Show IP Route Output Practice Questions

R1 learns the route 192.0.2.0/24 via OSPF, RIP, and a static route configured with an administrative distance of 130. Based on this information, which two statements are correct?

Exhibit

show ip route 192.0.2.0
Routing entry for 192.0.2.0/24
  Known via "ospf 1", distance 110, metric 20, type intra area
  Last update from 10.1.12.2 on GigabitEthernet0/0

Configured routes:
ip route 192.0.2.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.13.3 130

RIP also advertises 192.0.2.0/24 with distance 120.

A
The OSPF route is installed because its administrative distance is lower than RIP and the floating static route.
For the same /24 prefix, OSPF AD 110 beats RIP 120 and static 130.
B
The static route will be preferred because static routes always beat dynamic routes.
Why wrong: Only if the static route has a lower AD than the competing routes.
C
The static route acts as a backup and can be installed if the OSPF route disappears.
With AD 130, it is a classic floating static route.
D
RIP wins because its metric is lower than OSPF cost.
Why wrong: Different routing protocols are compared by AD first, not by their internal metrics.
E
All three routes should load-balance because the prefix length is the same.
Why wrong: Equal prefix length alone is not enough; the route source and attributes do not match for ECMP here.

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Question 2hardmultiple choice

A network administrator is troubleshooting a connectivity issue between two remote sites connected via a WAN link. Hosts on VLAN 10 at Site A (192.168.10.0/24) cannot ping the server at Site B (10.10.20.100). The router at Site A has a default route configured with the next-hop IP address 10.10.10.2. The administrator checks the routing table on Router A and notices that the default route is not installed. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

Exhibit

RouterA# show ip route
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route, H - NHRP, l - LISP
       a - application route
       + - replicated route, % - next hop override, p - overrides from PfR

Gateway of last resort is 10.10.10.2 to network 0.0.0.0

S*    0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 10.10.10.2, GigabitEthernet0/0
      10.0.0.0/8 is variably subnetted, 3 subnets, 2 masks
C        10.10.10.0/30 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
L        10.10.10.1/32 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
S        10.10.20.0/24 [1/0] via 10.10.10.2, GigabitEthernet0/0
      192.168.10.0/24 is variably subnetted, 2 subnets, 2 masks
C        192.168.10.0/24 is directly connected, Vlan10
L        192.168.10.1/32 is directly connected, Vlan10

A
The static route for 10.10.20.0/24 is missing from the routing table.
Why wrong: The exhibit shows that a static route to 10.10.20.0/24 via 10.10.10.2 is present in the routing table.
B
The GigabitEthernet0/0 interface is administratively down.
Why wrong: The interface is shown as directly connected with a local address, indicating it is up and operational.
C
The default route is not configured; the gateway of last resort is missing.
Why wrong: The output shows 'Gateway of last resort is 10.10.10.2 to network 0.0.0.0', meaning the default route is present.
D
The next-hop router 10.10.10.2 is unreachable.
A static route with a next-hop IP is only installed in the routing table when that next-hop is reachable. Since the default route is missing from the routing table, the next-hop 10.10.10.2 must be unreachable, making option D the correct diagnosis.

Question 3hardmultiple choice

A junior network engineer configured a floating static route on Router R1 to provide backup connectivity to a remote network 10.10.10.0/24. The primary connection uses OSPF. However, after the primary link fails, hosts on R1 cannot reach the remote network. The OSPF adjacency is down, and the floating static route is not appearing in the routing table. Based on the exhibit, what is the most likely cause of the issue?

Exhibit

R1# show ip route static
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route

Gateway of last resort is not set

S*   0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 192.168.1.2
S    10.10.10.0/24 [200/0] via 192.168.2.2

R1# show running-config | include ip route
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.2
ip route 10.10.10.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.2.2 200

A
The floating static route is missing from the configuration.
Why wrong: The exhibit shows the static route is configured.
B
The static route's next-hop becomes unreachable after the primary OSPF link fails.
The floating static route points to a next-hop that is only reachable via the OSPF-learned path. Once the primary link fails and OSPF is down, the router loses the route to that next-hop, preventing the static route from being installed.
C
The administrative distance of the static route is too high.
Why wrong: An AD of 200 is correct for a floating static route to act as a backup to OSPF (AD 110).
D
The default route is overriding the static route to 10.10.10.0/24.
Why wrong: The default route is for 0.0.0.0/0 and does not affect the more specific route to 10.10.10.0/24.

