When the two inputs of a NAND gate are shorted, the resulting gate behaves as a NOT gate. This is because a NAND gate outputs the opposite of the AND operation. When both inputs are the same (due to shorting), the NAND gate essentially inverts that single input signal. To illustrate : If the input is 0(0 AND 0), a regular AND gate would output 0 , but a NAND gate outputs the opposite, which is 1 . If the input is 1 (1 AND 1 ), a regular AND gate would output 1 , but a NAND gate outputs the opposite, which is 0 . So, with both inputs shorted, the NAND gate effectively becomes a NOT gate, inverting whatever single input it receives. Therefore, the correct answer is : Option C : a NOT gate.