Which ridge extends from Jellico, Tennessee to near Elkhorn City, Kentucky and carries the Cumberland River past Pineville?

• A. Blue Ridge
• B. Great Smoky Mountains
• C. Cumberland Plateau
• D. Pine Mountain

Answer: (D)

Pine Mountain is the long, narrow crest that runs through eastern Tennessee into eastern Kentucky, stretching from Jellico toward Elkhorn City. This ridge sits along the Cumberland Plateau and acts as a watershed boundary, helping shape the route of the Cumberland River as it flows past Pineville. The other options don’t match this specific corridor: Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains are separate ridges farther in the region, and the Cumberland Plateau refers to the broad highland, not the single ridge that carries the Cumberland River by Pineville.