Which scenario best describes a soft delete behavior?

• A. The account is permanently removed immediately.
• B. The account remains recoverable within a defined window.
• C. The data is archived to cold storage with no recovery.
• D. The account is masked but accessible.

Answer: (B)

Soft delete means you don’t remove the data right away; you mark it as deleted or move it to a recoverable state so the record stays in the system for a while. This lets you undo the deletion if it was accidental, within a defined retention window, and it preserves the ability to audit and maintain referential integrity.

That’s why the scenario describing the account as recoverable within a defined window is the best fit. It captures the idea of a tombstone or flag indicating deletion while still allowing restoration during the grace period.

The other options describe different approaches: permanently deleting removes data immediately with no chance of recovery; archiving to cold storage with no recovery means the data is effectively lost or inaccessible; masking but accessible keeps the data visible in some redacted form rather than providing a recoverable deleted state.