Final answer:
On a map of a basin, the dips would point toward the center, indicating the direction of the steepest slope toward the lowest point of the basin. Option a. is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
If strike and dip symbols were placed on a map of a basin, the dips would point downward toward the center of the basin. This is because in a geological context, dips indicate the direction of the steepest slope on a tilted bed, layer, or feature within the Earth's crust.
When considering a geological basin, which is a depression or low area in the Earth's crust, the dips typically point towards the center as that is the direction in which the layers slope downward. This can be related to the rule of V's in geological maps, where structures that intersect the topography, such as folds in sedimentary layers, will show Vs in which the dips point toward the center of the structure, such as a basin.