Final answer:
The correct answer is c) Repulsion, Attract. Lone pairs of electrons occupy more space around the central atom than bonding pairs, which leads to a stronger electrostatic repulsion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer is c) Repulsion, Attract.
Lone pairs of electrons occupy more space around the central atom than bonding pairs, which leads to a stronger electrostatic repulsion. As a result, nonbonding (lone) pairs repel bonding pairs more strongly than bonding pairs repel each other.
For example, in a molecule with one lone pair and two bonding pairs, such as SO₂, there is one repulsion between the lone pair and each bonding pair, while there is only one repulsion between the two bonding pairs. Therefore, the repulsion between the lone pair and the bonding pairs is stronger.