MCQ Detailed View

The Presentation Layer is Layer 6 of the OSI model. It is often called the "translator" of the OSI model because it is responsible for how data is formatted, encoded, encrypted, and compressed so that two different systems can understand each other.

In real-world communication, different devices and applications may use different ways to represent data. For example, one system may use ASCII text format while another uses EBCDIC. The Presentation Layer ensures that data from the sender is converted into a format that the receiver understands.

This layer is also responsible for:

• Data translation: Converts data between different encoding formats (e.g., EBCDIC to ASCII).


• Data encryption: Encrypts data before transmission and decrypts it upon reception to keep it secure.


• Data compression: Reduces the size of data before it is sent, which helps in faster transmission, especially over limited-bandwidth connections.

For example, if you’re downloading a file from the internet, the Presentation Layer might compress the file to reduce its size and encrypt it to protect its content. Then, at your device, the same layer decompresses and decrypts it so the application can use it.

In short: The Presentation Layer makes sure that the data sent from one system is understandable by the receiving system, no matter what formats or languages are used by each.

Correct answer: It ensures proper format, encoding, and readability of data.