Identify the statement that is NOT true about SOAP (as a messaging standard).

Introduction / Context:
SOAP standardized XML-based messaging for web services. Over time, its positioning evolved from “Simple Object Access Protocol” to simply “SOAP,” but its technical role remained an envelope and processing model atop various transports.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We differentiate SOAP (a protocol/format) from XML (a markup language).
• We recognize SOAP’s historical acronym and later renaming.
• We understand SOAP’s role in RPC/document messaging.

Concept / Approach:
SOAP is built using XML; it is not a form of XML itself. Saying “SOAP was an early form of XML” confuses a messaging standard with the base markup language. The other statements accurately reflect SOAP’s history and usage.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
W3C SOAP specs define envelope, header, and body using XML grammars; XML existed independently and earlier than SOAP.

Why Other Options Are Wrong (as choices for “not true”):
They are historically accurate. SOAP leveraged XML for interoperability and later dropped the acronym expansion.

Common Pitfalls:
Equating “XML-based” with “is XML.” SOAP is a protocol specification encoded in XML, not the XML standard itself.

Final Answer:
SOAP was an early form of XML.