CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
Network Topology
You are connected to R1. Configure HSRP so that R1 becomes the active router for VLAN 10, with a virtual IP of 192.168.10.1. Ensure that R1 preempts if it comes back online after a failure. Also, configure R1 to decrement its HSRP priority by 20 if its GigabitEthernet0/1 interface goes down. The current configuration shows both routers as active — identify and fix the issues.
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch for three common mistakes: (1) forgetting to set a higher priority to win the election, (2) using the wrong virtual IP address, and (3) omitting the track command when required. Also note that preempt alone does not guarantee active status if priorities are equal.
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
✓
Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 110, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.
The scenario indicates both routers appear as Active, which is abnormal. This could result from a misconfigured virtual IP or group number mismatch. The required fix is to set the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, assign R1 a higher priority (110 vs R2's default 100), enable preempt so R1 reclaims active role after failure, and track GigabitEthernet0/1 with a decrement of 20 to lower priority if that interface goes down.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 110, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.
Why this is correct
This configuration correctly sets R1 as the active router with a higher priority (110 vs default 100), enables preempt so R1 reclaims active role after recovery, and tracks the uplink interface to decrement priority by 20 if it fails, allowing R2 to take over.
- ✗
Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 100, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.
Why it's wrong here
This fails because a priority of 100 exactly matches the HSRP default priority on R2. With equal priorities, preempt has no effect since R1's priority is not higher than the current active router, and the tie-breaker is highest IP address, so R1 may remain standby. Additionally, the tracked decrement of 20 would drop R1 below R2 after an uplink failure, opposite of the intended behavior.
- ✗
Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.254, set priority to 110, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.
Why it's wrong here
While the priority, preempt, and tracking are correct, the virtual IP 192.168.10.254 does not serve as the gateway for VLAN 10. The question specifies the virtual IP must be 192.168.10.1, so hosts configured with a default gateway of .1 would not be able to reach the HSRP group if the virtual IP is .254. Thus the configuration would create a functional but unusable HSRP group for the required addressing.
- ✗
Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 110, enable preempt, but do not track any interface.
Why it's wrong here
Omitting the track command means the router will not monitor GigabitEthernet0/1 for failures. The requirement explicitly states that R1 must decrement its priority by 20 when that interface goes down, allowing R2 to become active; without tracking, R1's priority stays at 110 and it would continue to hold the active role even when its uplink is unavailable. This configuration has the correct virtual IP, priority, and preempt, but misses the critical fault-tolerant behavior.
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.
✓Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 110, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This configuration correctly sets R1 as the active router with a higher priority (110 vs default 100), enables preempt so R1 reclaims active role after recovery, and tracks the uplink interface to decrement priority by 20 if it fails, allowing R2 to take over.
✗Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 100, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
HSRP election uses priority as the primary tie-breaker; equal priority leads to comparison of primary IP addresses, which may not favor R1.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think preempt alone is sufficient to make R1 active, but preempt only triggers re-election after a failure; it does not guarantee R1 wins if priorities are equal.
✗Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.254, set priority to 110, enable preempt, and track interface GigabitEthernet0/1 with decrement 20.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The virtual IP address must be consistent across all HSRP routers and match the configured gateway; a mismatch prevents proper operation.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might confuse the virtual IP with the standby IP or assume any unused IP in the subnet works, but the question explicitly requires 192.168.10.1.
✗Change the virtual IP to 192.168.10.1, set priority to 110, enable preempt, but do not track any interface.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Without tracking, R1's priority remains unchanged even if the uplink fails, so R1 would remain active despite losing connectivity, causing traffic black-holing.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may overlook the tracking requirement or think preempt alone handles failover, but tracking is needed to lower priority and trigger a switchover when the tracked interface goes down.
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?”
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Key term
HSRP
HSRP stands for Hot Standby Router Protocol, a Cisco proprietary protocol that allows multiple routers to work together as a single virtual router to provide default gateway redundancy.
Key term
Hot Standby Router Protocol
Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP) is a Cisco-proprietary protocol that provides first-hop redundancy by allowing a backup router to automatically take over if the primary router fails.
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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.