To answer this question, we need to understand the concept of subnet masks and classful addressing.
In classful addressing, IP addresses are divided into three main classes: Class A, Class B, and Class C. Each class has a default subnet mask associated with it.
Class C addresses are used for small networks, as they provide a larger number of host addresses compared to Class A and Class B addresses. The default subnet mask for a Class C address is 255.255.255.0.
Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:
Option A) 255.0.0.0 - This option is incorrect because it represents the default subnet mask for a Class A address, not a Class C address.
Option B) 255.255.0.0 - This option is incorrect because it represents the default subnet mask for a Class B address, not a Class C address.
Option C) 255.255.255.0 - This option is correct because it represents the default subnet mask for a Class C address.
Option D) 255.255.255.255 - This option is incorrect because it represents a subnet mask with all bits set to 1, which is not a valid subnet mask for any class of IP address.
The correct answer is C) 255.255.255.0. This option is correct because it represents the default subnet mask for a Class C address.