Which property describes bases in chemistry?

• A. Acids
• B. Bases
• C. Salts
• D. Oxides

Answer: (B)

Bases are substances that can accept hydrogen ions (protons) from acids or donate electron pairs, and in water they form hydroxide ions, which raises the solution’s pH above 7. This gives bases characteristic behaviors like turning red litmus blue and often feeling slippery. The option that naming the category which exhibits this behavior is the best fit, because it directly identifies what these substances are—bases. Acids describe the opposite role (donating protons), salts are products formed from acid–base reactions, and oxides cover a broad range of compounds with varying acidic or basic behavior, not the defining property of bases themselves. So the term that best describes the property of these substances is bases.