Which statement correctly describes the difference between ping and traceroute?

Which statement correctly describes the difference between ping and traceroute?

• A. Ping shows the path to a destination; traceroute only tests reachability.
• B. Ping shows the path and traceroute only tests reachability.
• C. Ping tests reachability and round-trip time; traceroute shows the path and each hop.
• D. Ping and traceroute are identical in function.

Answer: (C)

Ping checks whether a host is reachable and measures the round-trip time for a packet to go there and back. Traceroute reveals the network path to the destination by sending probes that elicit responses from each router along the route, showing each hop and its response time. So the correct description is that ping tests reachability and round-trip time, while traceroute shows the path and per-hop timings. The other statements misstate one or the other: ping doesn’t display the full path, traceroute isn’t limited to just reachability, and they are not identical in function.

Ping checks whether a host is reachable and measures the round-trip time for a packet to go there and back. Traceroute reveals the network path to the destination by sending probes that elicit responses from each router along the route, showing each hop and its response time. So the correct description is that ping tests reachability and round-trip time, while traceroute shows the path and per-hop timings. The other statements misstate one or the other: ping doesn’t display the full path, traceroute isn’t limited to just reachability, and they are not identical in function.