Final answer:
The correct answer is 'a) Optimize.' An operating system optimizes prefix lookups to enhance performance by reducing data retrieval times using efficient algorithms and memory management.
Step-by-step explanation:
An operating system (OS) will optimize prefix lookups for performance. Optimizing lookups is a key aspect of performance enhancement in computing, as it helps in reducing the time it takes for the system to retrieve information. When an OS optimizes these lookups, it uses algorithms and memory management techniques to speed up the process of finding the data associated with specific prefixes, which can be particularly important for file systems and networking operations.