Open stunted forests with bushes and having long roots and sharp thorns or spines are commonly found in

Answer: (d) Western Andhra Pradesh

Western Andhra (Rayalaseema) is in a rain shadow with under 75 cm rain — open thorn scrub.

The idea

The description is of thorn forest, which grows where rain is below about 70 cm. Western Andhra Pradesh (Rayalaseema) lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats: the monsoon winds drop their rain on the western slopes and arrive here dry.

South-west monsoon hits the Western Ghats → Heavy rain on the western slopes → Air descends on the eastern side, dry → Interior Deccan gets little rain → Thorn scrub

Why the others are wrong

(a) Eastern Odisha gets heavy monsoon rain — moist deciduous forest.

(b) NE Tamil Nadu has tropical dry evergreen forest (rain from the NE monsoon).

(c) Siwaliks and Terai are wet, with sal and tall grasses.

The trap

Tamil Nadu is dry in summer, so it tempts. Its coast gets NE monsoon rain.

Also know

Thorn forest plants: babul, khejri, ber, euphorbia. Long roots reach deep water; thorns and tiny leaves save water. The north-east coast of Tamil Nadu is different: it gets winter rain from the north-east monsoon and has a rare forest type, tropical dry evergreen.