Question

Which of the following protocol pairs can be used to send and retrieve e-mails (in that order)?

• A. IMAP, POP3
• B. SMTP, POP3
• C. SMTP, MIME
• D. IMAP, SMTP

Hint:

Remember: {SMTP} $\rightarrow$ Send mails {POP3 / IMAP} $\rightarrow$ Retrieve mails MIME is only for mail content formatting, not transmission.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understand the requirement of the question.
The question asks for a pair of protocols that can be used to:
-- send e-mails, and then
-- retrieve e-mails.
The order is important.
Step 2: Identify protocols used for sending e-mails.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is used to send e-mails from a client to a mail server or between mail servers.
SMTP is not used for retrieving e-mails.
Step 3: Identify protocols used for retrieving e-mails.
POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3) is used by mail clients to retrieve e-mails from a mail server, usually downloading them to the local machine.
IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) is also used for retrieving e-mails, but it allows managing mails directly on the server.
Step 4: Analyze the given options.
(A) IMAP, POP3: IMAP is for retrieval, not sending. Incorrect.
(B) SMTP, POP3: SMTP sends e-mails and POP3 retrieves them. Correct.
(C) SMTP, MIME: MIME is not a mail transfer or retrieval protocol; it is used for encoding multimedia content. Incorrect.
(D) IMAP, SMTP: IMAP is not used for sending e-mails. Incorrect.
Step 5: Conclusion.
The correct protocol pair for sending and retrieving e-mails (in that order) is \[ \boxed{\text{SMTP, POP3}} \]