Context: The passage below describes an experiment. Read the passage and think about the variables that are described.

Liam's grandmother suggested that soaking berries in hot water might help prevent the berries from getting moldy.
To test this idea, Liam harvested fresh blackberries and divided them evenly into eight bowls. He filled four of the bowls with room temperature water and the other four bowls with water heated to 125°F. Liam let all of the berries soak in the water for 30 seconds. Then, he poured out the water and dried the berries. Liam placed the two groups of bowls in the refrigerator, keeping each group separate. After five days, Liam counted the number of moldy blackberries in each bowl.
Hint: An independent variable is a variable whose effect you are investigating. A dependent variable is a variable that you measure.
Figure: harvesting blackberries.
Which of the following was an independent variable in this experiment?
A. the number of moldy blackberries
B. the temperature of the water
Choose the right answer from the options and respond with its letter.

B