Question 1,220 of 1,389
CCNA AI and Network Operations Practice Question
Exhibit
POST /dna/intent/api/v1/template-programmer/project HTTP/1.1 Host: controller.example.com X-Auth-Token: expired-token HTTP/1.1 401 Unauthorized
Exhibit: A script sends an API request and receives HTTP status code 401. What does that code indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Don't confuse authentication errors with server errors or resource availability issues. Focus on the specific meaning of each HTTP status code.
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 client is not authenticated successfully
HTTP 401 means the request was not accepted because authentication is required or the provided credentials or token were invalid. In practice, the first thing to check is the token, username, password, or auth header format.
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 requested resource was not found
Why it's wrong here
A 404 Not Found error means the server could not match the request URI to any known route or resource. This is an address-resolution failure: the endpoint itself does not exist, regardless of whether the client is authenticated or authorized. A 401 status, however, is returned during the authentication step before the server checks whether the requested resource exists. Thus, this option misinterprets the 401 as a missing-resource condition.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question were 'What does HTTP status code 404 indicate?', then option A would be correct, as 404 means the requested resource was not found.
- ✓
The client is not authenticated successfully
Why this is correct
A 401 Unauthorized status code explicitly indicates that the HTTP request was received but the server could not authenticate the client's identity. This means the script failed to provide valid credentials, such as a missing API key, expired token, or malformed Authorization header. The server must verify who the client is before processing the request, and without valid authentication it responds with 401 rather than fulfilling the API call. Therefore, the client is not authenticated successfully.
- ✗
The server completed the request successfully
Why it's wrong here
A 2xx status code, such as 200 OK, indicates that the server processed the request and returned the expected data or confirmation. If the script received a 401, the server did not complete the request successfully because it rejected the client's credentials before any resource operation occurred. The 401 response means the exchange was cut short by an authentication failure, not that the request was fulfilled. This option contradicts the actual HTTP status code in the exhibit.
When this WOULD be correct
If the question asked 'What does HTTP status code 200 indicate?' or 'Which status code means the request succeeded?', then 'The server completed the request successfully' would be correct.
- ✗
The server rejected the request because the JSON body was too large
Why it's wrong here
A request body that is too large triggers a 413 Payload Too Large status, which is a size-limiting validation error after authentication has already succeeded. A 401 error, however, is entirely concerned with identity verification and happens before the server evaluates the JSON payload's size or structure. The server cannot process or reject the body if it first fails to authenticate the request sender. Therefore, the large JSON body explanation does not apply to a 401 response.
When this WOULD be correct
A question asks: 'A client sends a POST request with a JSON payload exceeding the server's maximum allowed size. Which HTTP status code would the server return?' In that scenario, D (413) would be correct.
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 client is not authenticated successfullyCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
A 401 Unauthorized status code explicitly indicates that the HTTP request was received but the server could not authenticate the client's identity. This means the script failed to provide valid credentials, such as a missing API key, expired token, or malformed Authorization header. The server must verify who the client is before processing the request, and without valid authentication it responds with 401 rather than fulfilling the API call. Therefore, the client is not authenticated successfully.
✗The requested resource was not foundWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
HTTP status code 401 specifically indicates unauthorized access due to missing or invalid authentication. A 'resource not found' is indicated by 404, not 401.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question were 'What does HTTP status code 404 indicate?', then option A would be correct, as 404 means the requested resource was not found.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 401 with 404 because both are client error codes, and they might think 'not found' is a generic error for any failed request.
✗The server completed the request successfullyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
HTTP 401 indicates authentication failure, not successful completion. A 200-level code would indicate success.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the question asked 'What does HTTP status code 200 indicate?' or 'Which status code means the request succeeded?', then 'The server completed the request successfully' would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 401 with a successful response because they think 'unauthorized' means the request was processed but denied, or they misremember status code ranges.
✗The server rejected the request because the JSON body was too largeWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
HTTP 401 indicates authentication failure, not a request entity too large. The '413 Payload Too Large' status code is used when the request body exceeds the server's limit.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
A question asks: 'A client sends a POST request with a JSON payload exceeding the server's maximum allowed size. Which HTTP status code would the server return?' In that scenario, D (413) would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 401 with 413 because both involve client errors, or they might think a large JSON body causes an authentication-like rejection due to server security policies.
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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Last reviewed: May 17, 2026
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.
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