Consider the following statements : Coke is one of the materials of the charge added to blast furnace for the production of steel/iron. Its function is to I. act as a reducing agent. II. remove silica associated with the iron ore. III. function as fuel, to supply heat. IV. act as an oxidizing agent. Of these statements:

Coke in a blast furnace serves primarily as both the fuel and the chemical reducing agent. The carbon in coke combusts with the blast air to generate heat and CO, and that CO reduces iron oxides to metallic iron—so statements I and III are correct [2]. The removal of silica and other gangue components occurs through fluxing (limestone or dolomite) which forms molten slag that incorporates silicates; this is the role of the flux, not coke [3]. Coke therefore does not remove silica by itself, nor does it act as an oxidizing agent (statement IV is incorrect). Hence only I and III are true.

Sources

1. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/blast-furnace-process
2. [2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/metallurgical-coke
3. [3] https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-11/documents/c12s05.pdf