You are creating a Web site that uses a gradient fill for all page backgrounds on a site. To ensure that you can see the gradient through the image background, you should:

Question

Options

• Ause TIF images with transparent backgrounds.
• Buse JPG images with transparent backgrounds.
• Cuse GIF 89a images with transparent backgrounds.
• Duse GIF 89b images with transparent backgrounds.

• A
  8% (2)
• B
  8% (2)
• C
  79% (19)
• D
  4% (1)

Explanation

GIF 89a (the 1989 "a" revision of the GIF specification) introduced support for a single transparent color index, allowing one color in the palette to be rendered as fully transparent in browsers - making it the correct choice for layering images over gradient backgrounds.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A (TIF): TIFF supports alpha transparency but is not a web-standard format; browsers do not natively render TIF images on web pages.
• B (JPG): JPEG does not support transparency at all - it always renders with a solid background, blocking whatever is behind it.
• D (GIF 89b): No such specification exists; "89b" is a fabricated option designed to trip up test-takers who confuse version names.

Memory tip: Think of the "a" in GIF 89a as standing for "alpha-capable" (or "able to be transparent") - it was the version that added transparency to the GIF standard, which is why it's the go-to answer for early web transparency questions.

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