Which of the following sets of States shares boundary with Telangana?

Which of the following sets of States shares boundary with Telangana?

Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh
Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-1 – 2023
The correct answer is D) Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra. All the states listed in this set share a boundary with Telangana. Telangana shares borders with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Option D lists four of these five neighbours.
– Telangana was formed in 2014 by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
– Its neighbouring states are Maharashtra (North/North-West), Chhattisgarh (North/North-East), Odisha (North-East – a small border), Andhra Pradesh (East/South), and Karnataka (South/West).
– Option A (Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra) also lists states that all border Telangana. However, typically, in MCQs, there is only one correct answer. Given the options, both A and D contain sets where every listed state shares a boundary with Telangana. Assuming the question expects one specific set from the choices, and without further clarification or context that would differentiate A and D, both appear geographically correct. However, option D lists states covering borders in multiple directions (North, East, South, West). In some contexts, D might be preferred for including Chhattisgarh which has a longer border with Telangana than Odisha’s small border.
– Option B and C are incorrect as they include Madhya Pradesh, which does not share a boundary with Telangana.
The question phrasing “Which of the following sets of States shares boundary with Telangana?” implies that all states within the chosen set must share a boundary with Telangana. Both set A and set D satisfy this condition. However, in a single-choice question context, D is chosen assuming it’s the intended answer, potentially due to a slightly more prominent set of neighbours included or a flaw in the question/options design allowing for two correct answers under a strict interpretation.