The answer is that the floating static default route fails because the outgoing interface specified in the static route is down, making the next-hop unreachable. For a static route with a directly connected outgoing interface to be installed in the routing table, that interface must be in an up/up state; if it is down, the route is considered invalid and is not installed, regardless of the administrative distance. On the CCNA 200-301 v2 exam, this tests your understanding of how the routing table validates static routes—a common trap is assuming a floating static route will automatically take over when a dynamic neighbor fails, but the route’s own next-hop must be reachable first. Remember that a static route with an exit interface is essentially a connected route: if the cable is unplugged or the interface is administratively down, the route vanishes. A useful memory tip is “interface up, route in; interface down, route out.”
CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of ip routing. 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.
Exhibit
R1# show running-config | include ip route
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial0/0/0 130
R1# show ip interface brief
Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0 192.168.1.1 YES manual up up
Serial0/0/0 10.1.1.1 YES manual up down
Serial0/0/1 unassigned YES unset administratively down down
An administrator configured a floating static default route on R1 as a backup to reach 10.10.10.0/24. The primary path is learned via OSPF, and the floating static route uses an administrative distance of 130. After the primary OSPF neighbor fails, traffic to 10.10.10.0/24 is dropped. According to the exhibit, why is the backup default route not being used?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
R1# show running-config | include ip route
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 Serial0/0/0 130
R1# show ip interface brief
Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0 192.168.1.1 YES manual up up
Serial0/0/0 10.1.1.1 YES manual up down
Serial0/0/1 unassigned YES unset administratively down down
A
The static route specifies an outgoing interface that is down; the next‑hop must be reachable for the route to be used.
Because the static route uses only the outgoing interface (Serial0/0/0) without a next‑hop IP, the interface must be up/up for the route to be placed in the RIB. Since Serial0/0/0 is down, the entry is invalid.
B
The administrative distance of 130 is still less than the OSPF default of 110, so it will never be installed.
Why wrong: Administrative distance determines preference—lower is preferred. When OSPF routes are lost, a static route with AD 130 would normally become active because no more preferred route exists. The AD value here is not the problem.
C
The static route is missing the permanent keyword, which is required for backup routes.
Why wrong: The permanent keyword forces a static route to stay in the routing table even if the interface is down, but it is not required for a floating static route to work. The underlying issue is simply that the interface used is down.
D
The metric of the static route is too high; it should be reduced to 0.
Why wrong: Static routes do not use metrics in the traditional dynamic routing sense. The value displayed after the AD (e.g., [130/0]) is not a configurable metric and does not affect route installation.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The static route specifies an outgoing interface that is down; the next‑hop must be reachable for the route to be used.
The floating static default route is not used because the outgoing interface specified in the static route is down. For a static route with an outgoing interface to be considered valid and installed in the routing table, the interface must be in an up/up state. When the primary OSPF neighbor fails, the backup static route cannot be used because its next-hop is unreachable due to the interface being down, causing traffic to be dropped.
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.
✓
The static route specifies an outgoing interface that is down; the next‑hop must be reachable for the route to be used.
Why this is correct
Because the static route uses only the outgoing interface (Serial0/0/0) without a next‑hop IP, the interface must be up/up for the route to be placed in the RIB. Since Serial0/0/0 is down, the entry is invalid.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The administrative distance of 130 is still less than the OSPF default of 110, so it will never be installed.
Why it's wrong here
Administrative distance determines preference—lower is preferred. When OSPF routes are lost, a static route with AD 130 would normally become active because no more preferred route exists. The AD value here is not the problem.
✗
The static route is missing the permanent keyword, which is required for backup routes.
Why it's wrong here
The permanent keyword forces a static route to stay in the routing table even if the interface is down, but it is not required for a floating static route to work. The underlying issue is simply that the interface used is down.
✗
The metric of the static route is too high; it should be reduced to 0.
