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Cisco 200-301 Practice Test 4

Question 30

Two company offices want to carry internal subnet traffic securely across an untrusted internet connection without requiring each workstation to establish its own tunnel. Which deployment is best suited?

  1. Remote-access VPN configured independently on every employee laptop
  2. Ordinary FTP sessions between branch routers
  3. A site-to-site IPsec VPN between security gateways
  4. An Ethernet trunk carrying VLAN 1 across the public internet

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

A site-to-site IPsec VPN can establish an authenticated and encrypted path between gateways at the two offices. The gateways protect traffic for designated internal subnets while ordinary workstations use their normal default routes. This meets the requirement to protect cross-site traffic over an untrusted Internet without per-user tunnels. Administrators still need matching traffic selectors, reachable public endpoints, routing and appropriate firewall policy on both sides.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Remote-access VPN is designed primarily for individual user devices that establish their own protected connection to a VPN service. It can be valuable for employees working away from the office, but the requirement explicitly avoids configuring a tunnel on every workstation. A site-to-site gateway arrangement protects traffic between the two office networks without making each internal endpoint a VPN client.

B:

FTP transfers files between application endpoints and does not provide a transparent encrypted path for arbitrary IP subnets. Traditional FTP also lacks the confidentiality expected over an untrusted Internet link. Even if a file transfer succeeded between offices, it would not securely carry general routed office traffic or establish the specified network-to-network tunnel between security gateways.

D:

An 802.1Q trunk identifies VLAN membership on Ethernet links and does not inherently encrypt site-to-site packets or create a secure tunnel over the public Internet. Extending Layer 2 tags across two locations would require another transport mechanism and still would not satisfy the confidentiality requirement. The described problem is protected routed subnet communication, for which an IPsec gateway VPN is more appropriate.

Question 31

Router R1 has a connected 10.0.12.0/30 transit link and R2 is reachable at 10.0.12.2. R1 must statically reach remote 172.30.40.0/24 behind R2. Which route command is correct on R1?

  1. ip route 10.0.12.0 255.255.255.252 172.30.40.0
  2. ip route 172.30.40.0 255.255.255.0 10.0.12.2
  3. ip route 172.30.40.0 255.255.0.0 10.0.12.2
  4. ip route 172.30.40.0 255.255.255.255 10.0.12.2

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

The command names the remote destination 172.30.40.0 with a 255.255.255.0 /24 mask and uses R2's on-link transit address 10.0.12.2 as the next hop. That tells R1 where to send packets for hosts in the remote branch subnet. The existing 10.0.12.0/30 transit network already provides reachability to R2; no extra route for the transit link is needed. The exact subnet mask matters because the requirement targets one /24, not a broader summary or single host.

Incorrect Answers

A:

This command attempts to create a route for the already connected 10.0.12.0/30 transit network and treats 172.30.40.0 as though it were a next hop. That next-hop value is the remote destination network address, not R2's directly reachable interface. To reach the branch behind R2, R1 needs a route whose destination is 172.30.40.0/24 and whose next hop is 10.0.12.2.

C:

A 255.255.0.0 mask describes a /16 destination, covering far more addresses than the specified 172.30.40.0/24 branch subnet. Although the next hop points to R2, the route would catch unrelated 172.30.x.x destinations when no more-specific route was present. The question requires reaching exactly the remote /24, so the destination mask must be 255.255.255.0 rather than a broad /16.

D:

The 255.255.255.255 mask creates a /32 route to one individual IPv4 host address. Using it with 172.30.40.0 would not forward packets to the rest of the intended 172.30.40.0/24 subnet. A static branch network route must preserve the /24 scope while identifying R2 as next hop, so a host-length mask is too narrow for the requested reachability.

Question 32

A lightweight Cisco AP joins a central WLC located in a different IP subnet across routed infrastructure. Which statement best describes the physical relationship between AP and controller?

