Which of the following would cause the evaporation rate of a liquid to decrease?

• A. Lowering the temperature of the liquid
• B. Decreasing the atmospheric pressure above the liquid
• C. Blowing air across the surface of the liquid
• D. Increasing the surface area of the liquid

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand that evaporation is the process where molecules at the surface of a liquid gain enough energy to enter the gas phase.
2. Recognize that the evaporation rate depends on factors such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, surface area, and air movement above the liquid.
3. Analyze how lowering the temperature affects evaporation: since temperature is related to the average kinetic energy of molecules, lowering it reduces the number of molecules with enough energy to evaporate, thus decreasing the evaporation rate.
4. Consider the effect of decreasing atmospheric pressure: lower pressure above the liquid allows molecules to escape more easily, which tends to increase evaporation rate, not decrease it.
5. Evaluate blowing air across the surface and increasing surface area: both actions increase evaporation by removing vapor molecules or providing more surface for evaporation, so they do not decrease the evaporation rate.