Correct Response: A. There is a high tide on the side of Earth facing the Moon, but there is also a high tide on the side of Earth facing away from the Moon. The underlying reason for the formation of this opposite-side high tide is that the Moon's gravitational pull varies across Earth, creating one tidal bulge where the Moon's gravitational pull is strongest and one on the opposite side, where the Moon's gravitational pull is weakest. Frictional interactions between ocean water and the ocean floor (B) can affect local tide cycles, but not global-scale tidal phenomena. The Sun plays a supporting role in ocean tides (C), however its effects are much smaller than the Moon's in forming the tidal bulge that faces away from the Moon. Earth's axial tilt relative to the Moon (D) is not a major factor in the formation of ocean tides.
