What is the purpose of the destination address in an IP packet?

• A. The sender's address
• B. Routers use it to decide where to send the packet.
• C. It defines the packet's encryption key
• D. It indicates the data's priority

Answer: (B)

The destination address tells the network where the packet is meant to arrive. Routers read this address and use their routing tables to decide the next hop that will lead toward that destination. With each hop, the packet moves closer to the final device, until it reaches the correct recipient. This addressing is what enables end-to-end delivery across the Internet.

The sender's address identifies who sent the packet, not where it should go. The encryption key isn’t defined by the destination address in the IP header, and data priority is handled by separate QoS mechanisms rather than the destination address.