Which of the following correctly distinguishes a domain name from a URL?

Which of the following correctly distinguishes a domain name from a URL?

• A. Domain name and URL are the same thing.
• B. Domain name is a numeric address; URL is a protocol.
• C. Domain name is the human-readable address; a URL includes the domain plus protocol, path, and possibly parameters to locate a resource.
• D. URL is the computer's local file path only.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that a domain name is the human-friendly address used to identify a server on the internet, while a URL is the full address that tells a browser how to locate a specific resource. A domain name like example.com identifies the site, but on its own it doesn’t tell you what to fetch or how to fetch it. A URL builds on that by including the protocol (such as https), the domain, the path to a specific resource, and often query parameters or fragments. For example, https://example.com/help/topic?lang=en specifies the protocol, the server, the exact resource path, and a parameter that can affect the content. The other statements mix up concepts: the domain name is not a numeric address (that would be an IP address), and a URL isn’t just a local file path—URLs commonly refer to resources on the web using web protocols.

The main idea is that a domain name is the human-friendly address used to identify a server on the internet, while a URL is the full address that tells a browser how to locate a specific resource. A domain name like example.com identifies the site, but on its own it doesn’t tell you what to fetch or how to fetch it. A URL builds on that by including the protocol (such as https), the domain, the path to a specific resource, and often query parameters or fragments. For example, https://example.com/help/topic?lang=en specifies the protocol, the server, the exact resource path, and a parameter that can affect the content. The other statements mix up concepts: the domain name is not a numeric address (that would be an IP address), and a URL isn’t just a local file path—URLs commonly refer to resources on the web using web protocols.