1. Explain the fundamental concept of the Node.js Event Loop. Describe its role in handling asynchronous operations and maintaining Node.js's non-blocking I/O model.

2. Detail how the identified CPU-intensive, long-running synchronous operation causes the Event Loop to become 'blocked' or 'starved'. Explain why this leads to the unresponsiveness of other incoming requests.

1. Propose and thoroughly describe at least two distinct architectural or coding pattern solutions to offload this CPU-intensive work, preventing it from blocking the Event Loop. For each proposed solution: a. Explain how it addresses the blocking issue. b. Discuss its pros and cons in the context of this problem. c. Provide a high-level code example or pseudocode to illustrate its implementation (no need for a complete runnable application, focus on the core logic).

(Suggested solutions to consider: Node.js Worker Threads, breaking the operation into smaller chunks using setImmediate/process.nextTick, using external microservices/queues. You are encouraged to explore these or other relevant solutions.)