Question

Mauritius called the [1] an "illegal colonial occupier" after it ignored a UN-mandated deadline to return the [2] Islands, a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius. The United Nations had given [1] six months to process the transfer. Mauritius has argued that the [2] Islands has been a part of its territory since at least the 18th century, till the [1] broke the archipelago away from Mauritius in 1965 and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches from Seychelles in the region to form British Indian Ocean Territory. In June 1976, after Seychelles gained independence from the [1], the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches were returned by the [1]. After independence, Mauritius had proposed an exchange allowing the [1] to let the [3] use the [2] Islands for defense purposes till those needs ceased, in exchange for increasing the quota of sugar imports into the [3], a move that would contribute to Mauritius' economy. The [1] rejected the proposal stating that the [3] could not be involved in any treaty despite using the islands themselves.

Which of the following countries has been replaced with '[3]' in the passage above? 

Options

• USA

• China

• India 

• France

Answer 1

USA

Explanation:

After independence, Mauritius had proposed an exchange allowing the UK to let the US use the Chagos Islands for defense purposes till those needs ceased, in exchange for increasing the quota of sugar imports into the US, a move that would contribute to Mauritius' economy. The UK rejected the proposal stating that the US could not be involved in any treaty despite using the islands themselves.