Final answer:
A) Strong acid. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is a strong acid because it dissociates almost completely in water to form H+ and Cl-, making it a strong electrolyte.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns the classification of hydrochloric acid (HCl) in terms of its acid-base characteristics. HCl, when dissolved in water, reacts virtually completely to form hydrogen ions (H+) and chloride ions (Cl-), which is a characteristic of a strong acid.
Since HCl dissociates almost entirely in water, making it a strong electrolyte, the correct answer is option A) Strong acid. In contrast, a weak acid would only partially dissociate in water, resulting in a lower concentration of ions. HCl is recognized in various references as a strong acid, and it is often listed in tables that classify acids and bases by their strengths.
HCl is a strong acid, making it option A in your list. Strong acids react completely with water to produce H+ ions and are classified as strong electrolytes. Weak acids and bases, on the other hand, only partially react with water and generate relatively low concentrations of ions, making them weak electrolytes or non-electrolytes.