Quality assurance is the process by which product quality is compared with applicable standards, and the action taken when nonconformance is detected.

The statement provided in the question is an accurate definition of Quality Control (QC), not Quality Assurance (QA). Quality Assurance is a proactive, process-oriented set of activities focused on establishing and maintaining a framework of standards and procedures to prevent defects from occurring. In contrast, Quality Control is a reactive, product-oriented activity that involves inspecting, testing, and measuring a product to verify that it meets the specified quality standards and requirements. The process of "comparing product quality with applicable standards" and taking "action when nonconformance is detected" is the core function of Quality Control.

A. True: This is incorrect because the statement misattributes the definition of Quality Control to Quality Assurance. These are distinct, though related, disciplines within the overall quality management framework.

1. ISO 9000:2015, Quality management systems — Fundamentals and vocabulary.

Section 3.3.7 (Quality assurance) defines QA as the "part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled." This emphasizes the proactive, confidence-building nature of QA.

Section 3.3.6 (Quality control) defines QC as the "part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements." This aligns directly with the question's description of comparing a product to standards and acting on nonconformance.

2. Sommerville, I. (2016). Software Engineering (10th ed.). Pearson.

In Chapter 24, "Quality Management," Sommerville distinguishes the two: "Quality assurance is the establishment of a framework of organizational procedures and standards that lead to high-quality software... Quality control is concerned with defining the quality checks on the software and ensuring they are implemented by the software development team." (p. 710). This source clearly separates the process-oriented nature of QA from the product-checking function of QC.

3. IEEE Std 730-2014, IEEE Standard for Software Quality Assurance Processes.

The standard's abstract and introduction describe SQA as a "planned and systematic pattern of all actions necessary to provide adequate confidence that an item or product conforms to established technical requirements." The focus is on the systematic processes that provide confidence, not the direct act of product comparison and defect detection itself.