Final answer:
The two logical operators that perform short-circuit evaluation are AND and OR, making b) the correct answer. These operators allow for more efficient code execution and precise database searching by stopping the evaluation as soon as the outcome is determined.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two logical operators that perform short-circuit evaluation are AND and OR. The correct answer to the student's question is b) AND and OR. In the context of Boolean logic and programming, short-circuit evaluation refers to the process by which the evaluation of a logical expression is stopped as soon as the outcome is determined. For example, when using the AND operator, if the first operand is false, there is no need to evaluate the second operand because the result will be false regardless. Similarly, with the OR operator, if the first operand is true, the second operand does not affect the outcome, which will be true anyway.
The NOT operator does not perform short-circuit evaluation because it is a unary operator; it only takes one operand and, therefore, has nothing to 'short-circuit' with. Understanding how these operators work helps in writing more efficient code and in constructing precise searches in databases.