Consider the following statements:

Assertion (A) : Madhya Pradesh is called the Ethiopia of India.
Reason (R) : Its hallmarks are excessive infantile mortality and malnutrition.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes:

A) Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

B) Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

C) (A) is true, but (R) is false.

D) (A) is false, but (R) is true.

This MCQ is part of the UP PSC Previous Year Questions (PYQs) series, focusing on UPPSC Prelims 2010 (GS Paper I)