Concept:Settlement patterns describe how buildings and houses are arranged in a geographical area.
When buildings are strung out in a row along a physical feature, the settlement is classified as linear.
Explanation:A linear settlement develops beside roads, rivers, valleys, or coastlines because these features provide transport, water, or fertile land.
Buildings in such a settlement follow a single line or narrow strip rather than forming a compact block.
This creates an elongated or ribbon-like shape on a map.
In contrast, a dispersed settlement has isolated homesteads scattered over a wide area.
A nucleated settlement and a clustered settlement both refer to buildings grouped closely together around a central point.
Since the question specifically mentions alignment along a road or river, the correct pattern is linear.
Answer:C. linear