Which NIC setting allows signals to travel in both directions over a medium but only in one direction at a time?

Which NIC setting allows signals to travel in both directions over a medium but only in one direction at a time?

• A. Full-Duplex
• B. Duplex
• C. Half-Duplex
• D. Simplex

Answer: (C)

Two-way communication where devices on the same medium must take turns transmitting matches half-duplex. In this mode, signals can travel in both directions, but only one device transmits at a time, so data flows back and forth but not simultaneously. This is common on shared Ethernet segments where hubs or other shared media are used, and collisions can occur if two devices transmit at once, managed by access methods like CSMA/CD. In contrast, full-duplex allows simultaneous two-way transmission with separate transmit and receive paths, so both directions can happen at the same time. Simplex is strictly one-way. So the description fits half-duplex.

Two-way communication where devices on the same medium must take turns transmitting matches half-duplex. In this mode, signals can travel in both directions, but only one device transmits at a time, so data flows back and forth but not simultaneously. This is common on shared Ethernet segments where hubs or other shared media are used, and collisions can occur if two devices transmit at once, managed by access methods like CSMA/CD.

In contrast, full-duplex allows simultaneous two-way transmission with separate transmit and receive paths, so both directions can happen at the same time. Simplex is strictly one-way. So the description fits half-duplex.