Which statement about TCP is correct?

Which statement about TCP is correct?

• A. It provides reliable, orderly delivery of data between hosts.
• B. It is a core transport-layer protocol of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite.
• C. It operates at the application layer.
• D. It is used exclusively for streaming video.

Answer: (B)

TCP’s place in the networking stack is the key idea. It is a core transport-layer protocol of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, meaning it sits between the application layer and the network layer (IP) and provides reliable, connection-oriented data transfer. This placement defines its primary role: ensuring data can be sent from one host to another with delivery guarantees, in order, and with mechanisms for retransmission, flow control, and congestion control. While TCP does provide reliable, in-order delivery, the most precise description is its position in the TCP/IP model as a transport-layer protocol. The statement that it operates at the application layer is incorrect, and it is not used exclusively for streaming video since many different applications rely on TCP.

TCP’s place in the networking stack is the key idea. It is a core transport-layer protocol of the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, meaning it sits between the application layer and the network layer (IP) and provides reliable, connection-oriented data transfer. This placement defines its primary role: ensuring data can be sent from one host to another with delivery guarantees, in order, and with mechanisms for retransmission, flow control, and congestion control. While TCP does provide reliable, in-order delivery, the most precise description is its position in the TCP/IP model as a transport-layer protocol. The statement that it operates at the application layer is incorrect, and it is not used exclusively for streaming video since many different applications rely on TCP.