Which of the following States is the largest producer of cardamom and pepper in India?

1. A

   Tamil Nadu

   Tamil Nadu grows spices in the Ghats and has cardamom pockets, but it is not keyed as India’s largest producer of both cardamom and pepper. It is a neighbouring southern distractor.

2. B

   Goa

   Goa is too small in area to lead national cardamom-and-pepper output. Coastal Goa is not the spice-garden first rank. This option fails on scale.

3. C

   Kerala

   (c) Official key: Kerala is keyed as India’s largest producer of cardamom and pepper. The Cardamom Hills, Idukki and Wayanad, and the Malabar pepper tradition sit in this state. Among the four states, Kerala is the official pair-leader.

4. D

   Maharashtra

   Maharashtra has pepper in the Konkan and Western Ghats but is not the keyed all-India first for both spices. Do not stretch a secondary producing state into the lead.

Summary. Official key is (c). Cardamom and black pepper are classic Kerala plantation spices in this paper. Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra grow some of both; Goa is negligible at national scale. The stored first rank is Kerala. Keep that southern spice-garden letter.