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Question

Assertion: A person from plain areas when visiting high altitude experiences altitude sickness.

Reason: At high altitudes, atmospheric pressure is generally high leading to symptoms like nausea, fatigue, etc.

A
Both the assertion and reason are true and the reason is the correct explanation of the assertion
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B
Both the assertion and reason are true but the reason is not the correct explanation for the assertion
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C
The assertion is true but the reason is false
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D
Both assertion and the reason are false
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Solution

The correct option is C The assertion is true but the reason is false
Adaptation or acclimatisation refers to the morphological, physiological or behavioural adjustments that allow organisms to survive in new environments or in changing conditions in their current environment.

As we move to higher altitudes, the atmospheric pressure decreases or becomes low. Due to this the availability of oxygen at higher altitudes is less. This causes people, moving to places at higher elevations, to initially experience difficulty in breathing, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, etc. This is called altitude sickness. It usually occurs when a person who is accustomed to low elevations travels to higher elevation.

The feeling however passes with time and an individual gets adapted to the atmospheric conditions of places at higher altitudes. This is due to some physiological adaptations that the body undergoes to adjust to the less availability of oxygen in the air.

For short term relief, the rate of breathing is increased so that more oxygen can be inhaled per minute. The affinity of haemoglobin towards oxygen is also reduced to allow faster dissociation of the oxyhaemoglobin complex near the tissues so that oxygen is free to diffuse into the cells.

A long-term adaptation is the increase in the number of red blood cells to increase the transport of available oxygen to the tissues.

Thus, the assertion is true but the reason is false.

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