Which statement correctly describes how water forms?

• A. Water forms through ionic bonds between hydrogen and oxygen.
• B. Water forms by sharing one electron between hydrogen and oxygen.
• C. Water forms by transferring electrons from hydrogen to oxygen.
• D. Water forms by sharing two pairs of electrons between two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

Answer: (D)

Water forms through covalent bonding, where atoms share electrons rather than transfer them. Oxygen has six valence electrons and needs two more to complete its octet, while each hydrogen needs one electron. By sharing electrons, oxygen forms a bond with each hydrogen, creating two O–H covalent bonds. Each bond involves a pair of shared electrons, so there are two pairs of electrons being shared in total between the oxygen atom and the two hydrogen atoms. This is the description that best matches how water molecules are built. The other descriptions imply electron transfer or single-electron sharing, which do not describe the actual bonding in water.