Which cycle involves evaporation, condensation, and precipitation?

• A. The carbon cycle
• B. The nitrogen cycle
• C. The phosphorus cycle
• D. The water cycle

Answer: (D)

This is about the water cycle, which describes how Earth's freshwater moves between air, land, and bodies of water. Evaporation turns liquid water from oceans, lakes, and soil into water vapor, with plants also contributing through transpiration. Condensation then cools that vapor into droplets that form clouds. Precipitation releases water from the clouds back to the surface as rain, snow, or other forms. Together, these steps show how water continuously circulates, fueling weather, climate, and ecosystems. The other cycles involve different processes—carbon moves between organisms, air, and rocks; nitrogen involves transformations like fixation and nitrification; phosphorus moves from rocks into soil and organisms. None of those cycles hinge on evaporation and condensation as their primary steps, so they don’t fit the described trio.