FC0-U71 Tech Concepts and Terminology Practice Question
A programmer writes a loop that performs a bitwise AND operation between the byte 0b11001100 and the mask 0b00001111. What is the result in decimal?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing bitwise AND with bitwise OR or misaligning the bit positions, causing candidates to compute the OR result (0b11001111 = 207) or the original byte value (204) instead of the masked result (12).
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
12
Bitwise AND compares each bit position: 1 AND 1 = 1, otherwise 0. For 0b11001100 AND 0b00001111, only the lower nibble survives: 1100 in binary = 12 in decimal. The upper nibble (1100) is masked out by the zeros in the mask.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
204
Why it's wrong here
That is the decimal of the first operand.
- ✗
0
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect.
- ✓
12
Why this is correct
Correct result.
- ✗
15
Why it's wrong here
That is the decimal of the mask.
About these practice questions
One of 988 original FC0-U71 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the FC0-U71 exam.