Which backup type backs up changes since the last full backup?

Which backup type backs up changes since the last full backup?

• A. Incremental backups changes since last backup
• B. Differential backups changes since last full backup
• C. Full backups everything
• D. Incremental backups wipe all previous backups

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how backup types capture data changes. In particular, incremental backups are designed to save only what has changed since the last backup was made. That means each incremental backup records new or modified files since the most recent backup, whether that last backup was a full backup or another incremental one. This approach makes each subsequent backup smaller and faster, and restoring requires the last full backup plus every incremental backup that followed. If the wording were strictly “changes since the last full backup,” the best fit would be differential backups, which specifically collect all changes since that last full backup. In practice, some questions use the phrasing “since the last backup” to refer to incremental backups, hence the answer reflecting incremental in that context. So, incremental backups are about changes since the last backup, which is why they’re chosen in many scenarios where backups accumulate over time, though the precise wording of the prompt can point to differential in a stricter interpretation.

The concept being tested is how backup types capture data changes. In particular, incremental backups are designed to save only what has changed since the last backup was made. That means each incremental backup records new or modified files since the most recent backup, whether that last backup was a full backup or another incremental one. This approach makes each subsequent backup smaller and faster, and restoring requires the last full backup plus every incremental backup that followed.

If the wording were strictly “changes since the last full backup,” the best fit would be differential backups, which specifically collect all changes since that last full backup. In practice, some questions use the phrasing “since the last backup” to refer to incremental backups, hence the answer reflecting incremental in that context.

So, incremental backups are about changes since the last backup, which is why they’re chosen in many scenarios where backups accumulate over time, though the precise wording of the prompt can point to differential in a stricter interpretation.