Which statement correctly distinguishes unicast and broadcast in IPv4?

• A. Unicast targets a single host; broadcast is delivered to all hosts on the local network.
• B. Unicast is delivered to all hosts on the local network.
• C. Broadcast is delivered to a single host, not the entire network.
• D. Unicast uses IP multicast addresses.

Answer: (A)

In IPv4, the difference being tested is how the destination is treated: unicast is one-to-one, while broadcast is one-to-all on the local network. A unicast packet is addressed to a single specific host, so only that device processes and responds to it as it travels through the network. A broadcast packet uses a broadcast address and is delivered to all hosts on the local network segment, so every device on that subnet can receive it. Routers typically do not forward broadcast traffic beyond the local subnet, which is why broadcasts stay confined to the local network. Therefore, the statement that unicast targets a single host and broadcast is delivered to all hosts on the local network captures this fundamental distinction. The other ideas don’t fit because unicast is not delivered to everyone, broadcast is not limited to one host, and unicast does not use multicast addresses (multicast uses a different addressing method).