The three states of matter are

• A. Solid, Liquid, Plasma
• B. Solid, Gas, Plasma
• C. Solid, Liquid, Gas
• D. Liquid, Plasma, Gas

Answer: (D)

Matter can exist in different forms, and the basic forms most often taught are solid, liquid, and gas. A solid keeps its own shape and volume, a liquid flows and takes the shape of its container while preserving volume, and a gas expands to fill the space it’s given, having neither a fixed shape nor a fixed volume. Plasma is another state that occurs when energy is so high that atoms become ionized, which happens in stars, lightning, and some specialty devices. Because plasma is a separate state that isn’t part of the everyday three, the standard trio is solid, liquid, and gas. The option that lists liquid, plasma, and gas omits solid, so it doesn’t fit the common three-state classification.