A generating station is a plant in which energy from coal, oil, natural gas, water, or atom is converted into electrical energy.

• A. A plant that stores electrical energy
• B. A plant that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy
• C. A plant in which energy from fossil fuels, water, or atomic sources is converted into electrical energy
• D. A plant that generates sound energy

Answer: (C)

Generating electricity from different energy sources by turning that energy into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy is what a generating station does. Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) release chemical energy as they burn, which heats water to make steam that drives turbines connected to generators; hydroelectric plants use the potential energy of water to turn turbines; nuclear plants use heat from fission to produce steam that drives the same turbine-generator setup. So the description that energy from fossil fuels, water, or atomic sources is converted into electrical energy matches exactly how a generating station works. The other ideas describe storing energy, using electrical energy to do work (a motor), or producing sound, none of which describe electricity generation.