Which of the following compounds undergoes aldol condensation?

Identify $X, Y, Z$ in the following reaction sequence:

$Ph-C(=O)-CH_3 \xrightarrow{NaOCl} A + \text{salt}$
$A + CH_3-C(=O)-CH_3 \rightarrow B$
$B$ is

The products $(A)$ and $(B)$ respectively in the above reaction are:

Which of the following can be used to convert benzophenone into benzene?

$A$ $(C_3H_6O)$ $\xrightarrow{NaCN/H_2SO_4}$ cyanohydrin of $A$. If the cyanohydrin is optically active,then the possible structure of $A$ is: