Question

question 9 10 pts every winter, freezing water expands in the cracks of the canyon walls. this process helps to ______ the canyon every year. ○ deepen ○ widen ○ lighten ○ lengthen

Explanation:

When water freezes in the cracks of canyon walls, it expands. This expansion exerts pressure on the rock, causing the cracks to widen and the canyon walls to break apart more, which leads to the canyon becoming wider over time. "Deepen" would relate to making the canyon deeper (like from water erosion over time vertically), "lighten" doesn't make sense in this context (as the canyon isn't becoming lighter in weight or appearance due to this process), and "lengthen" would be about making the canyon longer horizontally along its length, but freezing water in cracks affects the width of the canyon walls. So the correct term is "widen".

Answer:

B. widen