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This question contains Statement-1 and statement-2. Of the four choices given after the statements, choose the one that best describes the two statements. Statement-1: Energy is released when heavy nuclei undergo fission or light nuclei undergo fusion and Statement-2: For heavy nuclei, binding energy per nucleon increases with increasing Z while for light nuclei it decreases with increasing Z.

1. Statement-1 is false, Statement-2 is true
2. Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is true; Statement-2 is a correct explanation for Statement-1
3. Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is true; Statement-2 is not a correct explanation for Statement-1
4. Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is false

Correct answer: Statement-1 is true, Statement-2 is false

Solution

Statement-1 is accurate as energy is indeed released during fission of heavy nuclei and fusion of light nuclei. However, Statement-2 is incorrect because the binding energy per nucleon for heavy nuclei actually decreases with increasing atomic number (Z) beyond iron, contrary to what is stated.

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