How does the escape of faster molecules from a water surface during evaporation affect temperature?

Correct answer: The remaining surface may become relatively cooler

Correct answer: A. Molecules in liquid water have a range of kinetic energies. Some of the faster, more energetic molecules at the surface can escape into the air during evaporation. The molecules left behind then have a slightly lower average kinetic energy, so the liquid surface may cool relative to its earlier state. Heat from the surroundings can later replace this energy, which is why evaporation often produces cooling. A is correct because it describes evaporative cooling without claiming that cooling must always be large. B is wrong because evaporation can occur below the boiling point and does not necessarily cause boiling. C is wrong because evaporation does not make air pressure zero. D is wrong because water vapour does not turn into rock. Memory cue: fast molecules leave, average energy falls, surface cools.