Bits in a nibble – UGC NET Question

A nibble is defined as a group of four bits. It represents half of a standard 8-bit byte and is often used when working with single hexadecimal digits, since each hex digit maps to exactly four binary bits. Thus, a nibble consists of 4 bits.

Option A:
Option A, 8 bits, defines a byte rather than a nibble. A nibble is intentionally half the size of a byte.

Option B:
Option B, 2 bits, would be called a dibit or pair, not a nibble. It does not capture the structure commonly used with hexadecimal digits.

Option C:
Option C is correct because the term nibble arose specifically to describe a 4-bit quantity. This grouping is natural given the close link between 4 bits and one hex digit.

Option D:
Option D, 16 bits, describes a word or half-word in some architectures but is far larger than a nibble.