UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

A hash function maps variable length data to a fixed length hash value or digest. Small changes in input produce very different outputs, making hashes useful for integrity verification. In ICT security, hash functions support digital signatures and password storage. Therefore, the function described is a hash function.

Option A:
Option A is correct because hash function is the accepted term for algorithms producing fixed length digests from arbitrary data.

Option B:
Option B, encrypt, describes reversible transformation for confidentiality, which is different from hashing’s typical one way nature.

Option C:
Option C, compress, aims to reduce data size and still allow reconstruction, whereas hash functions do not support recovery of original data.

Option D:
Option D, randomise, suggests arbitrary change without determinism, while hash functions are deterministic for a given input.