Which statement about Earth's water is true?

Which statement about Earth's water is true?

• A. The vast majority of Earth's water is freshwater.
• B. Saltwater is the less common form of Earth's water.
• C. Freshwater makes up more than half of Earth's water.
• D. The vast majority of Earth's water is salt water.

Answer: (D)

The main idea is how Earth's water is distributed between saltwater and freshwater. About 97% of Earth's water is saltwater found in the oceans, while only about 3% is freshwater. Of that freshwater, most is locked in ice caps and glaciers, with only a small portion flowing in rivers and stored in lakes and groundwater. So freshwater is not the majority; saltwater is the vast majority. That makes the statement about most of Earth's water being saltwater true. The other options conflict with the large amount of water stored as saltwater and the relatively small, often inaccessible portion of freshwater.

The main idea is how Earth's water is distributed between saltwater and freshwater. About 97% of Earth's water is saltwater found in the oceans, while only about 3% is freshwater. Of that freshwater, most is locked in ice caps and glaciers, with only a small portion flowing in rivers and stored in lakes and groundwater. So freshwater is not the majority; saltwater is the vast majority. That makes the statement about most of Earth's water being saltwater true. The other options conflict with the large amount of water stored as saltwater and the relatively small, often inaccessible portion of freshwater.