Solution

Semaphores are primarily used for synchronization between processes or threads rather than for communication. They act as signaling mechanisms to control access to shared resources and help avoid race conditions. In contrast, IPC mechanisms like pipes, shared memory, message queues, and sockets are explicitly designed to facilitate communication between processes. These methods allow data to be passed between processes running on the same machine or even across different machines in the case of network communication. Why other options are wrong: A) Pipes are a traditional IPC method used for one-way communication between processes. B) Shared Memory is a highly efficient IPC method that allows processes to access common memory regions. C) Message Queues allow processes to send and receive messages in a queue, facilitating communication. D) Sockets enable communication between processes over networks, including TCP/IP communication.