What does cohesion describe?

• A. Water sticking to soil particles
• B. Water moving with soil particles
• C. Water sticking to water
• D. Water evaporating from surface

Answer: (C)

Cohesion is the attraction water molecules have for each other, so water sticks to water. This internal bonding is what gives water its surface tension and helps it stay as a continuous film or drop in tiny soil pores. The choice describing water sticking to water best captures this idea. Water sticking to soil particles describes adhesion—the attraction between water and other materials, not between water molecules themselves. Water moving with soil particles is about transport with the soil rather than how water molecules attract one another. Evaporation is a separate process where water changes to vapor, not about the bonding between water molecules.