Which term refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a color?

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

Answer: (A)

Value describes the lightness or darkness of a color. It tells you how bright or dark a color appears, regardless of which hue it is. Hue is the actual color family (red, blue, yellow); a shade is a color darkened by adding black; a tone is a color adjusted with gray, which lowers saturation and can change lightness. Since the question asks about how light or dark the color is, the term value is the precise fit.