Which of the following statements about the authors of the novels "Ancillary Justice", "Air" and "Mission Earth" are correct?

Introduction / Context:
This question relates to modern science fiction and speculative fiction. It presents three statements about the authors of "Ancillary Justice", "Air" and "Mission Earth" and asks which statements are correct. To answer accurately, you need to know which authors are genuinely linked with each of these novels.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The underlying statements are:

• Statement 1: The author of the novel "Ancillary Justice" is Ann Leckie.
• Statement 2: The author of the novel "Air" is Ann Leckie.
• Statement 3: The author of the novel "Mission Earth" is L. Ron Hubbard.
• You must determine which of these statements are correct.

Concept / Approach:
The true authors are:

• "Ancillary Justice" is a science fiction novel by Ann Leckie.
• "Air" (often known as "Air: Or, Have Not Have") is a science fiction novel by Geoff Ryman.
• "Mission Earth" is a multi volume novel by L. Ron Hubbard.

With these facts, you can evaluate each statement and decide whether it matches the real author or not.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Examine statement 1. It credits "Ancillary Justice" to Ann Leckie. This is correct because Ann Leckie won major awards for this novel. Step 2: Examine statement 2. It credits "Air" to Ann Leckie, but the correct author is Geoff Ryman, so statement 2 is incorrect. Step 3: Examine statement 3. It credits "Mission Earth" to L. Ron Hubbard, which is accurate. Step 4: Summarise: statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect. Step 5: Look at the answer choices for the option that lists statements 1 and 3 only. Step 6: Option c states "1 and 3 only", so option c is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Checking book award lists shows that Ann Leckie won major science fiction awards such as the Hugo and Nebula for "Ancillary Justice". Listings for Geoff Ryman identify him as the author of "Air". L. Ron Hubbard is widely known in science fiction circles for various works including the "Mission Earth" series. These independent confirmations support the evaluation of each statement.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a ("1 and 2 only") wrongly includes statement 2. Option b ("2 and 3 only") assumes statement 2 is correct and excludes correct statement 1. Option d ("1, 2 and 3") treats all statements as true, which is incorrect because statement 2 is wrong. Option e ("1 only") ignores the fact that statement 3 is also correct. Only option c matches the actual truth pattern: statements 1 and 3 are correct, statement 2 is not.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to assume that because Ann Leckie is a prominent modern science fiction author, she may have written multiple novels listed in the question. This can lead to mistakenly accepting statement 2. Another pitfall is not being familiar with Geoff Ryman, whose work "Air" is highly regarded but may be less well known to some candidates. Careful study of key authors and their flagship novels can prevent such mix ups.

Final Answer:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect.