Why do mirrors reflect images?

Answer: A smooth surface reflects light at matching angles, keeping the image.

A silver coating makes a copy of the image from incoming light. — Wrong. This gets the coating part right: mirrors usually have a reflective metal layer. But the coating does not duplicate an image; it reflects light according to the same angle rule. The image comes from many reflected rays preserving their arrangement, not from a copy made by the silver.

A smooth surface reflects light at matching angles, keeping the image. ✓ — Correct! A mirror's smooth surface reflects each ray so the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. Light from every point on the object follows that same rule, so the eye receives a consistent pattern and sees an image. A rough surface scatters the light instead, blurring the image.

The mirror sends light straight back along the path it arrived. — Wrong. This fits a mirror face-on, where light can return along its incoming path. But a mirror generally reflects light at matching angles, not always straight back. That angle-preserving reflection is what keeps the image together; straight-back reflection would not explain the image seen from an angle.