Which property of Y was lower than X in the equal-heat absorption scenario?

• A. conductive heat
• B. heat of fusion
• C. specific heat
• D. heat of vaporization

Answer: (C)

Think about how heat added to a substance translates into a temperature rise. The key relationship is q = m c ΔT, where q is the heat added, m is the mass, c is the specific heat, and ΔT is the temperature change. For the same mass and the same amount of heat added, a substance with a smaller specific heat will warm up more (larger ΔT) than a substance with a larger specific heat.

If Y shows a greater change in temperature under the same heat input, that indicates Y has a lower specific heat than X. The specific heat is the property that directly links how much energy is needed to raise temperature, so it’s the property that would be lower for Y in this equal-heat absorption scenario.

The other options describe different ideas: heat of fusion and heat of vaporization are latent heats needed for phase changes, and conductive heat relates to how heat is transferred, not how much temperature changes per unit energy. They don’t explain the immediate temperature response to a fixed amount of heat as specifically as specific heat does.