Assertion (A): According to statistics, more female children, are born each year than male children in India. Reason (R): In India, the death rate of a male child is higher than that of the female child.

1. Assertion (A): Claims that statistics show more female children are born each year than male children in India. This is factually incorrect. The Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) in India consistently shows more male births than female births (typically around 900-930 females per 1000 males at birth). Assertion (A) is false. 2. Reason (R): Claims that in India, the death rate of a male child is higher than that of the female child. Biologically, female infants often have a slight survival advantage. However, due to socio-cultural factors and gender bias in some regions of India, female infant and child mortality rates have historically been higher or disadvantageously comparable to males in several parts of the country, although this pattern might be changing or vary regionally. Stating male child death rate is definitively higher across India compared to females might be contested depending on the specific age group and time period, but generally, female children face higher mortality risks in many contexts in India. Thus, Reason (R) is likely false in the context it's presented or at least debatable. 3. Conclusion: Since Assertion (A) is definitively false, the correct option is (D) regardless of the precise truth value of (R). Assertion (A) is false, but R is true. Let's re-evaluate R. Globally and biologically, male infants often have slightly higher mortality. If R refers to this biological tendency, it might be considered true. However, the social context in India often reverses this. Given the definite falsehood of A, D is the only possible answer if R is true. Let's assume R is considered true based on biological factors or specific data the question relies on. Thus, A is false, but R is true.