Question 4hardmultiple choice

Exhibit: A router has the following routes in its routing table: - OSPF: 10.1.1.0/24 - Static: 10.1.1.128/25 - Default: 0.0.0.0/0

A packet is destined for 10.1.1.130. Which route does the router use?

Exhibit

O 10.1.1.0/24 via 192.0.2.1
S 10.1.1.128/25 via 198.51.100.1
S* 0.0.0.0/0 via 203.0.113.1

A
The OSPF 10.1.1.0/24 route
Why wrong: It matches, but there is a more specific /25 route.
B
The static 10.1.1.128/25 route
Longest-prefix match sends 10.1.1.130 to the /25.
C
The default route
Why wrong: The default route is used only when no more specific route exists.
D
The router load-balances across all three
Why wrong: These routes have different prefix lengths.

Question 5mediummulti select

Which three of the following statements about the routing table lookup process on a Cisco router are true? (Choose three.)

D
The router does not perform recursive resolution when the next-hop IP address is not directly connected.
Why wrong: When the next-hop IP is not directly connected, the router does recursively resolve the address to determine the outgoing interface.

Question 6mediummultiple choice

Exhibit: R1 has learned 10.50.0.0/24 through OSPF and also has a floating static route to the same prefix with administrative distance 130. Which route is installed while OSPF is healthy?

Exhibit

show ip route 10.50.0.0
O 10.50.0.0/24 [110/30] via 192.0.2.2
S 10.50.0.0/24 [130/0] via 198.51.100.2

A
The static route because static routes always win over dynamic routes
Why wrong: A static route only wins if its administrative distance is lower.
B
The OSPF route because its administrative distance is lower than the floating static route
OSPF AD 110 beats the floating static AD 130.
C
Both routes because the prefix length matches
Why wrong: The router does not install both just because the mask matches.
D
Neither route until equal-cost load balancing is configured
Why wrong: The OSPF route is perfectly valid already.

Question 7hardmultiple choice

A router has the following routes in its routing table: a static route to 10.60.4.16/28, an OSPF route to 10.60.4.0/24, and an EIGRP route to 10.60.0.0/16. Which route will be used for a packet destined to 10.60.4.17?

Exhibit

R1# show ip route
O    10.60.4.0/24 [110/20] via 192.0.2.2
S    10.60.4.16/28 [1/0] via 192.0.2.6
D    10.60.0.0/16 [90/30720] via 192.0.2.10

Destination being tested: 10.60.4.17

A
The static route to 10.60.4.16/28
This is correct because the destination falls inside the more specific /28 prefix.
B
The OSPF route to 10.60.4.0/24
Why wrong: This is wrong because the /24 is less specific than the /28.
C
The EIGRP route to 10.60.0.0/16
Why wrong: This is wrong because the /16 is broader than both other matches.
D
No route at all
Why wrong: This is wrong because the destination clearly matches all three shown prefixes.

Question 8hardScenario

You are troubleshooting a network connectivity issue on R1. The network 192.168.10.0/24 behind R2 must be reachable from R1 via the primary path through R2 (192.0.2.2). A backup path via R3 (198.51.100.2) should automatically take over if the primary fails. Currently, traffic to 192.168.10.0/24 is incorrectly using the backup path even though the primary path is operational. Analyze the routing table and configuration, then fix the issue so that the primary path is preferred when available.

