Consider the following countries of South Asia:

1. Bangladesh
2. India
3. Pakistan
4. Sri Lanka

The descending order of literacy status of these countries is:

This question asks to arrange the given South Asian countries in the descending order of their literacy rates. Based on the historical data (early 2000s) relevant to when this question was originally framed, the order is:

• Sri Lanka (4): ~91%
• India (2): ~65%
• Pakistan (3): ~41%
• Bangladesh (1): ~39%

Arranging them in descending order yields Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. Thus, the correct sequence is 4, 2, 3, 1.

Note: Based on present-day estimates, Bangladesh (approx. 75-76%) has significantly surpassed Pakistan (approx. 58%) in adult literacy. However, in the context of this historical past-paper question, the accepted standard sequence remains 4, 2, 3, 1.