Which statement best explains the linear structure of the Western Coastal Plain?

Correct answer: It is a narrow strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea

The direct answer is D: it is a narrow strip between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. A coastal plain is low land beside the sea. In western India, the Western Ghats stand close to the Arabian Sea, leaving only a relatively narrow, long strip of plain between the mountains and the shore. This long, narrow arrangement explains the linear structure of the Western Coastal Plain. Option D is correct. Option A is wrong because the Western Coastal Plain runs generally north-south along the Arabian Sea; it is not an east-west extension parallel to the Himalayas. Option B is wrong because it is outside, not inside, the Bay of Bengal. Option C is wrong because the western plain is not made only of river deltas; it also includes coastal deposits and varied landforms, while large deltas are especially characteristic of the eastern coast. The memory picture is simple: Western Ghats on one side, Arabian Sea on the other, and a thin coastal belt between them.