Which term is used to describe the lightness or darkness of a color?

• A. Value
• B. Hue
• C. Shade
• D. Tone

Answer: (A)

Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, describing how bright or dark it appears independent of its hue. Artists use value to map light and shadow, creating contrast and modeling form. Hue refers to the color family, shade is a darker version produced by adding black, and tone is a color softened by adding gray. So, for describing how light or dark a color is, value is the correct term.