Answer the following question given this paragraph: 

The rigid crystals of ionic compounds are brittle. They are more likely to break than bend when struck. As a result, ionic crystals tend to shatter easily. Try striking salt crystals with a hammer and you’ll find that they readily break into smaller pieces. You can learn more about the properties of ionic compounds by watching the video at this URL:.


Q: When struck, how are the rigid crystals of ionic compounds likely to react?

 Choices:

- shrink

- bend

- grow

- break

A:
break
