The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, where a pH of 7 is considered neutral. A pH less than 7 indicates acidity, and a pH greater than 7 indicates basicity.
Given that the student's water sample has a pH of 6.0, this value is below 7, indicating that the water is acidic. Since 6.0 is close to 7 but not extremely low, it would be classified as "slightly acidic."
Therefore, the best description of this sample of water is:
a. slightly acidic