ASCII encoding characteristics: which statement is accurate?

ASCII encoding characteristics: which statement is accurate?

• A. ASCII encodes 128–256 characters using 7/8 bits.
• B. ASCII uses Unicode encoding.
• C. ASCII is a 32-bit encoding.
• D. ASCII stores data in decimal.

Answer: (A)

ASCII uses 7 bits to represent characters, giving 128 distinct codes for the standard set. In practice, these codes are stored in a byte (8 bits) on modern systems, so the extra bit is often unused or used for extended schemes, which is why you’ll sometimes see the idea of 128–256 possibilities described with 7/8 bits. This captures both the original 7-bit scope and how bytes are used today. ASCII is not Unicode, which is a much larger encoding system designed to cover many more characters and symbols. It also isn’t a 32-bit encoding, and characters aren’t stored as decimal numbers; they’re stored as binary codes.

ASCII uses 7 bits to represent characters, giving 128 distinct codes for the standard set. In practice, these codes are stored in a byte (8 bits) on modern systems, so the extra bit is often unused or used for extended schemes, which is why you’ll sometimes see the idea of 128–256 possibilities described with 7/8 bits. This captures both the original 7-bit scope and how bytes are used today.

ASCII is not Unicode, which is a much larger encoding system designed to cover many more characters and symbols. It also isn’t a 32-bit encoding, and characters aren’t stored as decimal numbers; they’re stored as binary codes.