Under which of the following conditions will the process of evaporation be slowest?

The correct option is Both surface area and temperature decrease.

Evaporation is a surface phenomenon in which liquid water turns into water vapor. The rate of evaporation depends on several physical factors:

1. Surface Area: Evaporation takes place from the surface of the liquid. A larger surface area allows more water molecules to escape into the air simultaneously, thereby increasing the rate of evaporation. Conversely, decreasing the surface area reduces the exposed liquid area, which slows down the process.

2. Temperature: Higher temperatures provide more kinetic energy to the liquid molecules, enabling a larger fraction of them to overcome intermolecular forces and escape into the vapor state. When the temperature decreases, the average kinetic energy of the molecules drops, leading to a lower rate of evaporation.

Therefore, when both the surface area and the temperature decrease, the rate of evaporation reaches its slowest point among the given conditions.