Which of the following is not a characteristic of packet switching?

Concept: Packet switching and circuit switching are the two core data-transfer paradigms in computer networks. Circuit switching reserves a single dedicated end-to-end path for the entire duration of a session (as in traditional telephony); packet switching instead breaks a message into independent packets, each carrying its own addressing/header information, that are forwarded hop-by-hop over shared links without reserving any fixed circuit.

Application: The question asks which listed property is NOT a characteristic of packet switching. Packetization, per-packet independent routing, and dynamic (adaptive) routing all describe how packets are created and forwarded in packet-switched networks. Reserving a dedicated end-to-end path before any data flows is precisely what packet switching avoids; that reservation model belongs to circuit switching, so "Requires a dedicated path" is the property that does not belong to packet switching.

Contrast: Checking each option against the definition:

• Data is broken into packets -- this is packetization, the defining first step of packet switching.

• Each packet may take a different route -- packets are routed independently hop-by-hop, so packets of the same message can follow different paths.

• Requires a dedicated path -- reserving one fixed end-to-end path for the whole session is the circuit-switching model, not packet switching.

• Supports dynamic routing -- because each packet is routed independently, routers can adapt the path to current network conditions.

Cross-check: Cross-checking against the standard contrast table (packet switching: connectionless, shared links, per-packet routing, no reservation vs. circuit switching: connection-oriented, one dedicated reserved path for the call) confirms that requiring a dedicated path is the circuit-switching trait, so it is the property that is not a characteristic of packet switching.