If content relies on the meaning conveyed by HTML structure rather than CSS, what is acceptable?

• A. The mean­ing is preserved even when CSS is not applied
• B. The CSS must be used to determine meaning
• C. The content becomes inaccessible
• D. The content must be images

Answer: (D)

The meaning should be carried by the HTML structure itself. When CSS isn’t applied, the document’s meaning should still be clear through semantic markup—headings show topics, paragraphs hold text, lists group items, and landmark elements help navigation. This makes the content accessible to assistive technologies and users who have CSS disabled or whose devices don’t render CSS. Relying on CSS to convey meaning would break accessibility because presentation would become the only source of information.

Using images to convey essential meaning is not acceptable because images depend on viewing conditions and require alt text and accessible alternatives; not all users can see the images, and screen readers won’t capture the conveyed meaning unless it’s properly described.