The question is about geographical location and asks the minimum number of states one would have to travel through to get from Kohima to Kottayam by road.

Option 1 suggests that you would pass through 6 states. Option 2 suggests 7 states. Option 3 suggests 8 states, and Option 4 suggests 9 states.

The minimum states required to pass from Kohima (Nagaland) to Kottayam (Kerala) are: Nagaland, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. This makes the correct answer, option 2, referencing 7 states.

Option 1 is one short and overlooks a state in the route. Option 3 proposes that you would need to cross an additional state, which is not necessary. Similarly, Option 4 assumes a route with two extraneous states.

So, the correct answer is 2, meaning traveling through 7 states.