Which metadata standard consists of a small set of elements to describe digital resources?

The choice of Dublin Core as the correct answer highlights its design as a simple and effective metadata standard that consists of a limited set of elements specifically tailored to describe a wide variety of digital resources. Created in the 1990s, Dublin Core is composed of 15 core elements, such as title, creator, subject, and date, which provide a foundational framework for resource description.

This simplicity and flexibility make it accessible and easy to implement, especially for smaller institutions or projects that may not require the comprehensive detail offered by more complex standards. Its broad applicability makes it useful across various types of digital resources, from web pages to multimedia items.

While other metadata standards like MODS, METS, and MARC serve important functions in specific contexts, they are typically richer and more complex in structure, often designed to meet the needs of particular domains such as library cataloging or digital preservation, which goes beyond the scope of basic resource description offered by Dublin Core.