Which of the following best describes DNS during a lookup?

• A. It assigns IP addresses to hosts via DHCP.
• B. It routes packets across networks.
• C. It translates domain names to IP addresses to route requests.
• D. It encrypts HTTP traffic.

Answer: (C)

DNS translates domain names to IP addresses so requests can be routed. When you look up a domain, your device asks a DNS resolver to find the numeric IP address associated with that name. The resolver may check its cache, query root and TLD servers, and eventually reach the domain’s authoritative server to obtain the IP. With the IP known, your device can send the request, and routers along the path use that address to forward it toward the destination. This name-to-address translation is essential for routing, because routing decisions are made based on IP addresses, not domain names.

The other options describe different network tasks: DHCP assigns IP addresses to hosts, rather than translating names to addresses; routing packets across networks is the job of routers using IPs after resolution; encrypting HTTP traffic is handled by TLS/HTTPS, not DNS (though there are DNS variants that encrypt queries, the primary role remains name-to-address mapping).