What is the Class B CIDR notation for an IP range?

The correct answer, which is the Class B CIDR notation for an IP range, is represented as 172.16.0.0/16.

Class B addresses encompass the IP address range from 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255, and they allocate a default subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. This means that the first two octets (or the first 16 bits) represent the network part of the address, while the remaining two octets (the last 16 bits) are available for host addresses within that network.

In CIDR notation, the "/16" signifies that the first 16 bits of the IP address are the network portion. Therefore, for the IP range beginning with 172.16.0.0 and using a /16 mask, it indicates that the network comprises all addresses from 172.16.0.0 to 172.16.255.255.

The other options do not correctly represent Class B CIDR notation. The option with /8 indicates a larger network, as it signifies a Class A address. The /24 notation signifies a Class C network, which limits the number of hosts significantly compared to Class B.