Which statement best describes a mixture?

• A. A blend of two or more substances that keep their original properties
• B. A substance with a fixed composition that cannot be separated
• C. A substance formed when two elements react to form a new compound
• D. A substance that cannot be separated into components

Answer: (A)

Mixtures are made of two or more substances that keep their own properties when combined, and they can be separated by physical methods. This means elements or compounds in a mixture don’t chemically bond to form something new; they simply coexist and can be pulled apart by processes like filtration, distillation, or evaporation. The statement describes exactly this idea: a blend of two or more substances that keep their original properties. For example, air is a mixture of gases that each retain its own characteristics, and table salt dissolved in water forms a mixture where both components remain identifiable. The other descriptions point to pure substances or compounds (fixed composition, or formed by a chemical reaction) and don’t capture the idea of a mixture being separable into its parts.