Answer : Option 2) providing an alternate reaction pathway that has a lower activation energy
Explanation : When a catalyst is added to a chemical reaction it increases the rate of reaction by lowering the energy of activation. It provides an alternate pathway for a reaction to proceed with a lower Ea energy. Usually a catalyst never gets consumed in the reaction process. It will appear in the reaction mechanism steps but not in the overall reaction like reactants and products.
The answer is (2) providing an alternate reaction pathway that has a lower activation energy. The lower activation energy will lead to the increase of rate of the reaction.
