Transpiration is the process by which water is released as vapor from plant leaves. Which choice correctly describes this process?

Transpiration is the process by which water is released as vapor from plant leaves. Which choice correctly describes this process?

• A. Water vapor release from plant leaves.
• B. Water absorption by roots.
• C. Water evaporating from soil.
• D. Water condensing into clouds.

Answer: (A)

Transpiration is the loss of water from a plant in the form of water vapor, mainly through openings in the leaves called stomata. When the stomata are open, water inside the leaf vaporizes and escapes to the air, helping pull water up from the roots through the plant’s xylem to the leaves and often cooling the plant in the process. The statement that best describes this is water vapor release from plant leaves, because it specifies both where the water leaves (leaves) and in what form (water vapor). The other ideas refer to different parts of the plant or the water cycle: absorption by roots is uptake, not release; evaporation from soil is a separate process at the soil surface; and condensation into clouds is part of the broader water cycle, not transpiration.

Transpiration is the loss of water from a plant in the form of water vapor, mainly through openings in the leaves called stomata. When the stomata are open, water inside the leaf vaporizes and escapes to the air, helping pull water up from the roots through the plant’s xylem to the leaves and often cooling the plant in the process. The statement that best describes this is water vapor release from plant leaves, because it specifies both where the water leaves (leaves) and in what form (water vapor). The other ideas refer to different parts of the plant or the water cycle: absorption by roots is uptake, not release; evaporation from soil is a separate process at the soil surface; and condensation into clouds is part of the broader water cycle, not transpiration.