Final answer:
The travel time from 12:00 A.M. PST to 4:30 A.M. CST is 2 hours and 30 minutes when considering the time zone difference, where PST is 2 hours behind CST.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves calculating travel time across different time zones. Given the departure at 12:00 A.M. PST (Pacific Standard Time) and arrival at 4:30 A.M. CST (Central Standard Time), we must consider the time difference between these zones. PST is 2 hours behind CST. Therefore, if a flight leaves at 12:00 A.M. PST, the equivalent CST time would be 2:00 A.M. To find the total travel time, we calculate the difference between the CST departure time equivalent and the arrival time:
2:00 A.M. CST (equivalent departure time) to 4:30 A.M. CST (arrival time) = 2 hours and 30 minutes
Considering a flight might traverse multiple time zones and not just PST and CST, travelers should always account for these changes when planning the duration of a travel. In this case, the correct answer is (b) 2 hours and 30 minutes which falls under the category of 'is less than seven hours'.