Final answer:
The brute-force approach involves exploring every single option in the problem space, while a heuristic is a mental shortcut that helps find a satisfactory solution efficiently.The correct option is c.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tracing through every single option in the problem space and exploring each branch is known as the brute-force approach. When you use a brute-force approach, you are checking all possible solutions until you find the right one. It is a very straightforward method but can be very time-consuming and inefficient for complex problems.
Regarding the mental shortcut in the form of a general problem-solving framework, it is known as a heuristic. Unlike an algorithm, which is a step-by-step procedure that guarantees the correct solution, a heuristic is a more flexible technique that helps find a satisfactory solution quicker and with less computational effort, but does not guarantee the optimal solution.