Consider the following statements: Statement-I: A leap year has 366 days instead of 365. Statement-II: A day is added in February to adjust for the extra days lost each year. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? |ForumIAS

[A] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I

[B] Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I

[C] Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect

[D] Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

Answer: A

Notes:

Explanations –

Statement I is correct. A leap year includes an extra day (February 29), making it 366 days long instead of the usual 365 days. This adjustment occurs every four years to account for the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, which takes approximately 365.24 days.
Statement II is correct. The Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes about 365 days and 6 hours. These extra hours accumulate over four years to form a full day (6 hours × 4 = 24 hours). To correct this discrepancy and keep the calendar in sync with the Earth’s orbit, an extra day is added to February every four years.
Therefore, the addition of an extra day in February (Statement-II) is the reason why a leap year has 366 days (Statement-I).