Question 1,401 of 1,389
CCNA Network Services and Security Practice Question
Exhibit
R1# show ip interface GigabitEthernet0/0 GigabitEthernet0/0 is up, line protocol is up Internet address is 192.168.1.1/24 Broadcast address is 255.255.255.255 Address determined by setup command MTU is 1500 bytes Helper address is not set Directed broadcast forwarding is disabled Multicast reserved groups joined: 224.0.0.251 224.0.0.252 Outgoing access list is not set Inbound access list is not set Proxy ARP is enabled Local Proxy ARP is disabled
Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer is troubleshooting an ACL that is not filtering traffic as expected. The engineer runs the show access-lists 110 command and notices that all access control entries (ACEs) show zero matches, even though traffic that should match the permit or deny statements is traversing the network. The engineer then checks the interface configuration. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between creating an ACL and applying it to an interface, trapping candidates who assume that simply defining an ACL with 'access-list' commands is enough to filter traffic, when in fact the 'ip access-group' command under the interface is mandatory for the ACL to take effect.
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
✓
The ACL 110 is not applied to any interface.
If an ACL is not applied to any interface, it will never process traffic, and the 'show access-lists' command will show zero matches for all ACEs. The engineer confirmed that traffic matching the ACL entries is traversing the network, but the ACL counters remain at zero, which directly indicates that the ACL is not being invoked by any interface configuration. Applying an ACL to an interface with the 'ip access-group' command is required for it to filter traffic.
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 ACL is applied to the interface in the wrong direction (inbound instead of outbound).
Why it's wrong here
If the ACL were applied in any direction, the output would show an access list number or name, even if it were the wrong direction. Both lines are 'not set', proving that no ACL is assigned.
- ✗
The access-list 110 syntax has incorrect subnet masks causing no matches.
Why it's wrong here
ACL syntax errors, including incorrect wildcard masks, would not prevent the ACL from being displayed as applied on the interface; 'show ip interface' would still list the ACL number or name even if its matching logic was flawed. The output shows 'Inbound access list is not set' and 'Outgoing access list is not set', which proves that no ACL is attached to GigabitEthernet0/0 at all. Furthermore, if the masks were wrong, the ACL would still be present in 'show ip access-lists', so the absence from the interface output definitively rules this out as the cause.
- ✓
The ACL 110 is not applied to any interface.
Why this is correct
The 'Inbound access list is not set' and 'Outgoing access list is not set' lines in the exhibit directly prove that no ACL has been applied to GigabitEthernet0/0. Since ACL 110 exists but isn't attached to any interface, it never processes traffic and shows zero hit counts.
- ✗
The interface GigabitEthernet0/0 is administratively down, preventing ACL processing.
Why it's wrong here
The exhibit's first line clearly states 'GigabitEthernet0/0 is up, line protocol is up', meaning the interface is operational and capable of forwarding traffic. An administratively down interface would display 'administratively down, line protocol is down' and would not pass any packets, making ACL processing irrelevant. Since the interface is up, the lack of ACL hit counts must be explained by the ACL not being applied rather than by an interface state issue.
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 ACL 110 is not applied to any interface.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
The 'Inbound access list is not set' and 'Outgoing access list is not set' lines in the exhibit directly prove that no ACL has been applied to GigabitEthernet0/0. Since ACL 110 exists but isn't attached to any interface, it never processes traffic and shows zero hit counts.
✗The ACL is applied to the interface in the wrong direction (inbound instead of outbound).Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A common mistake is to try to explain zero matches by directional misapplication without first checking whether an ACL is actually present. The exhibit explicitly shows no ACL is bound.
✗The access-list 110 syntax has incorrect subnet masks causing no matches.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Some candidates fixate on ACL configuration details instead of verifying interface assignment. The output confirms the interface has no ACL, not that an ACL is configured incorrectly.
✗The interface GigabitEthernet0/0 is administratively down, preventing ACL processing.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Candidates sometimes misread interface status. This output clearly shows the interface is enabled and up, so a down state is not the issue.
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?”
Visual reference
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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