Consider the following statements: If there were no phenomenon of capillarity,  1) it would be difficult to use a kerosene lamp 2) one would not be able to use a straw to consume a soft drink 3) the blotting paper would fail to function 4) the big trees that we see around would not have grown on the Earth Which of the statements given above are correct?

The correct answer is B, which means statements 1, 3 and 4 are correct and statement 2 is wrong.

• Statement 1 is correct. A kerosene lamp wick draws oil up from the reservoir through the narrow spaces between its fibres. This upward movement of liquid through narrow spaces is capillary action.
• Statement 2 is wrong. Drinking through a straw works by suction. Lowering the pressure in the mouth lets atmospheric pressure push the liquid up the straw. Capillarity plays no meaningful role here.
• Statement 3 is correct. Blotting paper is a mass of fine, porous fibres. It soaks up ink by capillary action, which is why it works.
• Statement 4 is correct. Capillary rise in the narrow xylem vessels is one of the forces that help water move up the plant. Transpiration pull is the dominant mechanism, but capillarity contributes to the process, so the statement is treated as correct.

The core concept is capillarity, the rise or fall of liquids in narrow tubes or porous media, driven by adhesion and cohesion and surface tension. It links to plant physiology in Science and Tech and to water transport and soil moisture in Geography and Environment.

Trap: Aspirants often count the straw as capillarity because it involves liquid rising. The straw works by pressure difference, not capillary action.