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The correct answer identifies metals that can be extracted from their ores through a reduction process involving carbon, particularly in the form of carbon monoxide or carbon itself, which serves as a reducing agent.

Zinc, iron, tin, and copper are all metals that are typically extracted using carbon reduction because they are less reactive than carbon and can be displaced from their oxides during the smelting process. This method is common for extraction in metallurgical processes, such as in blast furnaces for iron production, where iron oxide (FeO or Fe2O3) is reduced using coke (a form of carbon).

Sodium and potassium are highly reactive alkali metals that cannot be extracted by this means; their reactivity requires more energy-intensive methods, often involving electrolysis. Aluminum and magnesium, on the other hand, are also extracted using electrolysis rather than carbon reduction due to their higher positions in the reactivity series. Gold and silver are noble metals that are typically found in their native states and do not require reduction from ores using carbon, as their extraction often involves different methods such as cyanidation or other chemical processes.

Thus, the association of zinc, iron, tin, and copper with carbon reduction highlights their relevant positions in metallurgical extraction techniques