ASCII hex decoding exercise: “In ASCII, the hexadecimal byte sequence 53 54 55 44 45 4E 54 corresponds to the text string ‘STUDENT’.” Evaluate this statement.

Introduction / Context:
Interpreting hex byte sequences as ASCII characters is a common task when reading protocol traces, memory dumps, or file headers. This question checks the learner’s ability to map each hex byte to its ASCII character and recognize the resulting string.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• ASCII is a 7-bit code commonly stored in bytes (the high bit often zero).
• Hex bytes map directly to characters: 0x41–0x5A are uppercase A–Z, 0x61–0x7A are lowercase a–z.
• Given bytes: 53 54 55 44 45 4E 54 (hex).

Concept / Approach:
Decode each byte: 0x53→‘S’, 0x54→‘T’, 0x55→‘U’, 0x44→‘D’, 0x45→‘E’, 0x4E→‘N’, 0x54→‘T’. Concatenate to form the string. No endianness issues arise for byte-wise character sequences; endianness affects multi-byte numeric fields, not the order of bytes already presented in a stream.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Consult any ASCII table: hexadecimal column for uppercase letters confirms the mappings. Many hex editors display an ASCII panel that would show “STUDENT” for these bytes.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Incorrect: Conflicts with the standard ASCII table.
• EBCDIC: A different encoding used on mainframes; the same hex bytes would map differently.
• Endianness and parity: Irrelevant to interpreting individual bytes as ASCII characters.

Common Pitfalls:
Reading hex without verifying with a table; confusing case (0x53 is uppercase S, not lowercase s which is 0x73); assuming CPU endianness changes pre-ordered byte streams.

Final Answer:
Correct