Correct answer: A. Around zero
Explanation: The direct answer is A, around zero. Net energy change is found by subtracting outgoing energy from incoming energy: net change = incoming energy − outgoing energy. If the two amounts are equal, their difference is zero, so the Earth system is in energy balance. Option A is correct; “around zero” allows for the practical wording used in observations and diagrams, where values may be rounded. Option B, always highly positive, is wrong because a positive result would require incoming energy to be greater than outgoing energy. Option C, always highly negative, is wrong because a negative result would require outgoing energy to be greater. Option D, one hundred units, is unsupported because no numerical energy values are given and equality does not automatically produce 100 units. This balance does not mean that every location has the same temperature or that energy stops moving. It means that, for the system and time considered, gains and losses cancel. Memory cue: equal in and out means zero net change.