The answer is to verify whether the remote LAN is being advertised into the routing process. This is correct because R1 can successfully ping the next-hop router at 10.1.23.2, confirming Layer 3 connectivity to R3, yet the routing table on R1 lacks the 192.168.3.0/24 entry. When a directly connected neighbor is reachable but a specific remote network is missing, the root cause is almost always that the destination router (R3) is not originating or redistributing that LAN into the dynamic routing protocol, such as OSPF or EIGRP. On the CCNA 200-301 v2 exam, this scenario tests your ability to isolate routing advertisement issues rather than physical or link-layer problems—a common trap is to waste time checking cables or interface status when the neighbor is already up. Remember the troubleshooting flow: verify reachability to the next hop first, then check the routing protocol’s advertisement of the target network. A useful memory tip is “Ping the neighbor, then check the advertiser”—if the neighbor answers but the route is missing, the problem is upstream in the routing process.
CCNA IP Routing Practice Question
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of ip routing. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: a router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.. 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# ping 10.1.23.2
!!!!!
R1# show ip route 192.168.3.0
% Network not in table
Exhibit: R1 can ping 10.1.23.2 but cannot ping 192.168.3.10 behind R3. The routing table on R1 lacks 192.168.3.0/24. What is the best next check?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Verify whether the remote LAN is being advertised into the routing process
Because the directly connected next router is reachable, the problem is likely missing routing information for the remote LAN. The best next check is whether R3 is advertising 192.168.3.0/24 or whether that network is present in the routing domain at all.
Key principle: A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Verify whether the remote LAN is being advertised into the routing process
Why this is correct
That is the most direct next troubleshooting step.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.
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.
✓Verify whether the remote LAN is being advertised into the routing processCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
That is the most direct next troubleshooting step.
✗Replace the Ethernet cable between R1 and R2Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Since R1 can ping 10.1.23.2 (the interface on R2), the next-hop router is reachable, so the issue is not a physical or data-link layer problem between R1 and R2. Replacing the cable would not resolve the missing route.
Why candidates choose this
Students often jump to physical connectivity issues when pings fail, but here the ping to the next-hop succeeds, indicating the problem is at Layer 3 (routing) rather than Layer 1/2.
✗Change the OSPF router ID on R1 immediatelyWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The OSPF router ID is used to identify routers in the OSPF domain, but it does not affect whether a specific route is learned. Changing the router ID would not help R1 learn the 192.168.3.0/24 network.
Why candidates choose this
Router ID is a common OSPF concept, and students may think it is involved in route propagation, but it is only used for router identification and DR/BDR election, not for route filtering.
✗Disable CEF so the route can be learnedWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CEF (Cisco Express Forwarding) is a switching mechanism that speeds up packet forwarding; it does not prevent routes from being learned via OSPF. Disabling CEF would not cause the missing route to appear.
Why candidates choose this
Some students confuse CEF with routing protocol operations, thinking it might interfere with route learning, but CEF operates independently of the routing table population process.
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
A frequent exam trap is to confuse physical connectivity with routing issues. Because R1 can ping 10.1.23.2 (likely the next-hop router), candidates might mistakenly try to fix cables or interfaces instead of checking routing advertisements. Another trap is to focus on router ID changes or disabling features like CEF, which do not affect route learning. The key mistake is ignoring the routing table contents and assuming that reachability to the next-hop router guarantees full path reachability. This leads to wasted time and incorrect troubleshooting steps.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Routing protocols like OSPF, EIGRP, and RIP enable routers to share information about connected networks. Each router advertises its directly connected LANs so that other routers can learn routes to those networks and populate their routing tables accordingly. This process ensures end-to-end connectivity across multiple routers in an internetwork.
When a router cannot ping a remote IP address, the first step is to check its routing table. If the remote network is missing, it means the router has not learned about that network. This usually happens because the remote router is not advertising the network into the routing protocol or there is a filtering mechanism blocking the advertisement. Since R1 can ping the next-hop router (R2), the issue is not physical connectivity but missing routing information for the remote LAN behind R3.
A common exam trap is to focus on physical layer issues or router IDs when the problem is clearly routing-related. For example, replacing cables or changing router IDs will not fix missing route advertisements. In practice, verifying that the remote LAN is advertised into the routing process on R3 ensures that R1 can learn the route and forward traffic correctly. This step aligns with Cisco best practices for troubleshooting routing connectivity problems.
KKey Concepts to Remember
A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.
Routing tables on Cisco routers only include networks that are directly connected or learned via routing protocol advertisements.
If a router cannot ping a remote IP, the absence of that network in the routing table indicates missing or incomplete route advertisement.
OSPF and other routing protocols require all routers to advertise their connected LANs to maintain full network reachability.
A reachable next-hop router does not guarantee reachability to all networks behind it without proper route advertisement.
Cisco routers use routing protocols to dynamically learn routes, and missing advertisements cause routing table gaps.
Troubleshooting connectivity issues involves verifying that all remote LANs are properly advertised and present in routing tables.
Route advertisement issues are a common cause of partial connectivity in multi-router environments using dynamic routing.
TExam Day Tips
→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
A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 200-301 question in full detail.
Review a router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
IP Routing — This question tests IP Routing — A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Verify whether the remote LAN is being advertised into the routing process — Because the directly connected next router is reachable, the problem is likely missing routing information for the remote LAN. The best next check is whether R3 is advertising 192.168.3.0/24 or whether that network is present in the routing domain at all.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Review a router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain., then practise related 200-301 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
A router learns remote networks through routing protocols that advertise connected LANs into the routing domain.
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