Consider the following statements:

1. Assertion (A): Shah Alam II spent the initial years as an Emperor far away from his capital.
2. Reason (R): There was always a lurking danger of foreign invasion from the north‑west frontier.

Options:

1. Both A and R are individually true and R is the correct explanation of A
2. Both A and R are individually 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

Explanation

Option (b) is correct

• The Assertion is correct because Shah Alam II spent many years away from Delhi due to fear of his powerful wazir and political instability. After the Battle of Buxar, he stayed at Allahabad under East India Company protection and returned to Delhi only with Maratha support in the 1770s. The Reason is generally true since north-western invasions by rulers like Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali threatened the Mughal Empire, but these were not the main reasons for Shah Alam II’s exile; internal political weakness and court intrigues were the primary causes.

Answer: (b) Both A and R are individually true but R is NOT the correct explanation of A