Which among the following countries is a part of India's Act East pol…

The correct answer is Option (1) → Bangladesh

Note 1: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, the question can have more than one correct answer, i.e. both Option (1) and Option (4), as explained below.

Option (1) Bangladesh Correct. Bangladesh is a part of India’s Look East (Act East since 2014) policy, which wants to link up with Southeast Asia via Myanmar.

Option (2) Pakistan Incorrect. The Act East policy looks to India’s east, to Southeast and East Asia; Pakistan lies to India’s west.

Option (3) Iran Incorrect. Iran is a country of West Asia, far from the East Asian region that the policy is about.

Option (4) Japan Also correct. India’s ‘Look East’ policy since the early 1990s and ‘Act East’ policy since 2014 have led to greater economic interaction with the East Asian nations (ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea). Japan is therefore also a part of the Act East policy.

Tip for students: When two options fit, mark the one the question is most likely built on. Here the wording ‘a part of India’s Act East policy’ is used word for word about Bangladesh in ‘Contemporary South Asia’, so Bangladesh is the safer choice.

Note 2: A same/similar question was asked in CUET (UG) in the papers below.

* A similar question.