The answer is to check the BGP advertised routes and the VPC route tables. This is correct because even when a BGP session is up, traffic will not flow unless the on-premises network is advertising the correct prefixes to the VPC via the private VIF, and the VPC route tables contain a route pointing to the virtual private gateway for the return traffic. On the AWS Certified Advanced Networking Specialty ANS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that a BGP session being established only confirms Layer 3 adjacency, not that routes are being exchanged or installed; a common trap is assuming a green BGP status guarantees data plane connectivity. Remember the memory tip: “BGP up is just the handshake—routes must be advertised and tables must have the gateway.”
ANS-C01 Network Management and Operations Practice Question
This ANS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of network management and operations. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company has set up a Direct Connect connection with a private VIF to its VPC. The BGP session is up, but traffic is not passing between the on-premises network and the VPC. Which configuration should be verified?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Check the BGP advertised routes and the VPC route tables
Option C is correct because the on-premises network must advertise routes to the VPC via BGP, and the VPC must have routes pointing to the virtual private gateway. Option A is wrong because jumbo frames are not required. Option B is wrong because VIF type (private vs public) is not the issue if BGP is up. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch metrics are for monitoring, not routing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Ensure jumbo frames are enabled on the Direct Connect interface
Why it's wrong here
Jumbo frames are optional and not required for basic connectivity.
✗
Verify that the VIF is a public VIF
Why it's wrong here
Private VIF is correct for VPC access; public VIF is for AWS public services.
✗
Review the Direct Connect virtual interface metrics in CloudWatch
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch metrics show operational status, not routing configuration.
✓
Check the BGP advertised routes and the VPC route tables
Why this is correct
Routes must be properly advertised and propagated to the VPC route table.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
CloudWatch metrics show operational status, not routing configuration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Check the BGP advertised routes and the VPC route tables — Option C is correct because the on-premises network must advertise routes to the VPC via BGP, and the VPC must have routes pointing to the virtual private gateway. Option A is wrong because jumbo frames are not required. Option B is wrong because VIF type (private vs public) is not the issue if BGP is up. Option D is wrong because CloudWatch metrics are for monitoring, not routing.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which ANS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company has a Direct Connect connection with a private virtual interface. The on-premises network team reports that they cannot reach EC2 instances in a VPC. The VPC has a virtual private gateway attached. The route table in the VPC has a route to the on-premises CIDR via the virtual private gateway. What should the network engineer verify?
medium
A.Verify that the Direct Connect virtual interface is in the 'available' state.
✓ B.Verify that the VPC route table has a route to the on-premises CIDR pointing to the virtual private gateway.
C.Verify that the BGP session between the on-premises router and the VGW is established.
D.Verify that the on-premises router is advertising the VPC CIDR.
Why B: Option B is correct because the VPC route table needs a route to the on-premises CIDR pointing to the virtual private gateway. Option A is wrong because the virtual interface must be up. Option C is wrong because BGP sessions must be established. Option D is wrong because the on-premises router must advertise routes.
Variation 2. A company has a Direct Connect connection with multiple virtual interfaces (VIFs). They notice that traffic from on-premises to a VPC is being dropped. The VPC is associated with a private VIF. The on-premises router has a BGP route to the VPC's CIDR. The VPC's route table has a route to the virtual private gateway. What is the MOST likely cause of the dropped traffic?
hard
✓ A.The VPC route table does not have a route pointing to the virtual private gateway for the on-premises CIDR
B.The MTU size on the Direct Connect connection is too small
C.The BGP session is not established
D.The allowed prefixes on the virtual private gateway do not include the on-premises CIDR
Why A: Option B is correct because if the VPC's route table does not have a route back to the on-premises CIDR, return traffic will be dropped, causing connectivity issues. Option A is incorrect because the VIF is up and BGP is established. Option C is incorrect because allowed prefixes are for advertisement, not return traffic. Option D is incorrect because MTU issues would not cause drops.
Variation 3. A company has a Direct Connect connection with a private VIF to a VPC. The on-premises network uses BGP to advertise the 10.0.0.0/8 prefix to AWS. The VPC has a route table that includes a route to the Virtual Private Gateway for 10.0.0.0/8. On-premises hosts can ping EC2 instances in the VPC, but EC2 instances cannot ping on-premises hosts. The VPC has an Internet Gateway and a NAT Gateway. The EC2 instances are in private subnets with routes to the NAT Gateway for 0.0.0.0/0. What is the most likely cause?
medium
A.The Direct Connect virtual interface is configured for public VIF instead of private VIF.
B.The EC2 instances' security group outbound rules are blocking ICMP.
✓ C.The VPC route table has a more specific local route (10.0.0.0/16) that overrides the route to the VGW for part of the on-premises CIDR.
D.The on-premises router is not advertising the 10.0.0.0/8 route to AWS.
Why C: For EC2 instances to reach on-premises hosts, the VPC route table must have a route for the on-premises CIDR pointing to the Virtual Private Gateway. The engineer has that route. However, the on-premises hosts are in the 10.0.0.0/8 range, and the VPC also uses 10.0.0.0/16. The issue is that the VPC route table has a local route for 10.0.0.0/16, which is more specific than the 10.0.0.0/8 route to the VGW. Traffic from EC2 to on-premises hosts within the 10.0.0.0/16 range will be routed locally within the VPC, not through the VGW. The on-premises hosts must be in a different CIDR than the VPC's CIDR, or the VPC must use a different CIDR. Since the VPC uses 10.0.0.0/16, any on-premises host with an IP in that range will be considered local and won't go through the VGW. The solution is to ensure the VPC CIDR does not overlap with the on-premises CIDR.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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