Which of the following statements about the novels "Half of a Yellow Sun", "Middlesex" and "Missile Gap" are correct? 1. The author of the novel "Half of a Yellow Sun" is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 2. The author of the novel "Middlesex" is Jeffrey Eugenides. 3. The author of the novel "Missile Gap" is China Mieville.

Introduction / Context:
This question examines your familiarity with contemporary international fiction. It specifically presents three novels "Half of a Yellow Sun", "Middlesex" and "Missile Gap" and asks which author novel pairings are correct. Such questions reward candidates who read widely or at least follow lists of award winning books and prominent science fiction works.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement 1 associates "Half of a Yellow Sun" with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
• Statement 2 associates "Middlesex" with Jeffrey Eugenides.
• Statement 3 associates "Missile Gap" with China Mieville.
• We need to identify which statements are correct.

Concept / Approach:
"Half of a Yellow Sun" is a well known novel about the Nigerian Civil War by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. "Middlesex" is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides focused on identity and family history. "Missile Gap", however, is a science fiction novella by Charles Stross, not by China Mieville. The solution is to verify each pairing against these facts and then choose the combination containing only the true statements.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Check Statement 1. "Half of a Yellow Sun" is indeed written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, so this statement is correct. Step 2: Check Statement 2. "Middlesex" is written by Jeffrey Eugenides, which makes this statement correct as well. Step 3: Check Statement 3. "Missile Gap" is written by Charles Stross, not by China Mieville, so Statement 3 is incorrect. Step 4: From these checks, Statements 1 and 2 are correct, while Statement 3 is not. Step 5: Therefore, the correct option is the one that lists "1 and 2".

Verification / Alternative check:
If you look at prize lists and science fiction bibliographies, these pairings are easy to confirm. "Half of a Yellow Sun" is frequently mentioned along with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's other works like "Purple Hibiscus" and "Americanah". Jeffrey Eugenides is best known for "The Virgin Suicides" and "Middlesex", with the latter often appearing in discussions of major contemporary novels. Charles Stross, not China Mieville, wrote "Missile Gap" as part of his science fiction output. This independent confirmation reinforces that only Statements 1 and 2 are accurate.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option "2 and 3" is wrong because it includes Statement 3, which incorrectly names China Mieville as the author of "Missile Gap".
• Option "1 and 3" is wrong for the same reason; it still includes the false Statement 3.
• Option "1, 2 and 3" is wrong because it assumes all three statements are correct, but Statement 3 is clearly incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
China Mieville and Charles Stross are both important names in modern speculative fiction, so some candidates may mix them up. Another pitfall is to assume that all three given statements in a question like this are meant to be true, which is not the case. Always test each author title pair individually. That careful approach helps avoid losing marks on what is essentially a recall based question.

Final Answer:
The correct set of statements is 1 and 2, because Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote "Half of a Yellow Sun" and Jeffrey Eugenides wrote "Middlesex", while "Missile Gap" was written by Charles Stross, not China Mieville.