Which character set consists of 256 characters and is 8-bit?

The character set that consists of 256 characters and is 8-bit is Extended ASCII.

Extended ASCII is an expansion of the original ASCII character set, which only includes 128 characters and is represented using 7 bits. Extended ASCII utilizes the full 8-bit byte, allowing for an additional 128 characters, bringing the total to 256. This enables the representation of additional symbols, letters, and characters used in various languages, accommodating more complex sets of characters than the original ASCII.

Other character sets like UTF-8 and Unicode encompass a much broader range of characters, exceeding 256, and can represent characters from multiple languages and scripts globally. However, they typically involve variable-length encoding schemes rather than being confined to a fixed 8-bit format. ASCII is limited to 128 characters and does not address the need for additional characters found in Extended ASCII. Therefore, Extended ASCII is the correct answer as it is specifically characterized by its 256 characters and its use of 8 bits for representation.