Final answer:
The shirt that absorbs violet, blue, green, yellow, and orange would appear red because red is the color that is not absorbed and therefore is reflected to our eyes.
Step-by-step explanation:
If we were to look at a shirt that absorbed the colors violet, blue, green, yellow, and orange, the shirt would appear to be the complementary color of the absorbed light. According to color theory and the subtractive color model, an object reflects the colors that it does not absorb. Therefore, since the colors violet, blue, green, yellow, and orange are absorbed, the remaining color, which in this case is red, is the one that is reflected, making the shirt appear red. This is based on the concept that each color on the color wheel has a complementary color directly opposite it.
In the case mentioned, where the shirt absorbs violet, blue, green, yellow, and orange, we use the color wheel to deduce that the complementary color of this combination is the color that is not being absorbed, which is red. Thus, the correct answer is that the shirt would appear to be red.