What are the three stages of the water cycle?

The water cycle consists of three primary processes: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Evaporation is the first stage, where water from oceans, lakes, and rivers turns into water vapor due to heat from the sun. This process removes moisture from the liquid state and allows it to rise into the atmosphere.

The second stage, condensation, occurs when the water vapor cools and transforms back into liquid form, leading to the formation of clouds. This process is crucial because it is how water returns to a liquid state after being in the gaseous form.

Finally, precipitation is the third stage of the water cycle, which involves the falling of water back to the earth in various forms such as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. This stage returns water to the land and bodies of water, allowing the cycle to continue.

These stages accurately represent the cyclical nature of water moving through different states and positions within the environment, emphasizing the interconnectedness of atmospheric and terrestrial water processes. The options provided that reference stages like absorption, transpiration, freezing, and infiltration do not encompass the fundamental processes of the water cycle in the same direct manner.