Question

The packets of an internet message
(A) take a predetermined path
(B) Take a path based on packet priority
(C) go along different paths based on path availability
(D) Take the shortest path from source to destination

Answer 1

Hint
The path taken by all the packets of an internet message works on the principle that if one path becomes clogged then it takes another path. So the path taken by the packet will directly depend on the availability of that path.

Complete step by step answer
In the case of the traditional phone system, a dedicated circuit is created with the help of switches. All the packets of information or messages will travel back and forth through that circuit or route. Now if due to some problem that route gets clogged or some other difficulty arises, then the information can no longer travel and the call then has to inevitably end.
But in the case of data transfers across the internet, this is not the case. Across the internet, the data transfer follows a different principle that helps to manage the traffic in the network in a much better way. In this case, if one of the pathways gets clogged with traffic due to which the connection of that path fails, the data takes a different route. This works for the individual networks as well as the internet as a whole.
So the packets of internet messages go along different paths depending on the availability.
So the correct answer is option (C).

Note
When the data travels in the form of packets, if one of the packets doesn’t arrive at the destination, the missing data packet can be determined by the machine receiving the data by referencing the other packets. When such a packet is found missing, the machine sends a message to the other machine sending the data to send it again, thus creating a redundancy.