The table compares the characteristics of a substance in three different states of matter.

comparison of characteristics
characteristic state x state y state z
average speed of the molecules low greatest least
particle attraction/forces weak negligible strong

which of these best describes the state of the substance represented by state y?

a. it is a solid because there is negligible attraction between particles.
b. it is a liquid because there is negligible attraction between particles.
c. it is a liquid because the particles of the substance have the highest speeds.
d. it is a gas because the particles of the substance have the highest speeds.

It is a gas because the particles of the substance have the highest speeds.

There are three states of matter and these are;

The difference between the states of matter lies in;

Solid particles have the greatest magnitude of intermolecular forces and consequently a negligible average speed of particles.

In liquids, the magnitude of intermolecular forces is less than in solids hence the average speed of liquid particles is greater than that of solids.

In gases, the intermolecular forces are negligible hence the speed of gas particles is maximum.

Therefore, Y  is a gas because the particles of the substance have the highest speeds.

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alkaline metals are lithium, sodium, rubidium, potassium, cesium and francium.

alkali metals have electronegativity from 0.7 to 1, lowest in periodic table of elements, which means that alkali metals (i group in periodic table) has positive oxidation number in compounds.

electronegativity is a chemical property that describes the tendency of an atom to attract a shared pair of electrons towards itself.

alkaline metals (far left in main group) have lowest ionizations energy and easy remove valence electrons,

for example, potassium is the alkali metal and has a single valence electron in the outer electron shell.

electron configuration of potassium is: ₁₉k 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p⁶4s¹.

they can not exist alone in nature, because they are very reactive.