In which one of the following environments does one expect the presence of dispersed rural settlements?

Forests and hills in Meghalaya, Uttarakhand and himachal

The correct answer is Option 4: Forests and hills in north-east

The dispersed or isolated settlement pattern in India appears in the form of isolated huts or hamlets of few huts in remote jungles, or on small hills with farms or pasture on the slopes. Extreme dispersion of settlement is often caused by extremely fragmented nature of the terrain and land resource base of habitable areas. Many areas of Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala have this type of settlement.