Which of the following describes an independent variable?
answer= controlled by the experimenting scientist.(apex)

The best sentence that describe an independent variable would be : The factor in an experiment that could be deliberately changed.
The scientist use deliberately change this factor to find out which factor actually caused the occurrence in the experiment.

Hope this helps

Iwould say overuse ( but not 100% sure ) in the u.s. we tend to overuse water by leaving it running, throwing it away, taking long showers, etc.