Which statement differentiates the parietal and visceral pleura?

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The difference hinges on where each pleural layer sits. The parietal pleura lines the interior surface of the chest wall, the diaphragm, and the mediastinum, while the visceral pleura lies directly on the surface of the lungs. This arrangement creates the pleural cavity between them, filled with a small amount of fluid that allows smooth movement and helps maintain a negative pressure to keep the lungs expanded. Because of that, the statement describing parietal lining the interior chest wall and visceral lining the surface of the lungs is the correct distinction. The other descriptions mix up which layer covers the lungs or places the layers on structures they don’t line (like the heart, diaphragm, or alveolar sacs).