Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) Certification Practice Test

What attribute is used to create an enum that can represent bitwise combinations of values?

1. Flags

2. Bitwise

3. Combination

4. Group

The correct answer is: Flags

Using the Flags attribute in C# allows an enumeration to represent bitwise combinations of values. When you apply the Flags attribute to an enum, it enables the use of bitwise operations on the values assigned to the enum members. Each member of the enum is typically assigned a value that is a power of two (1, 2, 4, 8, etc.), allowing multiple values to be combined using bitwise operations like OR (`|`). For example, if you have an enum defined with values for Read, Write, and Execute, using the Flags attribute allows you to represent a combination of permissions such as Read and Write by performing a bitwise OR. This capability is particularly useful for scenarios where multiple options can be selected simultaneously. The other options, while they may seem related, do not serve this particular function. "Bitwise" and "Combination" are terms associated with operations but do not denote a specific attribute in this context, and "Group" does not apply to the behavior of enums in representing combinations of values in the same way.