In HTML, which tag is most directly used to render text in an italic style for visual emphasis?

Introduction / Context:
HTML provides several tags to change the appearance or meaning of text. Historically, tags like <i> and <b> were used for purely visual styling such as italics or bold. More recent standards encourage semantic tags like <em> and <strong>, but knowledge of the classic presentational tags is still tested in basic web technology questions. This question specifically asks which tag is directly associated with rendering text in an italic style.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are considering standard HTML tags supported by common browsers.
• The goal is to display text in italics for visual emphasis.
• The question uses traditional tag names rather than CSS styling.

Concept / Approach:
The <i> tag historically instructs the browser to render its content in italic type. It is primarily presentational, although in HTML5 it is sometimes interpreted as offset text in a different voice or mood. The <b> tag makes text bold, <u> underlines text, and <strong> indicates strong importance, often rendered in bold. Since the question focuses on making text italic rather than bold or underlined, <i> is the most direct answer among the options provided.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify which tags in the options are associated with specific visual styles.Step 2: Recognise that <i> is traditionally linked to italic style, <b> and <strong> to bold, and <u> to underlining.Step 3: Option A provides <i>, which is the classic tag for italics.Step 4: Options B, C and D correspond to other text styles and are therefore not correct for italics.Step 5: Select option A as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you write <i>Hello</i> in an HTML document and view it in a browser, the word Hello appears in italics. Using <b>Hello</b> produces bold text instead, and <u>Hello</u> underlines it. <strong>Hello</strong> typically appears bold to indicate importance. This direct experiment confirms that <i> is the appropriate tag when the question is about an italic style.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, <b>, is for bold text, not italics. Option C, <u>, is for underlining, and is less commonly used in modern HTML because underlines often indicate links. Option D, <strong>, is a semantic tag for strong importance, usually rendered in bold, not italics. None of these match the requirement as precisely as <i> does.

Common Pitfalls:
Developers sometimes confuse <i> with <em>, which also often appears in italics but has semantic meaning of emphasis. Another pitfall is relying entirely on presentational tags instead of using CSS for styling. While best practice is to use semantic tags plus CSS, exam questions at the introductory level often focus on these classic HTML tags, so it is useful to remember their default visual effects.

Final Answer:
<i>