Case context: A package-delivery drone follows a route produced by a learning system. A human planner has drawn a route that is clearly better on the same city map, but no one can prove that it is globally optimal.

Question: Decide whether the human route can be used as the reference y* for Optimization Verification and explain what the test can reveal.

Sample answer: Yes. The human route can be used as y* because it is better than the current system's route, even though it has not been proven optimal. The test can help determine whether improving the optimization method or improving the scoring function is the more promising direction.

Key points:

• The human route outperforms the current algorithm output.
• Global optimality is not required.
• The human route can still serve as y*.
• The comparison helps choose between optimization and scoring improvements.

Rubric: The response should accept the human route as a valid reference because it is better than the current output, avoid claiming that it is globally optimal, and state that the test helps decide between improving optimization and improving the scoring function.