मृदा के छिद्रों में जल की ऊपर की ओर गति के लिए प्राथमिक रूप से कौन सी भौतिक परिघटना जिम्मेदार है?

Given below are two statements, one labeled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R): Assertion (A): A considerable amount of water is retained in the soil due to capillary action. Reason (R): Water exhibits high surface tension compared to most other common liquids. In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer:

On a clean glass plate, a drop of water spreads to form a thin layer whereas a drop of mercury remains almost spherical. This is because: