What distinguishes binary trees from binary search trees?

Binary trees and binary search trees are related but have distinct characteristics, which is why the correct answer highlights the structural differences between them. A binary tree is a general data structure that can have any shape or structure, consisting of nodes with zero, one, or two children. There are no restrictions on how the nodes are organized, allowing for greater flexibility in the arrangement of the tree.

In contrast, a binary search tree is a specialized type of binary tree where the left child contains nodes with values less than the parent node, and the right child contains nodes with values greater than the parent node. This specific organization facilitates efficient operations such as searching, adding, and deleting nodes while maintaining a sorted order of elements.

The other options do not accurately differentiate binary trees from binary search trees. For instance, binary trees are not always complete, as they can have various structures beyond being complete. Additionally, the sequential storage of data is not a specific characteristic of binary trees, and while binary trees can have duplicates, binary search trees typically do manage duplicates in a specific way depending on the implementation. This reinforces the unique nature of binary search trees compared to general binary trees.