Sam is standing in an empty auditorium. He yells and hears his voice echo. What is happening to the sound to cause this echo?

Question

A.
distribution of the sound waves through the auditorium
B.
absorption of the sound waves by his voice
C.
transmission of the sound waves within his ears
D.
reflection of sound waves off the walls

Answer 1

The correct answer is: D. reflection of sound waves off the walls.

An echo occurs when sound waves travel from the source (Sam's voice), bounce off surfaces (the walls of the auditorium), and return to the listener's ears after a delay. This is a result of the reflection of sound waves.