What happens to the accumulated time in a retentive timer when the input is de-energized?

• A. It resets to zero
• B. It retains the value
• C. It is cleared to a preset value
• D. It doubles

Answer: (B)

A retentive timer keeps its accumulated elapsed time in memory even after the input goes off. The timer stops counting when the input de-energizes, but it does not reset its current elapsed value. It will retain that value until an explicit reset (or a power cycle) clears it. That’s why the correct outcome when the input is de-energized is that the accumulated time is retained. If you needed it to reset on de-energize, you’d use a non-retentive timer or add a separate reset condition.