The Green River, the Dolores River, and the San Juan River flow into the Colorado River. What term describes these rivers?

The Green River, the Dolores River, and the San Juan River flow into the Colorado River. What term describes these rivers?

• A. Inlets
• B. Confluents
• C. Distributaries
• D. Tributaries

Answer: (D)

A tributary is a smaller river or stream that flows into a larger one, adding its water to the main stem. Since the Green River, the Dolores River, and the San Juan River all flow into the Colorado River, they are tributaries of the Colorado. The term confluence describes the meeting point of two rivers, not the relationship itself, so it isn’t the right label here. Distributaries branch away from a river (as at a delta), and inlets are coastal water openings, so those terms don’t fit this inland river network either.

A tributary is a smaller river or stream that flows into a larger one, adding its water to the main stem. Since the Green River, the Dolores River, and the San Juan River all flow into the Colorado River, they are tributaries of the Colorado. The term confluence describes the meeting point of two rivers, not the relationship itself, so it isn’t the right label here. Distributaries branch away from a river (as at a delta), and inlets are coastal water openings, so those terms don’t fit this inland river network either.