Cause & Effect — Identify the Relationship: I. The government imposed a stock limit on traders’ storage of pulses. II. Prices of pulses went out of reach for the common person. Which option best captures the causal link between I and II?

Introduction / Context:We compare a price surge with a regulatory response that caps inventory. The task is to determine which triggered which.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• II: Pulses became unaffordable (price spike).
• I: Government imposed stock limits (anti-hoarding measure).
• Assume typical policy sequencing: rising prices → intervention.

Concept / Approach:Stock limits are responses intended to increase market availability and cool prices. Thus the surge (II) causes the policy (I).

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:Imposing stock limits cannot be the cause of earlier price spikes described in II; chronology and logic favour II→I.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:They invert timing or deny policy–market linkage.

Common Pitfalls:Confusing preventive regulation with reactive measures.

Final Answer:Option B: II is the immediate cause and I is its effect.