The answer is that several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool. This happens because the DHCP server sends a ping to each potential address before offering it; when it receives a reply, it logs the address as a conflict and removes it from the pool, effectively shrinking the number of usable leases. On the CCNA 200-301 v2 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the DHCP conflict detection mechanism and how static IPs within the pool can exhaust addresses even when the pool appears to have free entries. A common trap is assuming the pool is simply full or misconfigured, but the real issue is that the server is detecting those static IPs via ping and excluding them. Remember the memory tip: “Ping before you offer—if it pings back, it’s a conflict in the pool.”
CCNA Network Services and Security Practice Question
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of network services and security. 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 ip dhcp conflict
IP address Detection method Detection time VRF
192.168.1.50 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:23 AM
192.168.1.51 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:24 AM
192.168.1.52 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:25 AM
192.168.1.53 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:26 AM
192.168.1.54 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:27 AM
192.168.1.55 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:28 AM
192.168.1.56 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:29 AM
192.168.1.57 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:30 AM
192.168.1.58 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:31 AM
192.168.1.59 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:32 AM
Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer is troubleshooting DHCP issues on a branch office network. Several users report that new devices are unable to obtain IP addresses, even though the DHCP pool configured on R1 appears to have sufficient free addresses. The engineer executes the show ip dhcp conflict command and observes the output. Based on the output, what is the most likely cause of the problem?
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.
R1# show ip dhcp conflict
IP address Detection method Detection time VRF
192.168.1.50 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:23 AM
192.168.1.51 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:24 AM
192.168.1.52 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:25 AM
192.168.1.53 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:26 AM
192.168.1.54 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:27 AM
192.168.1.55 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:28 AM
192.168.1.56 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:29 AM
192.168.1.57 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:30 AM
192.168.1.58 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:31 AM
192.168.1.59 Ping Mar 01 2025 10:32 AM
A
The DHCP scope is misconfigured with an exclusion range that includes 192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.59.
Why wrong: Excluded addresses are configured with the 'ip dhcp excluded-address' command and do not appear as conflicts in the show ip dhcp conflict output. The exhibit shows entries that were actively detected as in-use.
B
The ping timeout on the DHCP server is set too low, causing it to falsely detect conflicts.
Why wrong: A low ping timeout would make the server more likely to miss a response, potentially avoiding conflict detection. The exhibit shows successful Ping detections, meaning replies were received, so the addresses are genuinely occupied.
C
Several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool.
Each conflict entry with detection method 'Ping' indicates the server attempted to verify the address and received a reply, meaning a device is already using that IP statically or from another source. The server then marks it as a conflict and withdraws it from the pool, shrinking the pool until no addresses remain free.
D
The DHCP server is not properly releasing expired leases, causing the conflict table to fill up.
Why wrong: Conflicts are not caused by lease expiration. They are generated only when the server detects a duplicate address during the pre‑assignment check. Expired leases simply return to the pool; they do not populate the conflict table.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool.
The exhibit lists ten IP addresses (192.168.1.50 through .59) that have been detected as conflicts via Ping. This means the DHCP server sent ICMP echo requests to these addresses before offering them and received replies, confirming that hosts with those IPs already exist on the network—likely devices with static IP configurations. The server then marks them as conflicts and excludes them from the pool, reducing the number of available addresses. With multiple static hosts consuming the address space, the DHCP pool becomes effectively exhausted, preventing new devices from obtaining IPs.
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 DHCP scope is misconfigured with an exclusion range that includes 192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.59.
Why it's wrong here
Excluded addresses are configured with the 'ip dhcp excluded-address' command and do not appear as conflicts in the show ip dhcp conflict output. The exhibit shows entries that were actively detected as in-use.
✗
The ping timeout on the DHCP server is set too low, causing it to falsely detect conflicts.
Why it's wrong here
A low ping timeout would make the server more likely to miss a response, potentially avoiding conflict detection. The exhibit shows successful Ping detections, meaning replies were received, so the addresses are genuinely occupied.
✓
Several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool.
Why this is correct
Each conflict entry with detection method 'Ping' indicates the server attempted to verify the address and received a reply, meaning a device is already using that IP statically or from another source. The server then marks it as a conflict and withdraws it from the pool, shrinking the pool until no addresses remain free.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The DHCP server is not properly releasing expired leases, causing the conflict table to fill up.
Why it's wrong here
Conflicts are not caused by lease expiration. They are generated only when the server detects a duplicate address during the pre‑assignment check. Expired leases simply return to the pool; they do not populate the conflict table.
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.
✓Several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
Each conflict entry with detection method 'Ping' indicates the server attempted to verify the address and received a reply, meaning a device is already using that IP statically or from another source. The server then marks it as a conflict and withdraws it from the pool, shrinking the pool until no addresses remain free.
✗The DHCP scope is misconfigured with an exclusion range that includes 192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.59.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Candidates may confuse administratively excluded addresses with dynamically detected conflicts.
✗The ping timeout on the DHCP server is set too low, causing it to falsely detect conflicts.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The misconception is that aggressive ping settings create false conflicts, when in fact a conflict entry proves a reply was received.
✗The DHCP server is not properly releasing expired leases, causing the conflict table to fill up.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Candidates might think that conflicts represent stale entries, but a conflict is a permanent record of a detected collision, not a lease state.
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
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Excluded addresses are configured with the 'ip dhcp excluded-address' command and do not appear as conflicts in the show ip dhcp conflict output. The exhibit shows entries that were actively detected as in-use.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 practitioner preparing for the 200-301 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 200-301 question in full detail.
Identify which 200-301 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Network Services and Security — This question tests Network Services and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Several hosts on the network are using static IP addresses from the DHCP pool range, causing the DHCP server to mark those addresses as conflicts and depleting the available pool. — The exhibit lists ten IP addresses (192.168.1.50 through .59) that have been detected as conflicts via Ping. This means the DHCP server sent ICMP echo requests to these addresses before offering them and received replies, confirming that hosts with those IPs already exist on the network—likely devices with static IP configurations. The server then marks them as conflicts and excludes them from the pool, reducing the number of available addresses. With multiple static hosts consuming the address space, the DHCP pool becomes effectively exhausted, preventing new devices from obtaining IPs.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Identify which 200-301 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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