Which tool is used to test path and latency to a host?

• A. traceroute
• B. mtr
• C. ping
• D. nslookup

Answer: (C)

Understanding network path and latency means you want to know both the route that packets take to reach a host and the time it takes at each stage. A simple ping only measures the round-trip time to a destination, so it tells you about end-to-end latency but not the path taken. Traceroute reveals the sequence of routers (the path) and the latency to each hop, giving you a view of where delays occur, but it’s typically a one-shot snapshot rather than a continuous view. A tool that combines both aspects is more informative in practice: it pings each hop along the route and continually updates per-hop latency and packet loss, producing a live, per-hop picture of path quality. DNS tools like nslookup don’t relate to path testing or latency measurements. So for testing both path and latency, using a tool like the real-time tracer/mailer-style option that shows per-hop latency and path is ideal; ping alone doesn’t provide the path information.