The members of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are which of the following countries?

Introduction / Context:
NAFTA stands for the North American Free Trade Agreement, a regional trade agreement that brought together specific countries in North America to promote free trade by reducing tariffs and other trade barriers. General knowledge examinations often ask about the membership of famous regional trade agreements such as NAFTA, the European Union, ASEAN and others. This question checks whether candidates know which three countries formed NAFTA.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks for the member countries of NAFTA.
• Four options combine the United States of America and Canada with different third countries.
• We assume familiarity with basic world geography and international organisations.

Concept / Approach:
NAFTA was a free trade agreement between the United States of America, Canada and Mexico, all of which are North American countries. The other listed countries such as India, Japan and the United Kingdom do not belong to North America and therefore could not be members of NAFTA. By matching the geographical region implied by the agreement with the countries named in the options, the correct combination becomes clear.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Expand the acronym NAFTA as North American Free Trade Agreement. Step 2: Recognise that the member countries must be from North America. Step 3: Examine option A: it lists the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. All three are North American countries. Step 4: Check option B: it pairs the United States of America and Canada with India. India is a South Asian country, not in North America, so this combination cannot describe NAFTA. Step 5: Check option C: it includes Japan, which is an East Asian country and not part of North America, so this option is also wrong. Step 6: Check option D: it combines the United States of America, the United Kingdom and India, none of which together form a North American regional grouping, so this option is incorrect. Step 7: Since only option A groups together three North American countries, the correct answer is the combination of the United States of America, Canada and Mexico.

Verification / Alternative check:
If a learner recalls that NAFTA created a free trade area covering the entire North American continent, it becomes easier to remember that Mexico was the third member alongside the United States of America and Canada. News about trade negotiations, cross border supply chains in automobiles and agriculture and later discussions about renegotiating NAFTA into a new agreement also consistently mention these three countries and not any others. This provides an independent check that option A is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option B is wrong because India is not a North American country and has never been a member of NAFTA.
• Option C is incorrect because Japan is a Pacific and East Asian country, not part of North America.
• Option D is incorrect because the United Kingdom and India belong to Europe and Asia respectively, and this combination does not match the idea of a North American free trade grouping.

Common Pitfalls:
Sometimes candidates see familiar country names like India or the United Kingdom and feel tempted to choose an option that includes them, especially if they recall separate trade relations between these countries and the United States of America. Another error is to ignore the geographical clue in the phrase North American when expanding the acronym NAFTA. Always expand such acronyms and use the regional description to guide the selection of member countries.

Final Answer:
United States of America, Canada and Mexico