Which term describes locating the correct host on the local network and delivering frames using its MAC address?

• A. DNS Resolution
• B. Router Discovery
• C. Ethernet Switching
• D. ARP Broadcast

Answer: (D)

The situation describes resolving an IP address to a MAC address on the local network, which is ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) in its broadcast form. When a device on the same LAN needs to send a frame to a specific host, it often doesn’t know the recipient’s MAC address. It sends an ARP request as a broadcast to everyone on the local segment asking who has that IP. The device that owns that IP replies with its MAC address, and the sender caches this mapping. With the MAC now known, the Ethernet frame can be delivered directly to the correct hardware address.

This is why ARP broadcast is the right fit: it explicitly handles locating the correct host on the local network and providing the MAC needed to deliver frames. DNS resolves names to IP addresses, not MACs; router discovery is about finding a gateway, not delivering to a local host; Ethernet switching uses MAC addresses to forward frames but relies on ARP to learn the MAC for a given IP when needed.