What is the rationale for discouraging marriage before eighteen and preferring it after twenty in the National Population Policy?

Correct answer: To protect maternal health and education

Correct answer: B — delaying marriage helps protect education and maternal health. Marriage and pregnancy at a very young age can interrupt schooling and may expose a young woman to additional health and social challenges. Waiting longer can provide more time for physical and emotional maturity, education, skills, and informed preparation for family life. In the policy context, the reference to eighteen and preferably after twenty should be understood as encouraging marriage beyond early adolescence and supporting healthier, more informed choices; it is not a claim that every person’s circumstances are identical. A is wrong because early marriage is not intended to increase child labour. C is unrelated, and D reverses the policy goal because counselling should be strengthened, not reduced. Memory cue: later, informed marriage protects learning and health.