What is the uninterrupted distance over which the wind blows without a significant change in direction?

• A. Span
• B. Exposure
• C. Trajectory
• D. Fetch

Answer: (D)

The key idea is how far wind can blow across open water in a single direction before it changes or meets land, because that distance sets how much energy is transferred into waves. This uninterrupted distance is called fetch. The longer the fetch, the more the wind can transfer energy to the water, allowing waves to grow larger (assuming wind speed and duration are sufficient). That’s why fetch is the best answer: it specifically denotes the distance over water the wind travels in one direction without a significant change in direction. The other terms don’t describe this distance: span isn’t a standard meteorological term for wind-run over water, exposure refers to how exposed an area is to wind rather than the distance wind travels, and trajectory means the path of a moving object, not the wind’s uninterrupted run over the water.