In Indian geography, the total land area of the land mass of India is approximately how many million square kilometres?

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your knowledge of a basic but very important geographic statistic: the approximate land area of India in million square kilometres. Such numerical facts are frequently used to compare the sizes of countries and to understand India's share of the world's land surface. Remembering the correct approximate value helps in many general knowledge, geography and economics questions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The land area is measured in million square kilometres (million km²).
• The values given are rounded approximations, not extremely precise scientific figures.
• We are considering the total land mass of India, including the mainland and islands.
• We assume standard data from commonly accepted school geography sources.

Concept / Approach:
India is often quoted as having an area of about 3.28 million square kilometres. Some sources give slightly different decimals like 3.287 million km², but for exam purposes the rounded value 3.28 million km² is normally used. The idea is to recall this standard rounded figure and then choose the closest matching option in the list. The other numeric options are far away from the known value and therefore serve as distractors.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that India is the seventh largest country in the world by area. Step 2: Remember the approximate area that is usually taught in textbooks, which is about 3.28 million km². Step 3: Compare this remembered value with the four options: 1.28, 2.28, 3.28 and 4.28. Step 4: Identify that 3.28 is exactly the standard approximate figure. Step 5: Select 3.28 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative Check:
You can quickly verify this by remembering a related fact: India covers about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area. When you combine that with the knowledge that total land surface of Earth is about 148 million km², 2.4 per cent of that comes out close to 3.5 million km². The figure 3.28 million km² lies comfortably in that range and is the standard rounded statistic quoted in most school atlases and geography books. Hence, 3.28 is consistent and trustworthy.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a (1.28) is too small and would make India much smaller than it really is. Option b (2.28) is still far below the accepted value and does not match any common statistic. Option d (4.28) overshoots the real area and would place India among the top few largest countries, which contradicts its usual ranking as seventh in area. Therefore, these three serve only as distractors and are not correct.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is mixing up different numeric indicators, such as confusing India's population in billions with its land area in million km². Another mistake is to misremember 3.28 as 2.28 or 4.28 because all values end with .28. To avoid this, always mentally associate “India – area – about 3.28 million km² and around 2.4 per cent of world land area” as a single memory chunk.

Final Answer:
The land mass of India has an approximate area of 3.28 million square kilometres.