The answer is that no active ports are assigned to VLAN 10. In a Cisco Layer 3 switch, an SVI will remain in a down/down state unless the VLAN exists in the database and at least one switchport—either an access port in that VLAN or a trunk carrying it—is in the Spanning Tree forwarding state. Since the exhibit shows other SVIs and physical interfaces as up/up, the VLAN 10 SVI is down/down because the VLAN itself is inactive due to a lack of any active member ports. This scenario directly tests your understanding of SVI dependencies for the CCNA 200-301 v2 exam, where a common trap is assuming an SVI comes up simply because the VLAN is created. Instead, remember that an SVI mirrors the operational state of its underlying Layer 2 domain. A helpful memory tip is “No port, no support”—without at least one active port assigned to the VLAN, the SVI cannot transition to up/up.
CCNA Switching and Network Access Practice Question
This 200-301 practice question tests your understanding of switching and network access. 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
SW1# show ip interface brief
Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
Vlan1 192.168.1.1 YES NVRAM up up
Vlan10 172.16.10.1 YES NVRAM down down
Vlan20 172.16.20.1 YES NVRAM up up
GigabitEthernet0/0 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/1 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/2 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/3 unassigned YES unset up up
Refer to the exhibit. A network administrator is troubleshooting connectivity to devices in VLAN 10 on a Layer 3 switch. The administrator issues the show ip interface brief command on SW1 and sees the output displayed. What is the most likely reason that the VLAN 10 SVI is not functioning?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
SW1# show ip interface brief
Interface IP-Address OK? Method Status Protocol
Vlan1 192.168.1.1 YES NVRAM up up
Vlan10 172.16.10.1 YES NVRAM down down
Vlan20 172.16.20.1 YES NVRAM up up
GigabitEthernet0/0 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/1 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/2 unassigned YES unset up up
GigabitEthernet0/3 unassigned YES unset up up
A
No active ports are assigned to VLAN 10.
The SVI Status and Protocol are both 'down'. This occurs when the VLAN has no active member ports, which prevents the SVI from transitioning to up/up.
B
The VLAN 10 SVI has been administratively shut down.
Why wrong: An administratively shut down SVI would show 'administratively down' as the Status, not 'down'. The exhibit shows 'down', so this is not the cause.
C
The IP address configured on the VLAN 10 SVI is incorrect for the subnet.
Why wrong: An incorrect IP address would not cause the SVI to be down/down. It would still show up/up (or possibly up/down if there were a Layer 2 issue), but the IP-related problem would only affect reachability, not interface status.
D
The switch ports assigned to VLAN 10 are all configured as trunk ports.
Why wrong: Trunk ports can still carry VLAN 10 traffic and provide an active member port for the VLAN, provided they are up/up and the VLAN is allowed and active on the trunk. This would not prevent the SVI from coming up if those trunks are functioning.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
No active ports are assigned to VLAN 10.
The exhibit shows the VLAN 10 SVI with Status 'down' and Protocol 'down'. In a Cisco Layer 3 switch, an SVI will only be up/up if the VLAN exists in the VLAN database and at least one active port (access or trunk) belongs to that VLAN and is in the Spanning Tree forwarding state. Since other SVIs (Vlan1, Vlan20) and physical interfaces are up/up, the most likely cause is that no ports are actively assigned to VLAN 10, leaving the VLAN inactive.
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.
✓
No active ports are assigned to VLAN 10.
Why this is correct
The SVI Status and Protocol are both 'down'. This occurs when the VLAN has no active member ports, which prevents the SVI from transitioning to up/up.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
✗
The VLAN 10 SVI has been administratively shut down.
Why it's wrong here
An administratively shut down SVI would show 'administratively down' as the Status, not 'down'. The exhibit shows 'down', so this is not the cause.
✗
The IP address configured on the VLAN 10 SVI is incorrect for the subnet.
Why it's wrong here
An incorrect IP address would not cause the SVI to be down/down. It would still show up/up (or possibly up/down if there were a Layer 2 issue), but the IP-related problem would only affect reachability, not interface status.
✗
The switch ports assigned to VLAN 10 are all configured as trunk ports.
Why it's wrong here
Trunk ports can still carry VLAN 10 traffic and provide an active member port for the VLAN, provided they are up/up and the VLAN is allowed and active on the trunk. This would not prevent the SVI from coming up if those trunks are functioning.
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.
✓No active ports are assigned to VLAN 10.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
The SVI Status and Protocol are both 'down'. This occurs when the VLAN has no active member ports, which prevents the SVI from transitioning to up/up.
✗The VLAN 10 SVI has been administratively shut down.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Candidates often confuse 'down' with 'administratively down', assuming any disabled interface will show 'down'. They need to distinguish the two statuses.
✗The IP address configured on the VLAN 10 SVI is incorrect for the subnet.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Some candidates think a misconfigured IP address can cause an interface to be down, but status does not reflect IP configuration.
✗The switch ports assigned to VLAN 10 are all configured as trunk ports.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
A common misunderstanding is that trunk ports do not make a VLAN active; in reality, a trunk carrying VLAN 10 can activate the SVI as long as the trunk is up/up and the VLAN is not pruned.
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
An administratively shut down SVI would show 'administratively down' as the Status, not 'down'. The exhibit shows 'down', so this is not the cause.
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.
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 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.
Switching and Network Access — This question tests Switching and Network Access — Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: No active ports are assigned to VLAN 10. — The exhibit shows the VLAN 10 SVI with Status 'down' and Protocol 'down'. In a Cisco Layer 3 switch, an SVI will only be up/up if the VLAN exists in the VLAN database and at least one active port (access or trunk) belongs to that VLAN and is in the Spanning Tree forwarding state. Since other SVIs (Vlan1, Vlan20) and physical interfaces are up/up, the most likely cause is that no ports are actively assigned to VLAN 10, leaving the VLAN inactive.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
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