Which statement about parity memory is true?

Which statement about parity memory is true?

• A. Parity memory detects single-bit errors but cannot fix them.
• B. Parity memory corrects single-bit errors automatically.
• C. Parity memory detects double-bit errors only.
• D. Parity memory does not detect any errors.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how parity memory works to catch mistakes. Parity memory uses an extra parity bit to track whether the number of ones in a data word is even or odd. If a single bit flips, the parity check won’t match, so the system detects that an error occurred. But that extra bit doesn’t tell you which bit flipped, nor does it fix it automatically—that requires a more advanced scheme like ECC. Because of this, parity memory can catch single-bit errors but cannot correct them on its own, and it doesn’t reliably detect all double-bit errors.

The idea being tested is how parity memory works to catch mistakes. Parity memory uses an extra parity bit to track whether the number of ones in a data word is even or odd. If a single bit flips, the parity check won’t match, so the system detects that an error occurred. But that extra bit doesn’t tell you which bit flipped, nor does it fix it automatically—that requires a more advanced scheme like ECC. Because of this, parity memory can catch single-bit errors but cannot correct them on its own, and it doesn’t reliably detect all double-bit errors.