  1. The AP needs IP reachability and CAPWAP connectivity to the WLC, not a dedicated direct Ethernet cable
  2. Every AP must occupy the same switch VLAN as every WLC physical port
  3. The AP may join a WLC only after changing its Ethernet interface into a serial console link
  4. A root STP role on the AP’s switchport substitutes for controller discovery

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

A Cisco lightweight access point can discover and communicate with a compatible wireless LAN controller across routed infrastructure when IP reachability and CAPWAP connectivity are available. Its local Ethernet cable normally connects to an access switch, not necessarily directly to the controller. The controller can therefore reside in a different IP subnet, subject to discovery, routing and security policy. The key requirement is the IP/CAPWAP communication path between AP and WLC, not shared Layer 2 cabling.

Incorrect Answers

B:

A shared VLAN between every AP and every WLC interface is not a universal requirement for controller-based wireless deployments. Routed IP reachability can support AP discovery and CAPWAP sessions when the proper addresses and policies are configured. Treating the controller as a device that must occupy each AP's access VLAN would unnecessarily constrain the architecture and contradict the scenario's functioning routed infrastructure.

C:

A serial console interface is used for out-of-band device administration and diagnostics; it is not the normal transport for the AP's WLAN control connection. Lightweight APs use their network interfaces and CAPWAP over IP to communicate with a controller. Converting an Ethernet uplink into a console connection would remove the data path the AP needs for client service, not enable remote WLC joining.

D:

Spanning Tree Protocol elects a root and controls redundant Layer 2 forwarding paths to prevent loops. A root role on the upstream switch does not discover a WLC or establish CAPWAP connectivity for a lightweight AP. Controller joining requires an appropriate network address, discoverable or configured controller reachability, and permitted control traffic; Layer 2 loop prevention is a different concern.

Question 33

A branch address plan starts at 10.67.4.0 and must use the enclosing RFC1918 allocation. Which large private block contains it?

  1. 10.0.0.0/8 is an RFC1918 private range
  2. 10.64.0.0/10 is the complete original RFC1918 allocation covering all 10.x private addresses
  3. 172.16.0.0/12 is the RFC1918 parent range for every private 10.67.x.x address
  4. 192.168.0.0/16 encloses 10.67.4.0 because both are used on private LANs

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

The IPv4 address 10.67.4.0 begins with 10, placing it within the RFC1918 private allocation 10.0.0.0/8. The /8 covers all second, third and fourth octet values under 10, regardless of the smaller site subnets the enterprise creates inside it. Private addresses can be routed internally but are not automatically globally reachable on the public Internet; an appropriate edge translation or addressing design may be needed for external access.

Incorrect Answers

B:

The 10.64.0.0/10 range may contain the given 10.67.4.0 address, but it is only a subdivision of the larger 10.0.0.0/8 RFC1918 allocation. It is not the complete original block covering every 10.x.x.x private address, as the option asserts. A site can subnet the private range in many ways without changing the parent allocation published by RFC1918.

C:

172.16.0.0/12 is a separate RFC1918 private allocation whose addresses begin with 172 and have second octets 16 through 31. It cannot contain 10.67.4.0 because that address begins with 10. The fact that both ranges are designated private does not make one a numerical parent of the other; network containment depends on matching prefix bits.

D:

192.168.0.0/16 is also a legitimate RFC1918 range, but it includes only addresses beginning with 192.168. The address 10.67.4.0 is therefore outside it despite both being common on internal LANs. Network allocation is determined by the prefix bits, not by whether an organization chooses to use both address families in a private network.

Question 34

An IOS interface Gi0/0 should participate directly in OSPF process 20, area 0, without a broad router-mode network wildcard. Which interface configuration command is valid?

