The description 'molten rock above the surface' best matches which term?

• A. Lava
• B. Magma
• C. Volcano
• D. Mantle

Answer: (A)

Molten rock above the surface is lava. When magma erupts onto the surface, it becomes lava, flowing or bursting out as molten rock. Magma is molten rock still underground, stored in chambers and moving through the mantle or crust. A volcano is the geological structure through which magma and lava reach the surface, not the molten rock itself. The mantle is a deep layer of Earth beneath the crust where rocks can melt, but it’s not molten rock that has erupted onto the surface. So the description points to lava—the molten rock that has made it to the surface.