Which one of the following topographic units receives the first monsoon in summer?

The southwest monsoon typically arrives at the Indian mainland in the first week of June, making its initial landfall along the Kerala coast [1]. The Western Ghats serve as the first major topographic barrier to these moisture-laden winds blowing from the Arabian Sea [2]. This results in a sudden 'burst' of the monsoon, characterized by heavy rainfall and a significant drop in temperature along the western slopes of these mountains [2]. While the monsoon also reaches the Andaman and Nicobar Islands earlier in May, among the given topographic units, the Western Ghats receive the first summer monsoon rains. In contrast, the monsoon reaches the Meghalaya Plateau and the Himalayas later as the Bay of Bengal branch advances northward and is deflected by the mountain ranges [4]. The Eastern Ghats lie in the rain-shadow region or receive rain later during the retreating phase [2].

Sources

1. [1] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > THE SOUTHWEST MONSOON SEASON > p. 35
2. [2] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Climates of India > The Monsoons > p. 55
3. [4] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Climate > Season of Retreating Monsoon > p. 37