Final answer:
Vodka is made from wheat, rye, and potatoes, all of which can be distilled into ethanol and mixed with water to create the spirit. '80 proof' vodka consists of 40.0% ethanol by volume. Of the ingredients, wheat was not originated in the New World.
Step-by-step explanation:
Vodka is made from a variety of ingredients, which can include wheat, rye, and potatoes. This means that the correct answer to what vodka is generally made from would be d) All of the above. These ingredients, once fermented, are distilled to create ethanol, and vodka is essentially a solution of ethanol in water. Commercially, vodka is typically sold as "80 proof," indicating that it has 40.0% ethanol by volume. The density of pure ethanol is crucial in the distillation and bottling process. It should be noted that while the crops wheat, rye, and potatoes can all be used to produce vodka, wheat is an Old World crop and was not originally found in the New World, unlike potatoes which came from there.