If you travel by road from Kohima to Kottayam, what is the minimum number of States within India through which you can travel, including the origin and the destination?

1. A

   6

   (a) 6. Kohima to Kottayam on a realistic road path cannot be squeezed into six States including origin and destination. Too few.

2. B

   7

   (b) 7. A minimal road route is Nagaland – Assam – West Bengal – Odisha – Andhra Pradesh – Tamil Nadu – Kerala (Kohima to Kottayam). That is seven States including origin and destination, the official key.

3. C

   8

   (c) 8. An extra State can be inserted, but the minimum asked is not eight.

4. D

   9

   (d) 9. Still farther from the minimum. Not the key.

Summary. Official key is (b) 7. Start in Nagaland (Kohima) and end in Kerala (Kottayam). The shortest State-count road corridor runs Nagaland–Assam–West Bengal–Odisha–Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu–Kerala. Skipping West Bengal is not a practical through-road from Assam to Odisha; going via Karnataka adds a State. Origin and destination are both counted. Seven is the minimum.