The original ASCII code used ______ bits of each byte, reserving the last bit for error checking?

Correct option is C

The original ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) used 7 bits to represent characters. This allowed for 128 unique combinations (from 0 to 127). The 8th bit in a byte was often reserved for parity checking or other control functions, mainly for error detection.
Important Key Points:
1. ASCII is a 7-bit character encoding system used in computers and communication equipment.
2. It can represent 128 characters, including letters, digits, punctuation, and control characters.
3. The 8th bit (parity bit) was often used in error-checking protocols.
4. Modern systems usually extend ASCII to 8 bits (Extended ASCII), allowing 256 characters.
Knowledge Booster:
· Standard ASCII: 7 bits → 128 characters
· Extended ASCII: 8 bits → 256 characters (includes additional symbols and characters for non-English languages)
· Examples of ASCII:  • A = 65 = 1000001  • a = 97 = 1100001
· Parity bits are used in error detection methods like Even Parity and Odd Parity in data transmission.