JSON Encoding of a Dictionary or Hash

A.

The correct JSON encoding of a dictionary or hash is option A: {key: value}.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript language and is often used to transmit data between a web application and a server.

In JSON, a dictionary or hash is represented as an unordered collection of key-value pairs enclosed in curly braces {}. Each key is a string enclosed in double quotes, followed by a colon (:), and then the corresponding value. Multiple key-value pairs are separated by commas.

For example, consider the following Python dictionary:

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person = {     "name": "John",     "age": 30,     "city": "New York" } 

The equivalent JSON encoding of this dictionary is:

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{     "name": "John",     "age": 30,     "city": "New York" } 

Option B ([key, value]) represents an array with two elements, which is not the correct JSON encoding for a dictionary or hash. Option C ({key, value}) is invalid JSON syntax, as keys and values in a dictionary must be separated by a colon. Option D ((key: value)) uses parentheses instead of curly braces, and a colon instead of a comma, and is also not valid JSON syntax for a dictionary or hash.