N10-009 Practice Test 11 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Which of the following network topologies provides the highest level of redundancy and fault tolerance?

Accepted Answer

Mesh. A mesh topology provides the highest level of redundancy and fault tolerance because every node has a dedicated point-to-point connection to every other node. This means that if any single link or node fails, traffic can be immediately rerouted through multiple alternative paths without any single point of failure. In a full mesh, the number of links is n(n-1)/2, ensuring maximum path diversity and resilience.

Answer

Star

Answer

Bus

Answer

Ring

Question 2

At which layer of the OSI model does a network device encapsulate data into frames and add source and destination MAC addresses?

Accepted Answer

Layer 2 – Data Link. The Data Link layer (Layer 2) is responsible for node-to-node communication and encapsulates packets from the Network layer into frames. It adds a header containing the source and destination MAC addresses, which are used for delivery within the same local network segment. This process is defined by IEEE 802 standards such as Ethernet (802.3) and Wi-Fi (802.11).

Answer

Layer 1 – Physical

Answer

Layer 3 – Network

Answer

Layer 4 – Transport

Question 3

A company wants to ensure that only authorized users can access the internal network by requiring both a password and a one-time code from a mobile app. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication (2FA) requires exactly two distinct authentication factors from different categories: something you know (password) and something you have (one-time code from a mobile app). This matches the scenario precisely, as the password is a knowledge factor and the mobile app-generated code is a possession factor, satisfying the definition of 2FA.

Answer

Single sign-on

Answer

Biometric authentication

Answer

Multifactor authentication with three factors

Question 4

A company wants to deploy a wireless network in an office with high-density client requirements. Which 802.11 technology allows multiple antennas to transmit multiple spatial streams to increase throughput?

Accepted Answer

MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output). MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) is the correct technology because it uses multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver to send and receive multiple independent spatial streams simultaneously. This spatial multiplexing directly increases data throughput without requiring additional bandwidth or higher modulation, making it ideal for high-density client environments.

Answer

OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing)

Answer

DSSS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum)

Answer

CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance)

Question 5

Which of the following best describes the function of a default gateway on a host?

Accepted Answer

It forwards packets destined for networks other than the local subnet. The default gateway is the router interface on the local subnet that a host uses to send packets destined for IP addresses outside its own subnet. When a host determines that the destination IP is not reachable via ARP on the local link, it forwards the packet to the default gateway's MAC address, which then routes the packet toward the remote network. This is essential for inter-subnet communication in any IP network.

Answer

It resolves domain names to IP addresses

Answer

It assigns IP addresses to devices on the local network

Answer

It filters traffic based on MAC addresses

Question 6

A user can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) but cannot access the internet (e.g., ping 8.8.8.8 fails). The user's IP is correctly configured as 192.168.1.10/24. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Check the router's default route configuration. Since the user can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1), Layer 2 and Layer 3 connectivity within the local subnet is working, and the PC's IP configuration is correct. The failure to reach 8.8.8.8 indicates that the router does not have a valid path to external networks, which is typically provided by a default route (0.0.0.0/0). Checking the router's default route configuration is the logical next step because without it, the router cannot forward traffic destined for non-local networks.

Answer

Check the PC's DNS server settings

Answer

Verify the subnet mask on the PC

Answer

Examine the switch port VLAN assignment

Question 7

A user reports that their laptop is connected to the corporate Wi-Fi network but cannot access the internet. Other users in the same area are able to access the internet without issues. The laptop shows a valid IP address of 192.168.1.25/24 and the default gateway is 192.168.1.1. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

DNS server configuration on the laptop. Since the laptop has a valid IP address (192.168.1.25/24) and default gateway (192.168.1.1), and other users can access the internet, the issue is isolated to this laptop. A common cause is incorrect or missing DNS server configuration, which prevents domain name resolution even though IP-level connectivity exists. The technician should verify the DNS server addresses in the laptop's IPv4 settings or run 'nslookup' to confirm resolution.

Answer

DHCP server lease exhaustion

Answer

Access point channel utilization

Answer

Switch port status on the distribution switch

Question 8

At which layer of the OSI model does the conversion of data frames into electrical signals for transmission occur?

Accepted Answer

Layer 1 (Physical). Layer 1 (Physical) is responsible for the actual transmission of raw bits over a physical medium. This includes converting data frames received from Layer 2 into electrical signals (e.g., voltage levels on copper), light pulses (fiber optic), or radio waves (wireless). The Physical layer defines the hardware specifications, such as connectors, cable types, and signaling methods like Manchester encoding or NRZ.

