Which term describes the property that allows acids to eat away metals?

• A. Indicator
• B. Corrosive
• C. Base
• D. Matter

Answer: (B)

The property being described is corrosiveness—the ability of a substance to chemically wear away or break down materials, such as metals, through reaction. Acids are often corrosive because they react with metal atoms to form dissolved metal ions and sometimes hydrogen gas, gradually dissolving the metal. That’s why acids are described as corrosive in safety and chemistry contexts.

The other terms don’t fit this idea. An indicator is simply something that signals a change, like pH, rather than describing how substances interact with metals. A base is a different kind of compound with different chemical behavior, and matter is a general category for anything that has mass and volume, not a property about destroying materials.