Why it's wrong here
Static routes do not use metrics in the traditional dynamic routing sense. The value displayed after the AD (e.g., [130/0]) is not a configurable metric and does not affect route installation.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 200-301 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓The static route specifies an outgoing interface that is down; the next‑hop must be reachable for the route to be used.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Because the static route uses only the outgoing interface (Serial0/0/0) without a next‑hop IP, the interface must be up/up for the route to be placed in the RIB. Since Serial0/0/0 is down, the entry is invalid.
✗The administrative distance of 130 is still less than the OSPF default of 110, so it will never be installed.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
This misinterprets AD: after the primary route is gone, any route with a higher AD (i.e., lower numeric value) is no longer present, so the floating static route should be installed if reachable.
✗The static route is missing the permanent keyword, which is required for backup routes.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Permanent is rarely needed and does not make a route usable when the interface is down; it only keeps the routing table entry present, but traffic cannot be forwarded.
✗The metric of the static route is too high; it should be reduced to 0.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Changing a static route metric is not possible, and even if it were, it would not change the fact that the specified interface is down.
Analysis generated from the official 200-301blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between static routes with an outgoing interface versus a next-hop IP address, where candidates mistakenly assume a floating static route will automatically become active when the primary route fails, without considering the interface state.
Trap categories for this question
Keyword trap
The permanent keyword forces a static route to stay in the routing table even if the interface is down, but it is not required for a floating static route to work. The underlying issue is simply that the interface used is down.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When a static route specifies only an outgoing interface (e.g., 'ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 GigabitEthernet0/1'), the router considers the route as directly connected and requires the interface to be up/up for the route to be installed. If the interface goes down, the route is removed from the routing table. In contrast, specifying a next-hop IP address allows the router to use the route as long as the next-hop is reachable via any working interface. This behavior is defined by Cisco's implementation of static routes and is critical for designing reliable backup paths.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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 network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 200-301 question in full detail.
IP Routing — This question tests IP Routing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The static route specifies an outgoing interface that is down; the next‑hop must be reachable for the route to be used. — The floating static default route is not used because the outgoing interface specified in the static route is down. For a static route with an outgoing interface to be considered valid and installed in the routing table, the interface must be in an up/up state. When the primary OSPF neighbor fails, the backup static route cannot be used because its next-hop is unreachable due to the interface being down, causing traffic to be dropped.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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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 network administrator is troubleshooting a connectivity issue between two remote sites connected via a WAN link. Hosts on VLAN 10 at Site A (192.168.10.0/24) cannot ping the server at Site B (10.10.20.100). The router at Site A has a default route configured with the next-hop IP address 10.10.10.2. The administrator checks the routing table on Router A and notices that the default route is not installed. What is the most likely cause of the problem?
hard
A.The static route for 10.10.20.0/24 is missing from the routing table.
B.The GigabitEthernet0/0 interface is administratively down.
C.The default route is not configured; the gateway of last resort is missing.
✓ D.The next-hop router 10.10.10.2 is unreachable.
Why D: Option D is correct because the default route uses a next-hop IP (10.10.10.2) and will only be installed in the routing table if that next-hop is reachable. Since the router’s routing table shows no default route, the most likely cause is that the next-hop 10.10.10.2 is unreachable, preventing the static route from being used. This explains why traffic fails despite the configuration.
Variation 2. Refer to the exhibit. An administrator is troubleshooting connectivity from a branch router R1 to the internet. A ping to 8.8.8.8 from R1 fails. The output of the show ip route command is shown. What is the most likely cause?
hard
A.The default route is missing from the routing table.
✓ B.The next-hop IP address for the default route is not reachable.
C.The static route has an incorrect administrative distance.
D.The ip routing process has not been enabled.
Why B: The routing table shows the static default route 'S* 0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 203.0.113.1', but there is no connected or static route to network 203.0.113.0/24 (or any subnet containing 203.0.113.1). Without a route to the next-hop, the default route is unreachable, so the router cannot forward traffic to the internet, causing ping failures.
Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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