A rock that allows water to pass through it is described as what?

A rock that allows water to pass through it is described as what?

• A. Permeable
• B. Impermeable
• C. Porous
• D. Dense

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how easily fluids can move through a rock, which depends on interconnected pore spaces. Permeability describes that ability—how readily water can flow from one pore to another through connected pathways. So a rock that allows water to pass through it is permeable. Porous describes having many voids, but those voids must be connected to enable flow; a rock can be porous yet have low permeability if the spaces aren’t connected. Impermeable means the opposite of allowing flow, and dense suggests tight packing with little space, typically implying low permeability. Therefore, the best description is permeable.

The key idea is how easily fluids can move through a rock, which depends on interconnected pore spaces. Permeability describes that ability—how readily water can flow from one pore to another through connected pathways. So a rock that allows water to pass through it is permeable. Porous describes having many voids, but those voids must be connected to enable flow; a rock can be porous yet have low permeability if the spaces aren’t connected. Impermeable means the opposite of allowing flow, and dense suggests tight packing with little space, typically implying low permeability. Therefore, the best description is permeable.