Consider the following sources of world water supply and arrange them in descending order.

Question

Consider the following sources of world water supply and arrange them in descending order.

1. Oceans

2. Rivers

3. Polar ice and Glaciers

4. Ground water

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. 1, 3, 4, 2 (Correct answer)
2. B. 1, 2, 4, 3
3. C. 1, 2, 3, 4
4. D. 1, 4, 3, 2

Correct Answer

Option A — 1, 3, 4, 2

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is 1, 3, 4, 2.

Key Points

Arranging the world's water by volume, in descending order:

• 1. Oceans — about 97% of all water on Earth (saline).
• 3. Polar ice and glaciers — about 2%, the largest store of fresh water.
• 4. Groundwater — under 1%, but the largest store of *usable* liquid fresh water.
• 2. Rivers — a tiny fraction of a percent, the smallest of the four.
• The order is 1 → 3 → 4 → 2, option (a).

Additional Information

• Only about 2.5-3% of the Earth's water is fresh, and of that, roughly two-thirds is locked in ice caps and glaciers, leaving very little accessible for human use.
• Antarctica holds the largest single mass of ice, and hence the largest single store of fresh water on the planet.
• Despite being negligible in volume, rivers matter out of all proportion because they are renewable and rapidly cycled — a river's water is replaced in days or weeks, while deep groundwater may take thousands of years.
• The hydrological cycle is driven by solar energy through evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration and runoff, and the total quantity of water on Earth remains constant.