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 network engineer is troubleshooting an issue where an on-premises server cannot reach an EC2 instance in a VPC over a Site-to-Site VPN. The VPN tunnel is up, and BGP is established. The engineer checks the route tables and sees the on-premises CIDR in the VPC route table pointing to the virtual private gateway. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The on-premises router does not have a route back to the VPC CIDR pointing to the VPN tunnel.
Option C is correct because if the on-premises network has a route back to the VPC pointing to an incorrect next-hop (e.g., internet gateway), return traffic is dropped. Option A is wrong because VPN tunnel being up indicates the tunnel is fine. Option B is wrong because security group rules would affect inbound traffic from the on-premises server, but the issue is bidirectional. Option D is wrong because NACLs are stateless and if they block traffic, it would be symmetric.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The VPN tunnel is not passing traffic due to a mismatch in pre-shared keys.
Why it's wrong here
If keys mismatched, the tunnel would not be up.
✓
The on-premises router does not have a route back to the VPC CIDR pointing to the VPN tunnel.
Why this is correct
Without a return route, the on-premises server cannot send traffic back to the EC2 instance.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
The network ACLs in the VPC are blocking the traffic.
Why it's wrong here
NACLs are stateless and would block traffic in both directions if misconfigured.
✗
The security group attached to the EC2 instance is blocking inbound traffic from the on-premises CIDR.
Why it's wrong here
Security groups are stateful; if inbound is blocked, outbound would also be affected but the issue is one-way reachability.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
→Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
→Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
→Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
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.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Network Management and Operations — This question tests Network Management and Operations — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The on-premises router does not have a route back to the VPC CIDR pointing to the VPN tunnel. — Option C is correct because if the on-premises network has a route back to the VPC pointing to an incorrect next-hop (e.g., internet gateway), return traffic is dropped. Option A is wrong because VPN tunnel being up indicates the tunnel is fine. Option B is wrong because security group rules would affect inbound traffic from the on-premises server, but the issue is bidirectional. Option D is wrong because NACLs are stateless and if they block traffic, it would be symmetric.
What should I do if I get this ANS-C01 question wrong?
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related ANS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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 →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This ANS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ANS-C01 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.