What is primarily cleared when the computer is powered off?

When a computer is powered off, the primary data that is cleared is the data stored in RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is a type of volatile memory, which means that it requires power to maintain the stored information. Once the power is turned off, all the data that was being held in RAM is lost.

This is in contrast to data saved on the hard drive, which is non-volatile and remains intact even when the computer is powered down. Similarly, data in the BIOS and data cached on the CPU are not lost when the computer is turned off; BIOS settings are preserved in a special non-volatile memory, and CPU cache retains data that can be used upon the next power-up. Thus, when focusing on what is specifically cleared upon powering off the system, RAM is the correct answer.