Use this map to answer the question: A map of the territory controlled by the Mauryan Empire around 250 B. C.E. The territory controlled by the empire stretches from the Indus River valley in the northwest to the Hindu Kush Mountains in the north and the Himalayan Mountains in the northeast. All of the subcontinent of India is part of the empire except the southern tip and an island off the coast of southern India. At the top left boundary of Mauryan territory lies the Indus River. At the top central boundary lies the Hindu Kush Mountains. At the top right boundary lies the Himalayan Mountains. The bottom boundary is bordered to the south by lands on the southern tip that are not part of the Mauryan Empire. At the far-left boundary is a long coastline with a sea. At the far right boundary is a long coastline with a bay.

Which statement describes the Mauryan Empire?

a
It extended north to the Hindu Kush, west of the Ganges River, south almost to the tip of the Indian subcontinent, and east along the Bay of Bengal.

b
It extended north to the Hindu Kush, west of the Indus River, south almost to the tip of the Indian subcontinent, and east along the Arabian Sea.

c
It extended north to the Brahmaputra River, west of the Ganges River, south almost to the tip of the Indian subcontinent, and east along the Indian Ocean.

d
It extended north to the Hindu Kush, west of the Indus River, south almost to the tip of the Indian subcontinent, and east along the Bay of Bengal.