Which statement correctly describes encryption and the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Which statement correctly describes encryption and the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

• A. Encryption converts data to unreadable form without the key; symmetric uses one key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair.
• B. Encryption adds metadata to data to improve speed; symmetric uses two keys; asymmetric uses three keys.
• C. Encryption only applies to text; symmetric uses public keys; asymmetric uses private keys.
• D. Encryption is only for networks; symmetric is slower; asymmetric is faster.

Answer: (B)

Encryption turns data into a form that cannot be read without a key. In symmetric encryption, the same key is used to both encrypt and decrypt the data, which makes it fast for handling large amounts of data, but requires securely sharing that one key with anyone who needs access. In contrast, asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. The public key can be shared openly, enabling easy secure communication and digital signatures, while the private key stays secret. The idea that encryption adds metadata to speed things up isn’t how encryption works, and the key counts described in the other statements don’t match reality—symmetric uses one key, not two, and asymmetric uses two keys, not three. Encryption applies to more than just text and is used to protect files, messages, and network communications.

Encryption turns data into a form that cannot be read without a key. In symmetric encryption, the same key is used to both encrypt and decrypt the data, which makes it fast for handling large amounts of data, but requires securely sharing that one key with anyone who needs access. In contrast, asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. The public key can be shared openly, enabling easy secure communication and digital signatures, while the private key stays secret. The idea that encryption adds metadata to speed things up isn’t how encryption works, and the key counts described in the other statements don’t match reality—symmetric uses one key, not two, and asymmetric uses two keys, not three. Encryption applies to more than just text and is used to protect files, messages, and network communications.