Match the term to definition: a process powered by adhesion that draws water up through a narrow tube.

• A. Capillary Action
• B. Adhesion
• C. Surface Tension
• D. Universal Solvent

Answer: (A)

Capillary action is the movement of a liquid up a narrow tube driven by adhesive forces between the liquid and the tube’s inner surface, with cohesion among the liquid molecules helping to pull the entire column upward. The adhesion to the tube walls creates a meniscus and pulls the liquid upward, and the cohesive forces transmit that pull along the chain of water molecules so the whole column rises against gravity. This effect is stronger in very thin tubes because the adhesive forces have more influence relative to the weight of the liquid. It’s what allows water to travel up tiny vessels in plants. The other terms describe separate ideas—adhesion alone doesn’t explain upward movement, surface tension relates to the interface at the top, and “universal solvent” is a general description of water’s dissolving ability, not the movement through a tube.