In the latest Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), which classifies 104 countries in terms of government capabilities and outcomes, India has been ranked

Correct — A, 49th. India stood 49th among the 104 countries covered by the Chandler Good Government Index, published by the Chandler Institute of Governance in Singapore. The index is unusual in what it measures — not the quality of democracy or the level of corruption alone, but the capability of a government to do its job, scored across seven pillars covering leadership and foresight, laws and policies, institutions, financial stewardship, the marketplace it creates, its global influence and reputation, and whether it helps people rise. Finland headed the first edition, with the Nordic countries and Singapore near the top.

• (b)59th — Ten places below the actual position. The four options sit ten apart, which is the usual construction when an examiner wants recall rather than reasoning.
• (c)69th — Well below India's placement, and inconsistent with the strong scores the country records on the marketplace and global influence pillars.
• (d)79th — Near the bottom third of 104 countries, which no reading of the published scores supports.

Governance indices differ chiefly in what they choose to measure. The Worldwide Governance Indicators of the World Bank score voice, accountability, rule of law and control of corruption; Transparency International's index scores perceived corruption alone. The Chandler index takes a different angle by asking what a government is capable of delivering, which is why a country can rank very differently on it than on the others.

Precise rank questions are the least productive part of current affairs, and the sensible preparation is to remember the band rather than the digit — India in the upper middle of a hundred-odd countries, with strength in market size and global influence and weakness in per-capita measures. What is worth carrying is who publishes the index and what it claims to measure, because that is the part examiners can ask in more than one way. Later editions have covered more countries and India's position has moved.

• The Chandler Good Government Index is published by the Chandler Institute of Governance, based in Singapore.
• The first edition covered 104 countries and placed India 49th.
• Finland led that edition, with Switzerland, Singapore and the Nordic countries close behind.
• The index is built from seven pillars measuring what a government is capable of delivering.
• It is distinct from the World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators and from Transparency International's corruption index.

• Memorising a rank without the edition and the number of countries covered.
• Treating governance indices as interchangeable when each measures something different.

A rank-recall item with options spaced ten apart, so nothing but memory decides it.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Chandler Good Government Index is published by an institute based in

  • (a)Singapore
  • (b)Switzerland
  • (c)The United Kingdom
  • (d)Germany

  Answer(a) Singapore — the Chandler Institute of Governance publishes it.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Corruption Perceptions Index is published by

  • (a)The World Bank
  • (b)Transparency International
  • (c)The World Economic Forum
  • (d)The United Nations Development Programme

  Answer(b) Transparency International — it scores perceived public-sector corruption.