Identify the correct chronological order in which the following States were created in India from the code given below : (1) Andhra Pradesh (2) Himachal Pradesh (3) Haryana (4) Sikkim

The correct order is Andhra Pradesh (1 October 1953), Haryana (1 November 1966), Himachal Pradesh (25 January 1971), Sikkim (16 May 1975), which is 1, 3, 2, 4, so option B. Andhra came first as the Andhra State, carved out of Madras State after Potti Sriramulu's death; it was later bifurcated under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Haryana was created when the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 split Punjab on linguistic lines. Himachal Pradesh had been a Union Territory since 1948 and became a full state under the State of Himachal Pradesh Act, 1970, effective 25 January 1971. Sikkim was the last: it became an Associate State in 1974 through the 35th Amendment and a full state on 16 May 1975 through the 36th Amendment.

Core concept: Article 3 lets Parliament form new states by law, while Article 2 covers admission. For Mains, this links to the Telangana debate and to the special status Sikkim retains under Article 371F.

Trap: Aspirants often treat Himachal as a state from 1948 because of its integration year, or confuse Sikkim's 1974 Associate State status with full statehood in 1975.