Which term refers to the property of a material that can be drawn into a wire?

• A. Ductile
• B. Color
• C. Odor
• D. Malleable

Answer: (A)

Ductility is the property that allows a material to be drawn into a wire. When a material is ductile, it can undergo plastic deformation in tension without fracturing, so it can be pulled into slender, long wires. Metals like copper, silver, and gold are classic examples because their atoms can slide past each other under tensile stress and the metal maintains integrity as it elongates.

Malleability, by contrast, describes shaping a material by compressive forces, such as hammering into sheets. While a metal can be both ductile and malleable, the specific ability to be drawn into a wire is a tensile property, hence ductility. Color and odor are unrelated to this behavior.