India and its neighbours

The governing concept is that degrees of latitude and longitude do not represent distance in the same way. One degree of latitude measures a nearly constant north-south distance because the parallels are almost equally spaced; it is close to 111 km. The spacing between meridians, however, depends on latitude and becomes smaller toward the poles, approximately following the cosine of latitude. India’s comparable degree ranges therefore produce a larger kilometre value in the north-south direction than in the east-west direction. Option A captures the essential reason: latitude-degree distance remains almost uniform. Option B is false because longitude differences do indicate distance, although that distance varies. Options C and D deny basic coordinate or area principles and are irrelevant.

The governing skill is matching each numerical value with both its correct unit and geographical category. About 2.4 percent expresses India’s share of the world’s geographical area; 3,214 km represents a linear north–south or comparable extent figure; and 3.28 million square kilometres represents India’s total area. Option A keeps percentage, distance and area separate and uses appropriate units. The alternatives deliberately mix categories: percentages are assigned to distances, degrees are combined with kilometres, square kilometres are used for a boundary length, or longitudes are treated as an area. Thus A is the only coherent set.