Which of the following domains is used by for-profit businesses?
2017
Which of the following domains is used by for-profit businesses?
Answer: D. .com — Concept: every domain name ends in a top-level domain (TLD) — the label that follows the final dot. The original generic TLDs are not arbitrary tags: RFC 1591…
- A.
.org
- B.
.net
- C.
.edu
- D.
.com
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: every domain name ends in a top-level domain (TLD) — the label that follows the final dot. The original generic TLDs are not arbitrary tags: RFC 1591 sets out an intended class of registrant for each of them, so the TLD is meant to signal what kind of body owns the name.
Application: this item asks for the TLD that serves for-profit businesses, that is, bodies carrying on trade or commerce. In the RFC 1591 scheme that class is called commercial, and its label is .com, an abbreviation of the word commercial.
Cross-check — the intended class set out in RFC 1591 for each of the other original generic domains:
Domain | Intended class of registrant |
|---|---|
.org | organisations outside the other original categories; in practice non-profit bodies, foundations and open-source projects. |
.net | the computers of network providers, such as internet service providers and hosting operators. |
.edu | educational institutions; its registry now limits new registrations principally to US-based accredited post-secondary institutions. |
None of those three classes describes a profit-making enterprise, so the domain used by for-profit businesses is .com.
This item is UGC NET Paper I, November 2017 (Set A); the official CBSE answer key marks .com as the answer.