Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators GACE Practice Test

A Wide Area Network (WAN) is designed to cover a broad geographical area, connecting multiple local area networks (LANs) and allowing for communication between devices that are not in close proximity. The correct answer highlights the nature of a WAN as it relates to the Internet being an example of a WAN.

The Internet is indeed the most prominent real-world example of a WAN because it connects millions of computers, devices, and networks globally, allowing them to communicate and share information across vast distances. This characteristic is crucial as it illustrates the fundamental purpose of a WAN, which is to facilitate communication over large areas that individual LANs cannot cover effectively.

The other options do not accurately represent the core characteristics of a WAN. For instance, a WAN and a LAN serve different purposes, and while businesses can utilize WANs, they do not typically have exclusive ownership over them like they would with a LAN. Similarly, WANs generally have different data transfer capacities and speeds than LANs, and businesses might choose a network type based on specific needs, not simply on speed.