Which one of the following pairs of States of India indicates the easternmost and westernmost State?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat
India's mainland extends from Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Gujarat in the west. Arunachal Pradesh is therefore the easternmost State and Gujarat the westernmost, which is option (d).
- ✓ (d) NCERT names Arunachal Pradesh as the eastern limit and Gujarat as the western limit of mainland India. Arunachal Pradesh lies at the far north-eastern tip of the country. Gujarat, with its Kachchh region, projects furthest west.
- ✗ (a) Arunachal Pradesh extends further east than Assam, so Assam is not the easternmost State. Rajasthan's western border does not reach as far west as Gujarat's Kachchh, so Rajasthan is not the westernmost State either.
- ✗ (b) Arunachal Pradesh is the correct easternmost State. But Rajasthan is not the westernmost State; that is Gujarat.
- ✗ (c) Gujarat is the correct westernmost State. But Assam is not the easternmost State; that is Arunachal Pradesh.
Remember · Mainland India runs from Kashmir (north) to Kanniyakumari (south), and from Arunachal Pradesh (east) to Gujarat (west).
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 India: Physical Environment, Ch 1 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · India: Physical Environment, Chapter 1 “The mainland of India, extends from Kashmir in the north to Kanniyakumari in the south and Arunachal Pradesh in the east to Gujarat in the west.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2015, General Studies Paper I. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 25 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·
