Web Literacy – What is a Web Browser? Choose the most accurate description of a web browser in the context of the World Wide Web:

Introduction / Context:
A web browser is the gateway through which users access and interact with the World Wide Web. Understanding its role is essential for safe, efficient, and standards-compliant use of online resources in education, business, and daily life.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question concerns the function of a browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.
• We distinguish between client software (browser) and servers that host content.
• We consider how content is requested and rendered.

Concept / Approach:
A web browser is client software that retrieves resources via HTTP/HTTPS, interprets HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and renders pages for users. It is not a server (which stores and serves files), nor an animal, nor merely a person who likes websites. The browser mediates requests, security policies, and user interactions with web applications.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Network diagrams place browsers on the client side issuing HTTP requests to web servers; standards bodies (for example, W3C) define how browsers process and render content.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• A kind of spider: Play on words; unrelated.
• A computer that stores WWW files: That is a web server, not a browser.
• A person who likes to look at websites: Describes a user, not the software tool.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing “browser” with “search engine.” A browser is the app; a search engine is a web service accessed through the browser.

Final Answer:
A software program that allows you to access sites on the World Wide Web