A digital certificate ________.

• A. Indicates that the person or firm named in the certificate is reasonably trustworthy
• B. Gives the subject's public key
• C. Both A and B
• D. Neither A nor B

Answer: (B)

A digital certificate binds a public key to the identity named in the certificate and is signed by a trusted certificate authority. Its primary purpose is to provide the subject’s public key along with the identity information, so others can verify that the key belongs to that entity and can trust the binding because the CA vouches for it. It does not by itself certify that the entity is trustworthy; trust is established through the CA’s chain of trust and the validation process, not merely by the certificate. So the best answer is that the certificate gives the subject’s public key.