Correct Answer: The assertion is true, but the reason is false.

Solution : The correct option is (c) Option C The assertion is true, but the reason is false.

Consumer equilibrium is achieved when the consumer's budget line is tangent to an indifference curve, indicating that the consumer is allocating their budget in a way that maximizes their satisfaction or utility. At this point, the marginal rate of substitution (MRS) between the two goods is equal to the relative price of the goods (the slope of the budget line).

The assertion states that consumer equilibrium can be achieved at a point where the consumer's budget line is steeper than any indifference curve. However, this is not true. In consumer equilibrium, the budget line and the indifference curve must be tangent to each other. The steepness of the budget line does not determine consumer equilibrium.

The reason provided, stating that consumer equilibrium occurs when the consumer exhausts their budget on the good with the highest marginal utility, is false. Consumer equilibrium is not solely determined by the exhaustion of the budget on a single good with the highest marginal utility. It is determined by the trade-off between the marginal utilities and relative prices of the goods.