What term quantifies the desirability of a path in routing?

• A. IP addresses
• B. Metrics
• C. Routers
• D. Interfaces

Answer: (B)

Desirability of a path in routing is quantified by a metric. A metric is a numeric value that routing protocols assign to each possible path, reflecting how desirable that path is. This value combines various factors the protocol considers—such as hop count, available bandwidth, delay, reliability, and policy preferences—so the router can compare different routes and choose the best one. The exact interpretation of “best” depends on the protocol, but the core idea is that a lower (or otherwise preferred) metric indicates a more desirable path. IP addresses identify destinations, routers are the devices that forward traffic, and interfaces are the physical or logical links between devices; none of these quantify path quality the way a metric does.