Exhibit

R1# show ip route
Codes: L - local, C - connected, S - static, R - RIP, M - mobile, B - BGP
       D - EIGRP, EX - EIGRP external, O - OSPF, IA - OSPF inter area
       N1 - OSPF NSSA external type 1, N2 - OSPF NSSA external type 2
       E1 - OSPF external type 1, E2 - OSPF external type 2
       i - IS-IS, su - IS-IS summary, L1 - IS-IS level-1, L2 - IS-IS level-2
       ia - IS-IS inter area, * - candidate default, U - per-user static route
       o - ODR, P - periodic downloaded static route

Gateway of last resort is not set

      192.0.2.0/30 is subnetted, 1 subnets
C        192.0.2.0/30 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/0
      198.51.100.0/30 is subnetted, 1 subnets
C        198.51.100.0/30 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/1
      192.168.10.0/24 is subnetted, 1 subnets
S        192.168.10.0/24 [1/0] via 198.51.100.2

R1# show running-config | section ip route
ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 198.51.100.2
ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 192.0.2.2 200

A
Remove the static route to 192.168.10.0/24 via 198.51.100.2 and add a floating static route via 198.51.100.2 with AD 200. Ensure the primary route via 192.0.2.2 uses default AD 1.
This corrects the AD values: the primary path gets the lower AD (1) and the backup gets a higher AD (200), so the primary is preferred when available.
B
Change the AD of the static route via 192.0.2.2 to 200 and the AD of the route via 198.51.100.2 to 1.
Why wrong: This is incorrect because it suggests modifying both routes, but the primary route already has AD 1 (default) and the backup has AD 1 as well; the fix is to increase the backup's AD, not change the primary's.
C
Add a static route to 192.168.10.0/24 via 192.0.2.2 with AD 1 and remove the existing route via 198.51.100.2.
Why wrong: This removes the backup route entirely, which eliminates redundancy. The requirement is for automatic failover, not removal of the backup.
D
Configure a policy-based route to prefer the next-hop 192.0.2.2 for traffic to 192.168.10.0/24.
Why wrong: Policy-based routing (PBR) is not the standard solution for simple primary/backup path selection; static route AD manipulation is the correct method.

Question 9hardmultiple choice

A router has a static route to 10.30.5.128/25, an OSPF route to 10.30.5.0/24, and a default route 0.0.0.0/0 in its routing table. Which route will the router use for destination 10.30.5.130?

Exhibit

R1# show ip route
O    10.30.5.0/24 [110/20] via 192.0.2.2
S    10.30.5.128/25 [1/0] via 192.0.2.6
S*   0.0.0.0/0 [1/0] via 198.51.100.1

Destination being tested: 10.30.5.130

A
The static route to 10.30.5.128/25
This is correct because 10.30.5.130 falls inside the more specific /25 route.
B
The OSPF route to 10.30.5.0/24
Why wrong: This is wrong because the /24 is less specific than the /25.
C
The default route
Why wrong: This is wrong because more specific matching routes exist.
D
No route, because the destination is outside all prefixes shown.
Why wrong: This is wrong because the destination clearly matches both the /24 and the /25.

Question 10hardmultiple choice

A router has a static route configured: ip route 10.200.0.0 255.255.0.0 GigabitEthernet0/1. The output of show ip interface brief shows that interface GigabitEthernet0/1 is administratively down. Why is the route to 10.200.0.0/16 present in the running configuration but absent from the routing table?

Exhibit

R1# show run | include ^ip route
ip route 10.200.0.0 255.255.0.0 Serial0/0/0

R1# show ip interface brief
Interface       IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Protocol
Serial0/0/0     unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down

A
Because the route points to an interface that is administratively down.
This is correct because a route using an unusable exit path will not provide operational forwarding.
B
Because static routes cannot reference exit interfaces.
Why wrong: This is wrong because static routes can be configured with outgoing interfaces.
C
Because the destination must be a /24, not a /16.
Why wrong: This is wrong because the issue shown is interface state, not the destination mask.
D
Because static routes require NTP before installation.
Why wrong: This is wrong because time synchronization is unrelated to static-route installation.

Question 11mediummulti select

Which TWO statements about interpreting routing table output are true? (Choose two.)

