An area of land from which rain flows into a particular river or lake is a ...

• A. Precipitation
• B. Evaporation
• C. Drainage basin
• D. Surface runoff

Answer: (C)

The main idea is the drainage basin: the land area that collects rainfall and funnels it into a single river or lake. This zone includes all the streams, rivers, and lakes that ultimately drain toward the outlet, bounded by the surrounding high ground that forms the watershed divide. That’s why it’s the best fit—the term describes the geographic area that contributes water to the chosen body of water, not the water itself or the processes moving it. Precipitation is the rain input to the land, evaporation is water returning to the air, and surface runoff is water that moves over the land within the basin—part of the system, not the definition of the area itself.