CCNA Switching and Network Access Practice Question

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, assign access ports, configure 802.1Q trunks, set native VLAN, verify with 'show vlan brief' and 'show interfaces trunk'

  Why this is correct

  VLANs must be created before any switchport can reference them, so building the VLAN database first is mandatory. With the VLANs in place, access ports can be assigned to their respective broadcast domains using 'switchport access vlan', after which trunk interfaces are configured via 'switchport mode trunk' and 802.1Q encapsulation if required. The native VLAN is a trunk-specific property that only becomes meaningful after the trunk is operational, so it is set last with 'switchport trunk native vlan'. Finally, 'show vlan brief' validates VLAN existence and access port membership, while 'show interfaces trunk' confirms trunking parameters and the active native VLAN.

• ✗

  Assign access ports, create VLANs, configure 802.1Q trunks, set native VLAN, verify with 'show vlan brief' and 'show interfaces trunk'

  Why it's wrong here

  Attempting to assign access ports before creating the VLANs violates the fundamental dependency that the VLAN must exist in the switch's VLAN database for the port assignment to be valid. If the VLAN is not yet defined, the switch either rejects the 'switchport access vlan' command or creates an implicit VLAN dynamically, leading to inconsistent configuration that may not match the design intent. The correct sequence is to first create the VLANs globally, then assign access ports, and only after those steps should trunking and native VLAN configuration be considered.

• ✗

  Create VLANs, assign access ports, set native VLAN, configure 802.1Q trunks, verify with 'show vlan brief' and 'show interfaces trunk'

  Why it's wrong here

  Setting the native VLAN before enabling 802.1Q trunking is logically flawed because the native VLAN parameter applies exclusively to trunk interfaces and is either ignored or rejected while the port is in access mode. On most Cisco switches, the command may be accepted but silently stored without taking effect until the interface is changed to trunk mode, potentially causing confusion during troubleshooting. Therefore, the native VLAN must be configured after the trunk has been established, ensuring the trunk can properly handle untagged frames on the correct VLAN.

• ✗

  Assign access ports, configure 802.1Q trunks, create VLANs, set native VLAN, verify with 'show vlan brief' and 'show interfaces trunk'

  Why it's wrong here

  This ordering errs twice: it assigns access ports and configures trunking before VLANs exist, and it also creates VLANs after trunk configuration, which is far too late for the earlier commands to remain valid. Without a populated VLAN database, the access ports cannot be correctly mapped to their intended VLANs, and trunks have no valid VLANs to carry across the link. The proper process is to create VLANs first, then assign access ports, then configure 802.1Q trunks, and finally set the native VLAN, with verification performed after all steps to ensure the configuration matches the intended design.

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.

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?”

Go deeper

Related to this question