Final answer:
Option a, 192.168.1.188, is the correct answer as it falls within the valid range for an IPv4 host address, while the others are either reserved for network purposes or fall outside the permissible range.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks which address represents a valid IPv4 host IP address. Among the options given:
- 192.168.1.188 is a valid host address because it falls within the typical range of 1 to 254 for the last octet in a Class C private IP address range.
- 192.168.1.255 is generally reserved for broadcast messages on the network, thereby not a valid host address.
- 192.168.1.0 is typically reserved as the network identifier, so it's not used for individual devices.
- 192.168.1.256 is not a valid address because the values in an IPv4 address range from 0 to 255 for each octet.
Therefore, the correct answer is a. 192.168.1.188, as it is the only option that represents a valid host IP address within the IPv4 addressing scheme.