Final answer:
Strong acids and bases fully ionize in water, turning into strong electrolytes, whereas weak acids and bases only partially ionize, making them weak electrolytes. Hence, the correct answer is: a) Strong acids & bases fully ionize; weak acids & bases partially ionize.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is about the behavior of strong acids & bases as well as weak acids & bases in water.
Strong acids and strong bases fully ionize in water due to their ability to react completely with water to produce ions. This means that they dissociate completely into their constituent ions (H+ and the corresponding anion for acids, OH- and the corresponding cation for bases) when dissolved in water. As a result, they are referred to as strong electrolytes.
Weak acids and weak bases, on the other hand, only partially ionize in water. This is because only a fraction of their molecules react to produce ions when dissolved. Since not all the molecules dissociate into ions, the solution contains a mixture of the non-ionized form and the ions formed. Thus, weak acids and bases are considered to be weak electrolytes.
Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is: a) Strong acids & bases fully ionize; weak acids & bases partially ionize