Given below are two statements:

Statement I : Pressure of a fluid is exerted only on a solid surface in contact as the fluid-pressure does not exist everywhere in a still fluid.
Statement II: Excess potential energy of the molecules on the surface of a liquid, when compared to interior, results in surface tension.

In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below

We need to evaluate two statements about fluid mechanics.

Statement I: "Pressure of a fluid is exerted only on a solid surface in contact as the fluid-pressure does not exist everywhere in a still fluid."

This is FALSE. By Pascal's law, pressure in a fluid at rest acts at every point within the fluid equally in all directions. Fluid pressure exists throughout the fluid volume, not just at solid surfaces.

Statement II: "Excess potential energy of the molecules on the surface of a liquid, when compared to interior, results in surface tension."

This is TRUE. Interior molecules are surrounded by neighbours on all sides (net force is zero), while surface molecules lack neighbours above, resulting in fewer attractive interactions and higher potential energy. The liquid minimizes this excess surface energy by minimizing its surface area — this tendency manifests as surface tension.

The correct answer is Option (4): Statement I is false but Statement II is true.