WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to
Cryptography Practice Exam Questions
and Answers 2026. Advanced Nclex-Style
100 MCQs with Rationales
WGU's cryptography course focuses on symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing,
PKI, digital signatures, key management, cryptographic protocols, and secure
communications.
Q1
Which cryptographic goal ensures that data has not been altered?
A. Confidentiality
B. Integrity
C. Availability
D. Authentication
Answer: B
Rationale: Integrity ensures information remains accurate and unmodified.
Q2
What is plaintext?
A. Encrypted data
B. Compressed data
C. Original readable data
D. Hashed data
Answer: C
Rationale: Plaintext is the original unencrypted message.
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
Q3
Which type of encryption uses the same key for encryption and decryption?
A. Asymmetric
B. Public-Key
C. Symmetric
D. PKI
Answer: C
Rationale: Symmetric encryption uses a shared secret key.
Q4
Which algorithm is considered a modern symmetric encryption standard?
A. Caesar Cipher
B. AES
C. ROT13
D. Vigenère
Answer: B
Rationale: AES is the current industry-standard symmetric cipher.
Q5
Which asymmetric algorithm is widely used for public-key encryption?
A. DES
B. AES
C. RSA
D. RC4
Answer: C
Rationale: RSA is among the most widely used public-key algorithms.
Q6
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
What is ciphertext?
A. Unencrypted data
B. Encrypted output
C. Hash value
D. Public key
Answer: B
Q7
Which cryptographic process converts plaintext into ciphertext?
A. Hashing
B. Encryption
C. Salting
D. Tokenization
Answer: B
Q8
Which property is provided by a digital signature?
A. Compression
B. Nonrepudiation
C. Redundancy
D. Availability
Answer: B
Rationale: Digital signatures help prove message origin and prevent denial of authorship.
Q9
What is the primary purpose of hashing?
A. Encrypt data for later decryption
B. Generate fixed-length integrity values
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
C. Compress files
D. Exchange keys
Answer: B
Q10
Which hashing algorithm is considered more secure today?
A. MD5
B. SHA-1
C. SHA-256
D. CRC32
Answer: C
Rationale: SHA-256 offers significantly stronger collision resistance than MD5 or SHA-1.
Q11
Which cryptographic system uses a public and private key pair?
A. Symmetric Encryption
B. One-Time Pad
C. Asymmetric Encryption
D. Stream Cipher
Answer: C
Q12
If Alice wants only Bob to read a message, she should encrypt it using:
A. Alice's private key
B. Alice's public key
C. Bob's public key
D. Bob's private key
Answer: C
WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to
Cryptography Practice Exam Questions
and Answers 2026. Advanced Nclex-Style
100 MCQs with Rationales
WGU's cryptography course focuses on symmetric and asymmetric encryption, hashing,
PKI, digital signatures, key management, cryptographic protocols, and secure
communications.
Q1
Which cryptographic goal ensures that data has not been altered?
A. Confidentiality
B. Integrity
C. Availability
D. Authentication
Answer: B
Rationale: Integrity ensures information remains accurate and unmodified.
Q2
What is plaintext?
A. Encrypted data
B. Compressed data
C. Original readable data
D. Hashed data
Answer: C
Rationale: Plaintext is the original unencrypted message.
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
Q3
Which type of encryption uses the same key for encryption and decryption?
A. Asymmetric
B. Public-Key
C. Symmetric
D. PKI
Answer: C
Rationale: Symmetric encryption uses a shared secret key.
Q4
Which algorithm is considered a modern symmetric encryption standard?
A. Caesar Cipher
B. AES
C. ROT13
D. Vigenère
Answer: B
Rationale: AES is the current industry-standard symmetric cipher.
Q5
Which asymmetric algorithm is widely used for public-key encryption?
A. DES
B. AES
C. RSA
D. RC4
Answer: C
Rationale: RSA is among the most widely used public-key algorithms.
Q6
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
What is ciphertext?
A. Unencrypted data
B. Encrypted output
C. Hash value
D. Public key
Answer: B
Q7
Which cryptographic process converts plaintext into ciphertext?
A. Hashing
B. Encryption
C. Salting
D. Tokenization
Answer: B
Q8
Which property is provided by a digital signature?
A. Compression
B. Nonrepudiation
C. Redundancy
D. Availability
Answer: B
Rationale: Digital signatures help prove message origin and prevent denial of authorship.
Q9
What is the primary purpose of hashing?
A. Encrypt data for later decryption
B. Generate fixed-length integrity values
, WGU C835/C839 – Introduction to Cryptography
C. Compress files
D. Exchange keys
Answer: B
Q10
Which hashing algorithm is considered more secure today?
A. MD5
B. SHA-1
C. SHA-256
D. CRC32
Answer: C
Rationale: SHA-256 offers significantly stronger collision resistance than MD5 or SHA-1.
Q11
Which cryptographic system uses a public and private key pair?
A. Symmetric Encryption
B. One-Time Pad
C. Asymmetric Encryption
D. Stream Cipher
Answer: C
Q12
If Alice wants only Bob to read a message, she should encrypt it using:
A. Alice's private key
B. Alice's public key
C. Bob's public key
D. Bob's private key
Answer: C