A
A route with a longer prefix length is always preferred over a route with a shorter prefix length, regardless of administrative distance.
The longest-prefix match rule ensures the most specific route is used first, even if another route has a lower AD.
B
A directly connected route has an administrative distance of 0 and is always preferred over any dynamic route for the same network.
Directly connected routes have AD 0, the lowest possible, so they are preferred over any dynamic route (e.g., OSPF AD 110, EIGRP AD 90/170).
C
If two routes have the same prefix length, the route with the higher administrative distance is preferred.
Why wrong: A lower AD indicates a more trustworthy source, so the route with the lower AD is preferred, not the higher one.
D
The metric is used to compare routes from different routing protocols.
Why wrong: Metrics are only comparable within the same routing protocol (e.g., OSPF cost vs. EIGRP composite metric). For different protocols, AD is used to select the best route.
E
A static route configured with an administrative distance of 200 will be preferred over an OSPF route with AD 110 for the same network.
Why wrong: A lower AD is preferred; OSPF AD 110 is lower than 200, so the OSPF route would be chosen.

Question 12hardmultiple choice

A network engineer configures a primary default route via Gi0/0 (next-hop 192.168.12.2) and a floating static default route via Gi0/1 (next-hop 192.168.12.6) with AD 200. To test failover, the engineer issues the shutdown command on Gi0/0. After this, the router does not have a default route in the routing table. Which problem explains this behavior?

Exhibit

R1# show running-config | include ip route
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.12.2
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.12.6 200

R1# show ip interface brief
Interface               IP-Address      OK? Method Status                Protocol
GigabitEthernet0/0      192.168.12.1    YES manual administratively down down
GigabitEthernet0/1      192.168.12.5    YES manual administratively down down
GigabitEthernet0/2      unassigned      YES unset  administratively down down

A
The backup interface Gi0/1 is administratively down, making the next-hop unreachable.
With both interfaces down, the router cannot reach either next-hop, so no default route is installed.
B
The floating static route uses an administrative distance of 200, which is too low to replace the primary route.
Why wrong: Floating static routes require a higher AD than the primary; 200 is higher than the default 1, making it a backup.
C
The primary default route remains in the routing table because shutting down Gi0/0 does not remove the static route.
Why wrong: Shutting down the interface removes the connected route, which causes the router to purge the recursive static route referencing that next-hop.
D
The floating static route is missing a track object, so the router cannot detect the primary path failure.
Why wrong: Floating static routes do not require IP SLA tracking; the AD difference ensures the backup is installed when the primary is removed from the routing table.

Question 13mediumdrag order

Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to determine the best route to a destination using a routing table.

Question 14hardmultiple choice

A route to 10.10.10.0/24 is learned through two OSPF paths. Both have the same prefix length and the same administrative distance, but one path has a lower OSPF metric. Which path is preferred?

A
The path with the lower OSPF metric
This is correct because within the same protocol and prefix, the lower metric is preferred.
B
The path with the higher OSPF metric
Why wrong: This is wrong because higher metric means a less preferred path.
C
Both paths equally, because the administrative distance is the same
Why wrong: This is wrong because equal administrative distance does not mean both paths are used when metrics differ.
D
Neither path, because two OSPF routes to the same prefix are invalid
Why wrong: This is wrong because OSPF can learn the same prefix via multiple paths and selects the best one.

Question 15mediummulti select

A router learns a route to 172.16.0.0/16 via OSPF (administrative distance 110) and a route to 172.16.10.0/24 via EIGRP (administrative distance 90). No other overlapping routes exist. Which TWO statements about how the router handles these routes are correct?

A
The router installs only the EIGRP route because it has a lower administrative distance.
Why wrong: Administrative distance is compared only for routes with the same prefix length. Here the routes have different prefix lengths, so both are installed.
B
Both the OSPF and EIGRP routes are installed in the routing table.
Since the routes have different prefix lengths, they are treated as separate destinations and both are installed.
C
Traffic to 172.16.10.100 is forwarded using the OSPF route.
Why wrong: Longest-prefix matching selects the most specific route. Because 172.16.10.100 falls within the /24 subnet, the EIGRP route is used.
D
The EIGRP route is used for all traffic destined to any address within 172.16.0.0/16.
Why wrong: The EIGRP route covers only the 172.16.10.0/24 subnet. Other subnets within the /16 still use the OSPF route.
E
The OSPF route is used for destinations within 172.16.0.0/16 that are not part of the 172.16.10.0/24 subnet.
Because the /24 is a more specific route, the OSPF /16 serves as a covering route for any addresses that do not match the longer prefix.