. Which characteristic of water will allow a paperclip to remain floating on water when the paperclip is gently placed on top of the water? 1. adhesion
2. surface tension
3. solvent properties
4. nonpolar

The answer is surface tension.

Explanation:

The high surface tension helps the paper clip - with much higher density - float on the water. The cohesive forces between liquid molecules are responsible for the phenomenon known as surface tension. hope this helps :)