In color theory, brightness or saturation is referred to as what?

• A. Hue
• B. Value
• C. Saturation
• D. Temperature

Answer: (C)

Saturation describes how vivid or pure a color appears—the degree of colorfulness or intensity. It measures how much the color deviates from gray: high saturation means a strong, pure color, while low saturation means a washed-out or grayish color. Hue tells you which color family you’re looking at (red, blue, etc.), value (brightness) describes how light or dark the color is, and temperature refers to warmth or coolness. Because the question focuses on how bright or vivid the color looks, saturation is the best fit since it directly captures the color’s intensity.