 1946 in both statements and assume a cause-effect link. Always check the dates in the chronology.