Read the following passage and answer the given question.
"India has supported the restructuring of the UN on several grounds. It believes that a strengthened and revitalised UN is desirable in a changing world. One of India's major concerns has been the composition of the Security Council, which has remained largely static while the General Assembly membership has expanded considerably. India considers that this has harmed the representative character of the Security Council. We should keep in mind that the membership of the UN Security Council was expanded from 11 to 15 in 1965. But there was no change in the number of permanent members. India supports an increase in the number of both permanent and non-permanent members. Not surprisingly, India itself also wishes to be a permanent member in a restructured UN. India is the second most populous country in the world. Moreover, it is also the world's largest democracy. India has participated in virtually all of the initiatives of the UN. The country's economic emergence on the world stage is another factor that perhaps justifies India's claim to a permanent seat in the Security Council. India is aware that permanent membership of the Security Council also has symbolic importance. It signifies the country's growing importance in world affairs. This greater status is an advantage to a country in the conduct of its foreign policy."
Choose the correct option: The five permanent members of the UN are
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → USA, UK, France, Russia, China
The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China, the states that were the most powerful immediately after the Second World War.
Note: The passage of Q1 to Q5 is taken from the NCERT section ‘India and the UN Reforms’ of the chapter ‘International Organisations’. Q1 and Q5 are answered from the rest of the chapter, not from the passage, so a passage from the book needs the whole chapter behind it.
NCERT (2026-27): “Evolution of the UN … In the UN General Assembly, all members have one vote each. In the UN Security Council, there are five permanent members. These are: the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China. These states were selected as permanent members as they were the most powerful immediately after the Second World War and because they constituted the victors in the War.…” |