Which theory states that electron pairs repel and molecules adjust their shapes to maximize distance between them?

• A. Hybridization
• B. Dipole
• C. VSEPR theory
• D. London dispersion forces

Answer: (C)

Electron domains around a central atom repel one another, so they arrange themselves to minimize repulsion. This arrangement determines the shape of the molecule, which is exactly what VSEPR theory describes. According to this view, both bonding pairs and lone pairs are electron domains that push on each other, and the geometry that results is the one that keeps these repulsions as small as possible. That’s why methane has a tetrahedral arrangement with four bonding domains, and why water ends up bent: two bonding pairs and two lone pairs compress the bond angle from the ideal value, giving a characteristic V shape around the oxygen.

Other ideas don’t explain this geometric outcome. Hybridization deals with mixing atomic orbitals to form bonds, but it doesn’t inherently explain how electron pairs arrange themselves to minimize repulsion. Dipole concepts address polarity, not the arrangement of electron pairs. London dispersion forces describe weak intermolecular attractions, not the arrangement of electrons around a single atom to shape a molecule.