Which illocutionary act category corresponds to stating facts or describing states?

• A. Directive
• B. Commissive
• C. Expressive
• D. Representative

Answer: (D)

In illocutionary act theory, presenting factual information about the world—stating what is or isn’t the case, or describing a state—is the function of the Representative category. This type of utterance aims to convey information and make claims about how things are, and its truth can be evaluated against the real world. For example, saying “The water is boiling at 100°C” or “There are five apples on the table” describes the current state and is intended to inform.

That makes it the best match here because the purpose is to assert something about reality, not to get someone to do something (directives), not to commit to a future action (commissives), and not to express a feeling or attitude (expressives).