If a river flows westward through a rift valley, which river is it most likely to be?

Correct answer: Narmada

The direct answer is C, the Narmada. A rift valley is a long, depressed zone formed when the crust is faulted or pulled apart. Rivers flowing through such valleys often follow a relatively straight structural trough. In India, the Narmada flows westward between the Vindhya and Satpura ranges through a rift valley and enters the Arabian Sea. The reasoning is: identify westward flow; identify the rift-valley clue; match both features with the Narmada. Option A, Godavari, is wrong because it generally flows eastward across the Deccan Plateau into the Bay of Bengal and is not the standard rift-valley answer. Option B, Kaveri, also flows generally eastward into the Bay of Bengal and is not associated with this classic rift-valley description. Option C is correct because Narmada is the well-known west-flowing rift-valley river. Option D, Mahanadi, generally flows eastward to the Bay of Bengal and is not the expected river here. The exam cue is: Narmada and Tapi are important west-flowing peninsular rivers; Narmada is especially linked with a rift valley.