In Git, the .gitignore file is used to specify intentionally untracked files that Git should ignore. This helps in maintaining a clean working directory and prevents unnecessary files from being committed.

The 'git log' command provides a detailed history of commits, including branching and merging. It helps visualize the chronological order of commits in the repository.

In Git, a 'Fork' is primarily used for cloning a repository from one remote to another. Forking is commonly associated with collaborative development on platforms like GitHub, where a user can fork a repository to create their copy. This copy is independent and can be modified without affecting the original repository. Forking is a fundamental concept in open-source collaboration and contributes to the decentralized nature of Git.

In complex merge scenarios, a three-way merge helps by considering the common ancestor, the source branch changes, and the target branch changes. This approach minimizes conflicts and provides a more intelligent way of resolving merge issues.

Git LFS (Large File Storage) is a Git extension designed to handle large files efficiently. It replaces large files with text pointers in the Git repository while storing the actual files on a remote server.

In advanced branching strategies, a 'release' branch serves the purpose of preparing a stable version of the project for deployment. Developers create a 'release' branch to isolate the code that will be part of the next release. This allows for thorough testing and bug fixing before merging into the main branch and deploying to production. It helps maintain a clean and organized development process.

The correct option is c. pull. The git pull command is used to fetch the changes from a remote repository and merge them into the current branch. While options like 'merge' and 'fetch' are valid Git commands, 'pull' is the specific command for combining remote changes into your local branch in a single step. Understanding the differences between these commands is essential for effective collaboration in a Git workflow.

In a CI/CD environment, it's crucial to regularly merge feature branches into the main branch to ensure continuous integration. Long-lived branches can be used for stable releases, and version tags help track specific commits. Using only one branch for all development can lead to conflicts and challenges in maintaining a stable codebase.

Git can be integrated into automated build systems by configuring build scripts to pull the latest code from Git repositories, ensuring an automated and streamlined build process.

The command git log is used to view the commit history, but for a graphical representation showing branches and merges, the git log --graph command is used. This option helps visualize the branching and merging structure of the repository.