In the request header field of the HTTP request message, which of the following fields is used to identify the MIME type?

Question

Options

• AReferer
• BData-Type
• CContent-Type
• DMIME-Type

• A
  7% (2)
• B
  3% (1)
• C
  76% (22)
• D
  14% (4)

Explanation

Content-Type is the standardized HTTP header field that specifies the MIME type (and optionally the character encoding) of the message body - for example, Content-Type: application/json or Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8. This tells the recipient how to parse and interpret the payload.

The distractors fail for these reasons:

• Referer (A) - a real HTTP header, but it carries the URL of the page that initiated the request, not type information.
• Data-Type (B) - not a real HTTP header field at all; it exists as a jQuery AJAX option but has no meaning in the HTTP spec.
• MIME-Type (D) - sounds like it should be correct, but it is not a defined HTTP header; it's a concept, not a field name.

Memory tip: Think "Content describes its Type" - the word Content signals the body, and Type signals its format. If you remember that HTTP headers are nouns, not adjectives, you'll also reject the made-up "MIME-Type" and "Data-Type" options on sight.

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