  1. ospf enable 20
  2. ip ospf 20 area 0
  3. ipv6 ospf 20 area 0
  4. ip router ospf 20 0

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Under interface Gi0/0, ip ospf 20 area 0 enables OSPFv2 participation for process 20 in backbone area 0. This allows the interface to be selected directly without requiring a broader router-mode network wildcard that might capture additional interfaces. The interface still needs suitable IPv4 addressing, operational status and compatible neighbor parameters for a full adjacency. The command is specifically in interface configuration mode, not a global static route or an IPv6 OSPF command.

Incorrect Answers

A:

The proposed ospf enable 20 token sequence is not standard Cisco IOS interface-mode syntax for enabling OSPFv2 participation in a particular area. The request specifies process 20 and area 0 on Gi0/0, so the command must bind both values to that interface using the supported ip ospf process-id area area-id form. An incomplete-looking enable phrase cannot substitute for the documented command grammar.

C:

The option uses ipv6 ospf syntax associated with IPv6-oriented OSPF operation on supported IOS platforms. The question instead asks for OSPF process 20 on a routed IPv4 interface using the specified OSPFv2-style interface configuration. Substituting a command from the IPv6 protocol context does not enable the requested IPv4 OSPFv2 participation in area 0. The correct command begins with ip ospf.

D:

IOS does not configure interface-level OSPF area membership with the arbitrary ip router ospf 20 0 token order shown. Process and area identifiers must appear in the supported ip ospf process-id area area-id syntax under the interface. Even if the numeric values are right, a configuration command with invalid keyword order cannot activate the required routing protocol on Gi0/0.

Question 35

A campus assurance tool analyzes historical interface error counts to forecast which links may exceed a threshold next week. What AI use is most directly described?

  1. Generating marketing text from an unverified language model
  2. A deterministic switch MAC-learning operation
  3. Predictive machine learning for network operations
  4. A static DNS alias record

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

The assurance platform uses historical interface error measurements to estimate future threshold violations, which is a predictive machine-learning use case. A model might learn trends or patterns associated with rising error rates, then rank links for proactive investigation. Its value depends on training data quality and evaluation against held-out observations; predictions should be monitored for false positives and changing network conditions. The task is forecasting an operational event, not generating generic content or forwarding Ethernet frames.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Generating marketing prose from a language model is a content-creation task, not an operational forecast of interface error trends. The scenario describes a tool analyzing historical measurements and estimating next week's threshold crossings. That requires predicting future numerical or categorical network behavior using observed data, whereas a general text-generation service cannot be assumed to provide a calibrated forecast of link reliability without a trained and evaluated predictive method.

B:

MAC learning is a deterministic Layer 2 function in which a switch records observed source MAC addresses and ingress ports to guide local frame forwarding. It does not use a history of interface error counters to forecast which links may fail or exceed a threshold next week. The scenario therefore concerns machine-learning-assisted operations analytics rather than an ordinary switch forwarding-table update.

D:

A DNS CNAME or other static alias record maps one name to another and supports name resolution for services. It has no learning mechanism that predicts an interface counter's future value or the probability of exceeding an error threshold. The case specifically supplies historical measurements and a future time horizon, which are hallmarks of predictive network analytics rather than a naming-system configuration.

Question 36

An operations platform polls router interface counters every five minutes using a management protocol. Which SNMP component normally runs on the router being monitored?

  1. The syslog collector
  2. The NTP time server
  3. The SNMP agent
  4. The DHCP address allocator

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

The SNMP agent runs on the managed router and makes supported interface counters and other MIB object values available to an authorized SNMP manager. The external operations platform initiates polls and interprets the responses, while the agent represents the device's managed state. SNMP security configuration and correct object identifiers still matter for successful collection. This client-manager distinction explains why the agent, rather than a Syslog collector or NTP server, belongs on the router.

Incorrect Answers

A:

A Syslog collector receives event and diagnostic messages emitted by routers and switches, such as link transitions or authentication failures. That is different from responding to periodic SNMP object queries. The scenario has a monitoring platform polling interface counters on the router, so an SNMP agent on the device is required to expose those supported managed-object values to the manager.

