Which term describes the absence of light?

• A. Achromatic
• B. Black
• C. Chroma
• D. Tint

Answer: (A)

Achromatic describes colors without hue, meaning neutral values that lack color saturation. In art and design, this category includes white, gray, and black, focusing on lightness rather than color. While black is literally the result of no light reaching the eye, achromatic is the term used to classify these no-hue values as a group. Chroma refers to color saturation, and a tint is a color lightened with white, both of which still carry hue. So, the idea of absence of light in terms of color classification is captured by achromatic, since it denotes colors without color (no hue), spanning the grayscale from white to black.