AI in Last-Mile Delivery and Route Optimization Quiz

Answers and explanations appear as you take the quiz.

1. The vehicle routing problem is a generalization of which classic problem?
   • The knapsack problem
   • The shortest-path problem
   • Sorting a list
   • The traveling salesman problem
2. Why do real-world routing systems rely on heuristics instead of exact solutions?
   • Exact methods are prohibited by regulation
   • The problem is NP-hard, so exact solutions become impractical as the number of stops grows
   • Heuristics always find the true optimum
   • Computers cannot store road maps
3. What does the 2-opt move do?
   • Untangles route segments that cross by reversing part of the route
   • Assigns two drivers to each van
   • Doubles vehicle speed
   • Predicts weather along the route
4. What was the goal of the 2021 Amazon and MIT research challenge?
   • Designing delivery drones
   • Shrinking package sizes
   • Learning the routes experienced drivers actually prefer
   • Replacing GPS satellites
5. In delivery planning, what does service time refer to?
   • Time spent driving on highways
   • Time spent at a stop, such as parking, walking to the door and getting a signature
   • A product's warranty period
   • A legally required driver break
6. How does route optimization differ from turn-by-turn navigation?
   • They are the same thing
   • Navigation handles customer time windows while optimization does not
   • Optimization only works for a single stop
   • Navigation finds a path between two points, while optimization decides the order and assignment of many stops
7. What does large neighborhood search do?
   • Repeatedly destroys and repairs part of a solution to find improvements
   • Searches for new depot locations
   • Expands the delivery service area
   • Finds the nearest restaurant
8. Why does UPS prefer to avoid left turns across traffic where practical?
   • Left turns are illegal for trucks
   • Digital maps lack left-turn data
   • It trades slightly longer distances for less idling and fewer risky turns
   • Delivery trucks cannot physically turn left