B:

An NTP server provides time synchronization for network devices and can improve the accuracy of timestamps on monitoring data. It does not expose router interface counters through SNMP managed objects. The polling platform needs an SNMP-speaking endpoint running on the monitored router; clock synchronization may complement monitoring but is not the component that answers the counter queries.

D:

A DHCP address allocator leases IPv4 configuration to clients, including addresses, masks and sometimes default gateway or DNS server options. That does not make it the component providing operational interface-counter values to an SNMP manager. Even a router serving DHCP can be polled separately by an SNMP agent; the two service roles use different protocols and answer different management questions.

Question 37

A router should permit only IPv4 sources in 192.168.40.0/24 using standard numbered ACL 15. Which access-list entry matches the entire subnet?

  1. access-list 15 permit 192.168.40.0 255.255.255.0
  2. access-list 15 permit 192.168.40.0 0.0.0.255
  3. access-list 15 permit 0.0.0.255 192.168.40.0
  4. access-list 15 permit tcp 192.168.40.0 0.0.0.255 any

Explanation

Correct Answer

B:

Access-list 15 permit 192.168.40.0 0.0.0.255 uses the network address with a wildcard mask that ignores the final octet. It therefore matches all source IPv4 addresses in the stated 192.168.40.0/24 subnet. A standard numbered ACL applies source-address matching rather than destination port conditions; where and in which direction the ACL is applied will determine which packets are affected. The rule also remains subject to normal ACL ordering and implicit-deny behavior.

Incorrect Answers

A:

The value 255.255.255.0 is a conventional /24 subnet mask, but Cisco standard ACL address matching expects a wildcard mask in this field. In a wildcard, zero bits must match and one bits are ignored, so 0.0.0.255 matches any final host octet in 192.168.40.0/24. Copying the subnet mask into the ACL wildcard position would not describe the intended source set.

C:

The conventional IOS standard ACL statement places the source network first and its wildcard mask second. This option reverses those fields, so the sequence does not express the requested source subnet. A wildcard value such as 0.0.0.255 is not an address prefix that should precede the network identifier. The correct syntax uses 192.168.40.0 followed by its inverse /24 wildcard.

D:

The option introduces a TCP protocol match and an any destination, which are extended ACL concepts rather than the standard numbered ACL 15 source-only syntax requested. A standard ACL cannot express destination transport ports in the shown form. Even if an extended ACL were appropriate for another policy, it would not be the specified command to allow every source in 192.168.40.0/24 using standard ACL 15.

Question 38

A network administrator must manage an IOS switch remotely through an encrypted interactive CLI session. Which protocol best satisfies the requirement?

  1. Telnet
  2. TFTP
  3. SSH
  4. SNMPv1

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

SSH establishes an encrypted remote terminal session and supports authenticated interactive management of an IOS switch. It protects the management channel better than cleartext Telnet, matching the stated requirement for an encrypted CLI. The switch still needs a reachable management address, permitted VTY transport, valid user authentication and suitable keys or supported SSH setup. Encryption protects the transport but does not replace the separate authorization decision about which commands an administrator may run.

Incorrect Answers

A:

Telnet provides remote text-terminal access but lacks SSH's encrypted session transport, so credentials and commands may be observed on an untrusted path. It was historically used for network-device CLI management, which makes it a plausible alternative when only interactive access is considered. The scenario, however, explicitly requires encryption, making Telnet unsuitable even though it can present a command prompt.

B:

TFTP is a lightweight file-transfer protocol intended for transferring files rather than carrying an interactive router or switch CLI session. It also does not provide SSH-style encrypted management transport. It may be used for controlled lab configuration copies under suitable security assumptions, but it cannot satisfy the requirement for a protected interactive remote terminal with command-by-command access to IOS.

D:

SNMPv1 is a legacy network-management protocol used for operations such as querying managed objects, not for opening an encrypted interactive terminal. Its community-string security model also lacks the protected session properties required here. SNMP can report switch information to a monitoring manager, but it cannot replace SSH for the administrator's request to type IOS CLI commands over a secure remote session.

