How many countries are represented among the international delegates at the fourth edition of IN-STEP?

The correct answer is the National Security Council Secretariat. The programme is put together by the two ministries along with that secretariat, and it is conducted in association with the National Defence College, which is where such strategic courses are run. NITI Aayog is the government's policy think tank and works on development planning, not on a strategic engagement programme of this kind, so option A is wrong. The Indian Council of World Affairs is a research body on international relations and is not named among the organisers, which rules out option C. The Ministry of Home Affairs handles internal security and has no part in convening this programme, so option D is wrong as well. The Vice-President specifically thanked the secretariat and the two ministries for bringing the delegates together.

The correct answer is think globally, engage strategically, act in cohesion. The Vice-President offered these three ideas as the philosophy behind the programme while urging countries of the Global South to respond together to challenges that cut across technology, cyberspace, artificial intelligence, energy and maritime security, climate change and supply chains. The other options are slogans associated with other contexts and were not the message delivered here, so they are wrong. In the same address he described corruption as a major challenge before Global South countries and asked delegates to build corruption-free systems at every level, and he recalled Vaccine Maitri while saying that scientific advances should benefit all of humanity, in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Questions on this story usually ask either for the motto or for the participation figures.

The correct answer is the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, usually shortened to AITIGA. Its ongoing review was the main subject at the consultation, with the stated aim of raising trade flows and correcting the asymmetries that have grown within the pact. India said it wants the outcome to be mutually beneficial and to leave the agreement balanced, more effective, user friendly and easier for firms to work with. Option B is wrong because India is not part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and that pact was not the subject here. Option C is wrong because the agreement with Singapore is a separate bilateral arrangement rather than a bloc wide one. Option D is wrong because the partnership agreement with Japan, though an East Asia Summit partner is involved, has no bearing on this ASEAN review.

The correct answer is Manila in the Philippines. The Indian delegation, led by Additional Secretary in the Department of Commerce Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, travelled to Manila for both meetings, and it was there that economic ministers or their representatives from every ASEAN member met the East Asia Summit partners. Option A is wrong although Jakarta houses the ASEAN Secretariat, which briefed the meeting on the economic outlook; hosting the Secretariat is not the same as hosting this round of meetings. Option C is wrong because Kuala Lumpur, a frequent venue for regional gatherings, was not the host this time. Option D is wrong because Vietnam took part as an ASEAN member but did not host. Candidates should also recall that the delegation met Indian businesses in the Philippines and attended the ASEAN-India Business Forum during the same visit.

The correct answer is USD 128.38 billion. The release states that bilateral trade between India and the ASEAN bloc reached this level in 2025-26, and that the bloc made up 10.55 per cent of total Indian trade with the world. The other three figures are close enough to look believable but none of them appears in the announcement, and choosing them would misstate the size of a partnership that India describes as one of its most important. Option A understates the trade, option B is also below the stated figure and option D overstates it. The number matters because it was cited in the same breath as the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement, which India wants to make balanced, effective and trade facilitative so that these flows can grow further in the years ahead.