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CCNA Switching and Network Access Practice Question
Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to configure inter‑VLAN routing between VLANs 10 and 20, using a router‑on‑a‑stick with VLAN 99 as the native VLAN on the trunk link.
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
✓
Create VLANs 10, 20, and 99 on the switch (e.g., using the 'vlan' global configuration commands).
The correct order is: first create VLANs on the switch to define the VLAN database. Second, assign switch ports to the appropriate VLANs so that end hosts are placed in their correct broadcast domains. Third, configure the switch port facing the router as an 802.1Q trunk and set the native VLAN to 99 – this allows tagged traffic from multiple VLANs to traverse a single link while matching the native VLAN on both sides. Fourth, enable the router's physical interface (no shutdown) so that subinterfaces can pass traffic. Next, create subinterfaces for each data VLAN, specifying the correct 802.1Q encapsulation and IP address for each VLAN's default gateway. Finally, configure the native VLAN subinterface with the native keyword to ensure that untagged frames from the trunk are handled correctly and that the native VLAN is explicitly defined on the router.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create VLANs 10, 20, and 99 on the switch (e.g., using the 'vlan' global configuration commands).
Why this is correct
VLANs must exist in the switch's local VLAN database before they can be used for port assignment or trunking. The 'vlan' global configuration command creates the VLAN and enters VLAN configuration mode, allowing you to name it or set other parameters. Without VLANs 10, 20, and 99 defined, access ports cannot be placed into those VLANs, and the trunk will have no valid VLANs to carry, breaking the entire router-on-a-stick design.
- ✓
Assign switch access ports to VLAN 10 or VLAN 20 as appropriate for host connectivity.
Why this is correct
Access ports are assigned to a single VLAN and carry untagged frames, which is exactly what end hosts (PCs, printers) expect. Assigning each host port to VLAN 10 or VLAN 20 places the device into the correct Layer 2 broadcast domain, aligning with the intended IP subnet and gateway on the router's subinterface. This step is what physically maps users to the logical subinterfaces; without it, hosts may be in the default VLAN 1 and never reach the correct router subinterface.
- ✓
Configure the switch port connected to the router as a trunk, set the native VLAN to 99, and permit the necessary VLANs.
Why this is correct
The port connecting the switch to the router must be a trunk using 802.1Q encapsulation so frames from multiple VLANs can traverse one physical link. Setting the native VLAN to 99 is critical because untagged frames on a trunk are presumed to belong to the native VLAN; the router must be configured identically to avoid mismatched VLAN tagging. You must also explicitly permit VLANs 10, 20, and 99 on the trunk; otherwise, even though the VLANs exist, their traffic will be blocked.
- ✓
On the router, enter interface configuration mode for the physical interface connected to the switch and issue the 'no shutdown' command to enable it.
Why this is correct
The physical interface on the router is the parent interface for all subinterfaces, and it must be administratively enabled. Issuing 'no shutdown' brings the interface up; if it remains administratively down, all subinterfaces inherit that down state and will not pass traffic. This is a common oversight because configuration effort focuses on subinterfaces, but a single missing 'no shutdown' can make the entire router-on-a-stick link nonfunctional.
- ✓
Create subinterface for VLAN 10, configure encapsulation dot1Q 10, and assign an IP address (e.g., 192.168.10.1/24).
Why this is correct
Subinterfaces enable a single physical router interface to route between multiple VLANs by tagging frames with 802.1Q. The 'encapsulation dot1Q 10' command makes the router add a VLAN 10 tag to outgoing frames and expect incoming frames tagged with VLAN 10, matching the switch's access VLAN for hosts. Assigning an IP address (e.g., 192.168.10.1/24) provides the default gateway for that subnet, enabling hosts in VLAN 10 to send traffic to other VLANs.
- ✓
Create subinterface for VLAN 20, configure encapsulation dot1Q 20, and assign an IP address (e.g., 192.168.20.1/24).
Why this is correct
This subinterface serves as the gateway for the second VLAN's subnet, enabling bidirectional communication between VLAN 10 and VLAN 20. Encapsulation dot1Q 20 ensures that frames are tagged with VLAN 20, and the IP 192.168.20.1/24 becomes the default gateway for VLAN 20 hosts. Without this subinterface, hosts in VLAN 20 would have no routed path to other VLANs, and inter-VLAN routing would fail entirely.
- ✓
Create subinterface for VLAN 99, configure encapsulation dot1Q 99 native (typically no IP address is needed).
Why this is correct
The native VLAN on a trunk is sent untagged, so the router must be told to treat untagged frames as VLAN 99. Using 'encapsulation dot1Q 99 native' prevents the router from discarding or misinterpreting untagged frames, which often include Layer 2 protocols like CDP or STP BPDUs. Typically no IP address is needed because VLAN 99 is reserved for management or native traffic; the key is that the router's native VLAN matches the switch's configured native VLAN to avoid VLAN mismatch issues.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring Switch Ports for Desktops, VoIP Phones, APs, IoT, and Virtualized Hosts
Key term
Encapsulation
Encapsulation is the process of wrapping data with protocol headers and trailers before sending it across a network.
Key term
VLAN
A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) is a logical grouping of network devices that behave as if they are on the same physical network segment, regardless of their actual physical location.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-301 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco 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 200-301 exam.