To accurately measure the volume of a liquid, the most appropriate instruments are a graduated cylinder or a burette.

Both graduated cylinders and burettes are laboratory tools designed to measure liquid volumes with precision. Typically crafted from transparent glass or plastic, these instruments feature graduated markings along their sides to indicate volume levels. The selection between a graduated cylinder and a burette largely depends on the required measurement accuracy.

A graduated cylinder is a simple, closed-ended tube marked with volume increments from the bottom to the top. It is ideal for relatively rough measurements of liquid volumes. To use a graduated cylinder, one simply pours the liquid into the cylinder and reads the liquid level against the scale. The accuracy of a graduated cylinder can vary, but it generally maintains an accuracy within $1\%$ of the actual volume.

Conversely, a burette is designed for greater precision. It consists of a long, narrow tube equipped with a stopcock at the bottom and volume markings along its length. To measure a liquid volume with a burette, the instrument is filled with the liquid, and the stopcock is opened to allow the liquid to flow out. The volume dispensed can then be read off the scale with high accuracy, typically within $0.1\%$ of the actual volume.

In addition to graduated cylinders and burettes, other instruments such as pipettes and volumetric flasks are also essential for measuring liquid volumes, particularly in analytical chemistry where high precision and accuracy are crucial. A pipette is a slender tube with a bulb in the middle, designed for drawing up and dispensing specific volumes of liquid. A volumetric flask, on the other hand, features a narrow neck and a flat bottom, marked with a line to indicate a precise volume. It is commonly used to prepare solutions of known concentration.

In summary, the choice of instrument for measuring liquid volume depends on the precision required. For approximate measurements, a graduated cylinder is adequate, whereas for more precise measurements, a burette, pipette, or volumetric flask is recommended.