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CCNA Network Infrastructure and Connectivity Practice Question
Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to troubleshoot a client PC that cannot connect to a remote web server.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Run ipconfig /all to verify the PC's IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
The correct order follows Cisco's bottom-up troubleshooting methodology: first verify local IP configuration with ipconfig, then confirm the local TCP/IP stack with a loopback ping, then verify the NIC and IP binding by pinging the assigned address. Next, test connectivity to the default gateway to ensure the local subnet and router are reachable. After that, attempt to reach the remote server's IP address with ping. If that fails, use traceroute to identify where along the path the packets are lost. This sequence efficiently isolates the fault domain from the local device to the internetwork.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run ipconfig /all to verify the PC's IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
Why this is correct
This command displays the host's current IPv4 configuration, including the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway. It is the correct first step because it immediately reveals common configuration faults such as a static IP outside the VLAN, an incorrect subnet mask that prevents local route determination, or a missing/incorrect default gateway that would block off-subnet traffic even if the local network works.
- ✓
Ping 127.0.0.1 to test that the TCP/IP stack is properly installed on the PC.
Why this is correct
Pinging 127.0.0.1, the IPv4 loopback address, sends packets to the local TCP/IP stack without involving the network interface card (NIC), cabling, or any other device. A successful reply proves that the IP protocol stack is correctly installed, bound, and responding to the kernel's loopback driver, isolating the software stack from physical-layer problems.
- ✓
Ping the PC's own IP address to confirm the network interface is functioning and IP binding is correct.
Why this is correct
Pinging the PC's own configured IP address is a crucial step after loopback succeeds because it verifies that the NIC driver is installed, the network interface is administratively up, and the IP address is actually bound to the interface. Unlike the loopback test, this packet is processed by the NIC and its protocol bindings, so success confirms the local hardware and IP configuration are functioning together at layers 2-3.
- ✓
Ping the default gateway to verify local subnet connectivity and that the gateway is reachable.
Why this is correct
Pinging the default gateway tests layer 3 reachability to the router's interface on the same subnet. This step verifies that ARP resolves the gateway's MAC address, that the PC can send frames to the local subnet, and that the gateway is powered on and routing; if this fails, the issue lies on the local segment or the PC's own configuration, not the WAN or server side.
- ✓
Ping the target server's IP address to test end-to-end reachability.
Why this is correct
Pinging the target server's IP address directly tests full end-to-end IP reachability, confirming that every router between the PC and the server is forwarding packets correctly in both directions. Using the raw IP address avoids the dependency on DNS name resolution, so any failure here points to routing, ACLs, firewall rules, or the server's own network stack rather than name resolution.
- ✓
If the ping to the server fails, use traceroute to identify the specific hop where the connection breaks.
Why this is correct
If the ping to the server's IP fails, traceroute (tracert/traceroute) sends packets with incrementally increasing TTL values to elicit ICMP Time Exceeded messages from each router along the path. This pinpoints the exact hop where packets stop being forwarded, allowing you to distinguish between a local gateway issue, an ISP outage, or a remote firewall blocking ICMP at the server's segment.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
IPv4 Addressing and Address Classes
Key term
Default gateway
A default gateway is a network device, typically a router, that acts as the exit point for traffic from a local network to other networks, including the internet.
Key term
IP address
An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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