Question 39

In a Cisco IOS lab, an engineer must assign the DOCUMENTATION-ONLY IPv6 example 2001:db8:20:1::1/64 to router interface Gi0/0. Which interface-mode command illustrates the correct IPv6 address syntax?

  1. ipv6 address 2001:db8:20:1::1/64
  2. ipv6 address 2001:db8:20:1::1 255.255.255.0
  3. ipv6 address 2001:db8:20:1::1 link-local
  4. ipv6 address 2001:db8:20:1::1/128

Explanation

Correct Answer

A:

Under interface configuration, ipv6 address 2001:db8:20:1::1/64 is valid IOS syntax for assigning the specified IPv6 address and prefix length. The /64 tells the device which prefix is directly associated with the interface; it is not an IPv4 dotted mask. The 2001:db8::/32 range is reserved for documentation, so this address should be treated only as the stated lab example, not as a public production assignment. IPv6 transit routing is configured separately when required.

Incorrect Answers

B:

Dotted-decimal 255.255.255.0 is an IPv4 subnet mask and is not the ordinary format for the requested IPv6 interface assignment. IPv6 IOS addressing specifies a prefix length such as /64 after the address. The example uses a documentation IPv6 address, so the correct syntax must still preserve the requested /64 rather than borrow IPv4 netmask formatting from another protocol family.

C:

The link-local qualifier is used when assigning an explicit local-link IPv6 address, normally from the fe80::/10 range. The requested example begins with 2001:db8 and specifies a /64 documentation prefix instead. Applying link-local syntax to that address would confuse the address class and command semantics; it does not assign the required example interface address in the manner described.

D:

The /128 suffix identifies an individual host-length IPv6 prefix, not the requested /64 on-link network. Although the address string itself matches, the prefix length is part of the configuration requirement and changes the associated connected network interpretation. A /64 is common on LAN segments and is explicitly specified by the stem; changing it to /128 would configure a different interface prefix.

Question 40

A host in VLAN 10 ARPs for its configured HSRP virtual default-gateway address. Under normal operation, which device responds on behalf of that virtual gateway?

  1. Every physical router simultaneously responds with a distinct unicast MAC
  2. Only the central DHCP server responds because the host got its gateway from DHCP
  3. The current HSRP active router responds for the virtual IP
  4. The root spanning-tree bridge must respond even if it has no IP routing function

Explanation

Correct Answer

C:

The current HSRP active router is responsible for the virtual gateway identity and normally answers ARP for the group's virtual IPv4 address using the appropriate virtual MAC. Hosts can therefore keep one default-gateway address while the underlying physical forwarding device changes during a failover. The standby router monitors the group and may take over when the active member is lost. This provides gateway resilience without requiring DHCP clients to change their configured gateway on every transition.

Incorrect Answers

A:

HSRP presents a shared virtual-gateway identity to the VLAN rather than having every physical member independently answer with a distinct gateway MAC. If multiple routers gave conflicting ARP responses for one virtual IP, hosts could learn inconsistent next hops. Under normal HSRP operation the active member represents the virtual address, while standby members monitor its availability and can take over when required.

B:

A DHCP server can supply the configured default-gateway IPv4 address in the client's lease, but it does not normally reply to ARP for that local gateway. ARP requests on the VLAN are handled by the device currently representing the HSRP virtual gateway. Address provisioning and neighbor resolution are separate network functions; receiving a DHCP option does not make the DHCP server the gateway's link-layer owner.

D:

Spanning tree chooses a root bridge for Layer 2 loop prevention and forwarding topology; it does not automatically give that switch the VLAN's HSRP virtual IP. A root bridge might be a different device from the active first-hop router, and it may have no Layer 3 routing function at all. The ARP response for a virtual gateway belongs to the HSRP active member, not simply to the STP root.

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) (200-301) Practice Tests