The technical standards for how the World Wide Web works are developed and maintained by which international organisation?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
The World Wide Web relies on common technical standards so that web pages created in one part of the world can be viewed correctly by browsers everywhere. These standards cover languages such as HTML and CSS, as well as protocols and best practices. This question tests your knowledge of which international body is responsible for developing and maintaining most of the key Web standards that make the modern Internet work smoothly.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The focus is specifically on the World Wide Web, not the entire Internet infrastructure.
  • The organisation in question creates and maintains technical standards.
  • It is an international body involving multiple members from industry and academia.
  • Some options are real sounding but incorrect expansions or invented names.


Concept / Approach:
The main organisation responsible for standardising core web technologies is the W3C, which stands for the World Wide Web Consortium. It was founded by Tim Berners Lee, the inventor of the Web. W3C works through working groups and recommendations to define specifications for HTML, CSS, XML, accessibility guidelines and many other web technologies. Some other bodies also define related standards (for example, IETF for Internet protocols), but for the Web layer itself, W3C is the commonly recognised standards body. Therefore we must pick the option that correctly names W3C and expands its full form properly.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Focus on the phrase World Wide Web and standard, which points to the community that defines how web pages are structured and displayed. Step 2: Recall that W3C is widely mentioned in documentation for HTML, CSS and other web technologies as the recommending authority. Step 3: Identify that W3C expands to World Wide Web Consortium, not to generic phrases like World Wide Consortium or World Wide Web Standard. Step 4: Check the options and select the one that both includes W3C and states its correct full form. Step 5: Reject other options that sound similar but are either incomplete or not real official bodies.


Verification / Alternative check:
Official documentation for web technologies typically states that a specification is a W3C Recommendation. Browser vendors talk about implementing W3C standards to ensure compatibility. The W3C website itself lists member organisations, working groups and a long list of Recommendations and Notes. By contrast, names like World Wide Web Standard or Worldwide Corporation for Networking do not appear in serious technical references as governing bodies. This confirms that W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is the correct answer for web standards.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • World Wide Web Standard: Sounds like a concept, not the name of an organisation; there is no single body officially called this.
  • Worldwide Corporation for Networking: An invented name that is not associated with Web standards.
  • World Wide Consortium: Incomplete and vague; it omits the word Web and is not the official name.
  • UN Internet Standards Council: The United Nations does not run a specific council under this name for Web standards.


Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse web standards with general Internet standards and think of bodies like IETF or ISO. Others may see the phrase World Wide Consortium and assume it is just another way of writing W3C, but exam questions are usually precise about official names. To remember, note that W3C literally stands for three W characters and a C: World Wide Web Consortium. Whenever you see a question about World Wide Web standards, W3C should be your first thought.


Final Answer:
The technical standards for the World Wide Web are created and maintained by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).

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