Secondary storage permanence – UGC NET Question

Secondary storage refers to non-volatile devices used for long-term retention of data and programs. Hard disks, solid state drives and optical discs are common examples that preserve information without continuous power. Users rely on these devices for storing operating systems, software and personal files. Thus, the devices described in the stem are secondary storage.

Option A:
Option A, volatile, would apply to RAM where data is lost when power is removed, so it does not describe permanent retention.

Option B:
Option B, primary, usually denotes main memory directly accessed by the CPU, which is typically volatile and smaller in capacity than secondary storage.

Option C:
Option C is correct because the key features mentioned—non-volatility and use for permanent data retention—are standard characteristics used to define secondary storage in ICT.

Option D:
Option D, cache, refers to a small, very fast memory that stores copies of frequently used data and is usually volatile, so it is not primarily for long-term retention.