Answer

Layer 2 (Data Link)

Answer

Layer 3 (Network)

Answer

Layer 4 (Transport)

Question 9

Users in a branch office report intermittent connectivity to the corporate data center. A technician runs a continuous ping from a workstation to the data center server and observes packet loss after the third hop. Which command should the technician run next to identify the specific router causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

tracert server_ip. The technician has already identified packet loss after the third hop using a continuous ping. The next logical step is to use `tracert` (or `traceroute` on Linux) to map the path and pinpoint which router (hop) is dropping packets. This command sends ICMP echo requests with incrementing TTL values, forcing each router along the path to reply with a Time Exceeded message, thereby revealing the specific hop where loss occurs.

Answer

ping -n 1000 server_ip

Answer

nslookup server_ip

Answer

ipconfig /all

Question 10

A company is deploying a wireless network that must support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands. Which IEEE 802.11 standard supports both bands and is backward compatible with older devices?

Accepted Answer

C) 802.11n. 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) is the correct answer because it was the first standard to natively support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously, using MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) technology. It also maintains backward compatibility with older 802.11a/b/g devices through mandatory support for legacy modulation schemes (DSSS/CCK for 2.4 GHz and OFDM for 5 GHz).

Answer

A) 802.11b

Answer

B) 802.11g

Answer

D) 802.11ac

Question 11

A company wants to ensure that only authorized employee computers can connect to the wired network. Each computer must be authenticated before it is granted access to the network. Which technology is designed to provide this port-based authentication?

Accepted Answer

802.1X. 802.1X is the IEEE standard for port-based Network Access Control (NAC). It uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) over LAN (EAPoL) to authenticate a device at the switch port before granting full network access. Only after successful authentication does the switch open the port, ensuring that unauthorized computers cannot connect.

Answer

WPA2

Answer

MAC filtering

Answer

VPN

Question 12

A network administrator needs to document the physical placement of devices in a server room, including exact rack location, port labels, and cable connections between patch panels and switches. Which type of diagram is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Rack diagram. A rack diagram is specifically designed to document the physical placement of devices in a server room, including exact rack units, port labels, and cable connections between patch panels and switches. This type of diagram provides a visual representation of the physical layout, which is essential for asset management, troubleshooting, and maintenance planning.

Answer

Network topology map

Answer

Wiring schematic

Answer

Logical topology diagram

Question 13

A security analyst detects a large number of DNS queries for the same domain from multiple internal hosts. The responses contain large payloads. Which type of attack is likely occurring?

Accepted Answer

DNS amplification. DNS amplification is a type of reflection-based DDoS attack where an attacker sends a small query (e.g., ANY or DNSSEC-signed record request) with a spoofed source IP (the victim's address) to an open DNS resolver. The resolver responds with a large payload (often 50–100x larger than the query), flooding the victim's network. The scenario describes many internal hosts making queries to the same domain and receiving large responses, which matches the amplification effect from a compromised or misconfigured internal resolver.

Answer

DNS cache poisoning

Answer

DNS tunneling

Answer

DNS zone transfer

Question 14

A company is connecting two buildings that are 300 meters apart. The link must support 10 Gbps. Which combination of cable and transceiver should be used?

Accepted Answer

Single-mode fiber with 10GBASE-LR. Single-mode fiber (SMF) with 10GBASE-LR supports 10 Gbps over distances up to 10 km, easily covering the 300-meter requirement. 10GBASE-LR uses 1310 nm laser optics over single-mode fiber, providing low signal loss and high bandwidth for long-reach links.

Answer

Cat6a UTP with 10GBASE-T

Answer

Cat5e UTP with 1000BASE-T

Answer

Multimode fiber with 10GBASE-SR

Question 15

A network technician is explaining network segmentation to a junior technician. Which of the following devices increases the number of collision domains but does not increase the number of broadcast domains?

Accepted Answer

Switch. A switch creates a separate collision domain for each port, so multiple devices can transmit simultaneously without collisions, but it does not segment broadcast domains; all ports remain in the same broadcast domain unless VLANs are configured. This directly matches the question's requirement: increasing collision domains without increasing broadcast domains.

Answer

Hub

Answer

Router

Answer

Repeater