Among clay, loam, and sand, which value is the smallest soil capacity (inches per hour)?

• A. 1/8 inch
• B. 1/2 inch
• C. 1 inch
• D. 1/4 inch

Answer: (D)

Infiltration capacity tells you how fast water can enter the soil, measured in inches per hour, and texture drives it: sandy soils have larger pores and infiltrate quickly, loams are in between, and clays infiltrate slowly because their tiny pores and tight structure resist water movement. Because clay yields the slowest infiltration among those textures, the smallest value among the options corresponds to that slow rate. Here that smallest value is 1/4 inch per hour, which fits the slower-infiltration expectation for clay in typical classroom ranges. The larger numbers, 1/2 and 1 inch per hour, reflect faster infiltration you’d expect for loam or sand, while a value like 1/8 inch per hour would imply an even slower rate not represented by the three textures in this set.