Read carefully the following statements (Assertion & Reason) and choose the correct answer:
Assertion 'A': In the areas of low pressure gradient winds blow with low speed.
Reason 'R': Pressure gradiant is low when the isobars are very close to each other.

Question

Read carefully the following statements (Assertion & Reason) and choose the correct answer: 
Assertion 'A': In the areas of low pressure gradient winds blow with low speed. 
Reason 'R': Pressure gradiant is low when the isobars are very close to each other.

Accepted Answer

Here's a detailed explanation justifying why Option 3 is the correct answer and why the other options are incorrect:

**Why Option 3 is Correct: 'A' is true but 'R' is false.**

*   **Assertion 'A': In the areas of low pressure gradient winds blow with low speed.** This statement is **TRUE**. The pressure gradient force is what drives wind. A low pressure gradient means there's a small difference in pressure over a given distance. With a weaker pressure gradient force, the wind will be weaker and blow at a lower speed. Other factors like friction can also influence wind speed, but the fundamental relationship between pressure gradient and wind speed holds.

*   **Reason 'R': Pressure gradient is low when the isobars are very close to each other.** This statement is **FALSE**. Isobars are lines connecting points of equal pressure. When isobars are very close together, it indicates a *steep* pressure gradient, meaning the pressure changes rapidly over a short distance. A steep pressure gradient results in a *high* pressure gradient force. Conversely, when isobars are far apart, the pressure gradient is low.

Therefore, since the assertion is true and the reason is false, Option 3 is the correct choice.

**Why Other Options are Incorrect:**

*   **Option 1: Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is the correct explanation of 'A'.** This is incorrect because, while 'A' is true, 'R' is false. Furthermore, even if 'R' were true, it wouldn't be the *correct* explanation of 'A'. The reason winds blow at low speeds in areas of low pressure gradient is because the pressure difference is small, not because isobars are close together (which indicates a *high* pressure gradient).

*   **Option 2: Both 'A' and 'R' are true and 'R' is not the correct explanation of 'A'.** This is incorrect because 'R' is false. The statement about isobars being close together indicating a low pressure gradient is the opposite of reality.

*   **Option 4: 'A' is false but 'R' is true.** This is incorrect because 'A' is true (winds blow at low speeds in areas of low pressure gradient) and 'R' is false (close isobars indicate a high, not low, pressure gradient).