Which of the following is not listed as a primary process driving the water cycle in this material?

• A. Infiltration.
• B. Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, and Collection/Runoff.
• C. Condensation, Evaporation, Precipitation, and Transpiration.
• D. Precipitation, Evaporation, Condensation, and Infiltration.

Answer: (B)

Water moves through the cycle mainly by processes that change the water's state or move it into and through the ground—evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration. Runoff or collection is a way water travels across the surface after precipitation, not one of the primary driving processes listed in this material. So a grouping that includes collection/runoff alongside the standard phase-change processes contains something that isn’t treated as a primary driver in the material, making it the not-listed option. The other groupings consist only of processes regarded as primary drivers.