Task: Instance Description Understanding (ontology: Business_Finance/Financial_Industry_Business_Ontology)

Which of the following definitions best describes the instance 'retired status'?

A. status indicating that the registration was determined to be erroneous or invalid after issuance
B. status indicating that the registration that has not been renewed by the specified renewal date and is not known by public sources to have ceased operation as of the last update
C. status indicating that an application for registration has been submitted and is in process, pending validation
D. status indicating that the registration is for an entity that has ceased operation, without having been merged into another entity

Answer: status indicating that the registration is for an entity that has ceased operation, without having been merged into another entity