Assertion and Reason: Assertion (A): Open-book exams shift the focus away from…
2024
Assertion and Reason:
Assertion (A): Open-book exams shift the focus away from rote learning to a more involved engagement with the textbook.
Reason (R): Open-book exams reduce the burden of students as they don't need to prepare for the exam beforehand.
Choose the correct option:
- A.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)
- B.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
- C.
Only (A) is true
- D.
Only (R) is true
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
An Assertion-Reason item is answered by evaluating the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) as two independent truth claims first, and only afterward checking whether R actually explains A. A statement can be true on its own yet fail to be the cause of the other statement, and either statement may simply be a false generalisation in its own right.
Evaluate Assertion (A): open-book exams are designed so that a student cannot simply reproduce memorised content; scoring depends on locating, applying, and reasoning with the material rather than recalling it, so the format does shift the focus away from rote learning toward deeper engagement with the textbook. (A) holds.
Evaluate Reason (R): (R) claims a student need not prepare beforehand for an open-book exam. This is a false generalisation - a student still has to build conceptual understanding, know the structure of the material, and practise applying it under time pressure; an unprepared student typically performs worse even with the book open. (R) does not hold.
Since (A) is true and (R) is false, the "explains" relationship in the first two combinations is moot (both require R to be true first), and the combination claiming only R is true is also ruled out by Step 2. Only the assertion survives independently.
Cross-check: examination-reform guidance (CCE / NEP-aligned assessment practice) explicitly promotes open-book and application-based testing to check understanding rather than to cut down preparation - this corroborates (A) while contradicting (R) from the same source.
Only (A) is true.