Which phrase best describes a river's journey from source to mouth?

Which phrase best describes a river's journey from source to mouth?

• A. River Course
• B. Drainage Divide
• C. Estuary
• D. Headwaters

Answer: (A)

The journey of a river from its source to its mouth is described by its river course—the actual path the water follows downstream, through bends and channels, from where the river begins to where it ends at a larger body of water. The starting point, where water first collects, is called the headwaters, and the place where the river meets the sea, a lake, or another river is the mouth. A drainage divide is the high ground that separates adjacent drainage basins, not the path itself. An estuary is the tidal zone at the river’s mouth where freshwater mixes with seawater, not the route of the water. So the term that best captures the entire journey from source to mouth is the river course.

The journey of a river from its source to its mouth is described by its river course—the actual path the water follows downstream, through bends and channels, from where the river begins to where it ends at a larger body of water. The starting point, where water first collects, is called the headwaters, and the place where the river meets the sea, a lake, or another river is the mouth. A drainage divide is the high ground that separates adjacent drainage basins, not the path itself. An estuary is the tidal zone at the river’s mouth where freshwater mixes with seawater, not the route of the water. So the term that best captures the entire journey from source to mouth is the river course.