STP and Rapid PVST+ questions test your understanding of root bridge election, port roles, port states, and protection features. These appear in MCQ, multi-select, and drag-and-drop formats on the CCNA because STP behaviour is non-intuitive and frequently misunderstood.
Start Scenario PracticeDrag and drop the steps of Rapid PVST+ topology change notification process into the correct order, from first to last.
Explanation: In Rapid PVST+, a topology change is triggered when a non-edge port transitions to forwarding. The switch then sets the proposal bit on its designated ports, sends a proposal message, and expects an agreement from the downstream switch. After receiving the agreement, the port moves to forwarding and the switch propagates the change by setting the TC flag in BPDUs sent on all designated ports. This ensures rapid convergence.
A network engineer runs the following command on Switch SW1: SW1# show interfaces trunk Port Mode Encapsulation Status Native vlan Gi0/1 on 802.1q trunking 1 Gi0/2 on 802.1q trunking 1 Port Vlans allowed on trunk Gi0/1 1-1005 Gi0/2 1-1005 Port Vlans allowed and active in management domain Gi0/1 1,10,20 Gi0/2 1,10,20 Port Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned Gi0/1 1,10,20 Gi0/2 1,10,20 Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Explanation: The output shows that VLANs 1-1005 are allowed on the trunk, but only VLANs 1, 10, and 20 are listed as active in the management domain. This means VLANs 2-9 are configured on the trunk but are not active (i.e., not created or not present on the switch), so they do not forward traffic. Option A correctly identifies this condition.
Drag and drop the steps of STP root bridge election and port state transitions into the correct order, from first to last.
Explanation: STP first elects a root bridge based on lowest bridge ID. Then each non-root bridge selects one root port (lowest path cost to root). Next, each segment elects a designated port (lowest root path cost, then lowest bridge ID). All other ports become alternate (blocking). Finally, ports transition through blocking, listening, learning, and forwarding states.
Examine the following partial Cisco IOS-XE configuration: interface GigabitEthernet0/1 switchport mode access switchport access vlan 10 ip access-group ACL_IN in spanning-tree portfast What is the effect of this configuration?
Explanation: The configuration enables PortFast on an access port, allowing it to transition directly to forwarding state, bypassing the listening and learning phases. This is commonly used for end-host ports to avoid delays caused by spanning-tree convergence.
Drag and drop each STP variant on the left to its matching IEEE standard on the right.
Explanation: STP is 802.1D; RSTP is 802.1w; MSTP is 802.1s; PVST+ is a Cisco proprietary extension of 802.1D.
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Practice all Spanning Tree Protocol ScenariosSTP and Rapid PVST+ questions test your understanding of root bridge election, port roles, port states, and protection features. These appear in MCQ, multi-select, and drag-and-drop formats on the CCNA because STP behaviour is non-intuitive and frequently misunderstood. These appear throughout the 350-401 and require you to apply your knowledge, not just recall facts.
Cisco doesn't publish an exact breakdown, but scenario-based questions (especially exhibit and command-output formats) make up a significant portion of the 350-401. Practicing each scenario type ensures you're ready for any format.
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