Which Indian state is the largest in terms of total geographical area among the following options?

Introduction / Context:
Questions about the largest and smallest Indian states by area or population are common in competitive exams. After the creation of new states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, and Telangana, the rankings by area changed, so candidates must be familiar with the updated order. This question asks you to identify the largest Indian state in terms of total geographical area from the given set of options.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The comparison is based on total geographical area, not population or GDP.
• The options listed are Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu.
• We assume the current post reorganization map of India.
• Rajasthan is widely recognized as the largest state in India by area.

Concept / Approach:
The main concept is to know the ranking of Indian states by area. Rajasthan occupies the top position with the maximum land area, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in most standard lists. Tamil Nadu is significantly smaller by area compared to these three. The approach is to recall that Rajasthan is the largest state and then cross check that it is present among the answer choices. Since the question is restricted to the four given states, we simply pick the one that is highest in the nationwide ranking.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall the national ranking: Rajasthan is the largest state in India by area. Step 2: Remember that Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, though large, have smaller areas than Rajasthan. Step 3: Note that Tamil Nadu is a coastal state in the south with an area smaller than the large northern and central states. Step 4: Look at the options and identify Rajasthan as one of the candidates. Step 5: Select Rajasthan as the correct answer because it is the largest by area not only among the options but also in the entire country.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this quickly by recalling that Rajasthan covers most of the Thar desert and has vast stretches of arid and semi arid land. Standard school atlases and geography textbooks always list Rajasthan as the largest state by area. Madhya Pradesh is often noted as the second largest after Rajasthan. If you also remember that Uttar Pradesh leads by population but not by area, it helps you keep the area ranking clear. Since no new state formation has changed Rajasthan s boundaries in recent years, its status as the largest state by area remains consistent.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Maharashtra: Although Maharashtra is a large and economically powerful state, its total area is less than that of Rajasthan, so it cannot be the largest by area.

Madhya Pradesh: Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state by area, smaller than Rajasthan. Therefore it is not the correct answer where only the largest is asked.

Tamil Nadu: Tamil Nadu is an important southern coastal state but it is much smaller than Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra in land area, so it definitely is not the largest by area.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to confuse population ranking with area ranking, leading some candidates to wrongly pick Maharashtra or another large state. Others may remember older data without considering the effect of state creation, although in this case Rajasthan s rank has remained unchanged. Another pitfall is rushing through the question and assuming that the state mentioned most frequently in other contexts is automatically the largest. Developing a small table for quick revision of superlatives such as largest state, smallest state, largest union territory, and so on can help avoid these errors.

Final Answer:
Among the options given, the largest Indian state in terms of total geographical area is Rajasthan, which is therefore the correct answer.