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Question 1,094 of 1,052
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CCNA Practice Question: A network administrator is troubleshooting an…
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of 200-301 exam topics. 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 monitor capture CAP1 buffer brief # size timestamp source destination protocol 1 64 00:01:23.456 192.168.10.10 192.168.10.1 ICMP 2 64 00:01:23.789 192.168.10.10 192.168.10.1 ICMP 3 60 00:01:24.123 192.168.10.1 192.168.10.10 ARP 4 60 00:01:24.456 192.168.10.10 192.168.10.1 ICMP 5 60 00:01:24.789 192.168.10.1 192.168.10.10 ARP 6 60 00:01:25.123 192.168.10.10 192.168.10.1 ICMP R1# show ip interface vlan 10 Vlan10 is up, line protocol is up Internet address is 192.168.10.1/24 Broadcast address is 255.255.255.255 Address determined by non-volatile memory MTU is 1500 bytes Helper address is not set Directed broadcast forwarding is disabled Outgoing access list is not set Inbound access list is not set Proxy ARP is enabled Local Proxy ARP is disabled Security level is default Split horizon is enabled ICMP redirects are always sent ICMP unreachables are always sent ICMP mask replies are never sent IP fast switching is enabled IP CEF switching is enabled IP Null turbo vector IP multicast fast switching is enabled IP multicast distributed fast switching is disabled IP route-cache flags are Fast, CEF Router Discovery is disabled IP output packet accounting is disabled IP access violation accounting is disabled TCP/IP header compression is disabled RTP/IP header compression is disabled Policy routing is disabled Network address translation is disabled BGP Policy Mapping is disabled Input features: MCI Check Output features: None WCCP Redirect outbound is disabled WCCP Redirect inbound is disabled WCCP Redirect exclude is disabled
A network administrator is troubleshooting an issue where hosts on VLAN 10 cannot ping the default gateway at 192.168.10.1. The router (R1) has an SVI for VLAN 10 with IP 192.168.10.1/24. The administrator captures traffic on the router's G0/0/0 interface (trunk to the switch) and reviews the embedded packet capture output. What is the root cause of the problem?
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 switch port connecting the host is configured in the wrong VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20 instead of VLAN 10).
The packet capture shows that the host (192.168.10.10) is sending ICMP echo requests to the gateway (192.168.10.1), but the gateway is responding with ARP requests instead of ICMP echo replies. This indicates that the router does not have the host's MAC address in its ARP cache, so it sends ARP requests to learn it. The router's SVI is up/up and has the correct IP address, but the ARP process is failing. The most likely cause is that the switch port connecting the host is in a different VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20), so the router's ARP requests never reach the host. The correct action is to verify the switch port VLAN assignment and ensure it matches VLAN 10. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because the SVI is up, there is no ACL blocking traffic (the capture shows ARP replies are sent), and ICMP redirects are not relevant to this issue.
Key principle: A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
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 router's SVI for VLAN 10 is administratively down.
Why it's wrong here
The 'show ip interface vlan 10' output clearly shows the interface is up and line protocol is up.
- ✓
The switch port connecting the host is configured in the wrong VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20 instead of VLAN 10).
Why this is correct
The router is sending ARP requests, but the host never receives them because the switch port is in a different VLAN. This prevents the router from learning the host's MAC address, causing the ping to fail.
Related concept
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
- ✗
An inbound ACL on the router's SVI is blocking ICMP echo requests from the host.
- ✗
The router has ICMP redirects enabled, causing it to ignore the pings.
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 switch port connecting the host is configured in the wrong VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20 instead of VLAN 10).Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
The router is sending ARP requests, but the host never receives them because the switch port is in a different VLAN. This prevents the router from learning the host's MAC address, causing the ping to fail.
✗The router's SVI for VLAN 10 is administratively down.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The SVI is operational, so this cannot be the root cause.
✗An inbound ACL on the router's SVI is blocking ICMP echo requests from the host.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The router receives the ICMP requests, so an inbound ACL would have dropped them before they reached the capture buffer.
✗The router has ICMP redirects enabled, causing it to ignore the pings.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
ICMP redirects do not prevent the router from responding to pings; they only send redirect messages when appropriate.
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: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The 'show ip interface vlan 10' output clearly shows the interface is up and line protocol is up.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
- Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
- Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
- Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
- Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
- Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
- Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
Key takeaway
A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A help-desk technician troubleshoots why a newly connected PC cannot reach shared printers on the same floor. The cable is good, the switch port is active, but the PC is in VLAN 20 and the printers are in VLAN 10. The uplink trunk only allows VLAN 10. A trunk being up does not mean every VLAN crosses it.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related 200-301 questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The switch port connecting the host is configured in the wrong VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20 instead of VLAN 10). — The packet capture shows that the host (192.168.10.10) is sending ICMP echo requests to the gateway (192.168.10.1), but the gateway is responding with ARP requests instead of ICMP echo replies. This indicates that the router does not have the host's MAC address in its ARP cache, so it sends ARP requests to learn it. The router's SVI is up/up and has the correct IP address, but the ARP process is failing. The most likely cause is that the switch port connecting the host is in a different VLAN (e.g., VLAN 20), so the router's ARP requests never reach the host. The correct action is to verify the switch port VLAN assignment and ensure it matches VLAN 10. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because the SVI is up, there is no ACL blocking traffic (the capture shows ARP replies are sent), and ICMP redirects are not relevant to this issue.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related 200-301 questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
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