CCNA Switching and Network Access Practice Question

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 EtherChannel should form successfully.

  Why this is correct

  In LACP, an interface configured as active actively sends LACP PDUs, while passive only responds to incoming PDUs. When one switch is active and the other passive, the active side's PDUs trigger the passive side to reply, allowing both devices to exchange port attributes and form a stable EtherChannel. The active/passive configuration is explicitly supported by the IEEE 802.3ad standard and is a common deployment for connecting to switches that do not support the active mode.

• ✗

  The EtherChannel fails because both sides must be active.

  Why it's wrong here

  The claim that both sides must be active is incorrect because LACP supports the active/passive mode combination. A passive interface does not send PDUs but will respond to them, so it completes negotiation when the peer is active. If both sides were passive, the interface would be silent and the bundle would fail, but as long as one side is active (the given scenario), the EtherChannel forms successfully. Therefore, requiring both active is a misunderstanding of LACP's negotiation rules.

  When this WOULD be correct

  In a different scenario, if the question specified that both switches were configured to active mode without any passive configuration, then this option would be correct, as both sides must be active for the EtherChannel to establish.

• ✗

  The interfaces automatically become routed ports.

  Why it's wrong here

  LACP mode negotiation operates entirely at Layer 2 and has no effect on the IP routing status of an interface. A port-channel created with the channel-group command defaults to a Layer 2 switchport, and the member interfaces inherit that Layer 2 behavior. To become routed ports, the administrator must explicitly issue the 'no switchport' command on the port-channel interface; LACP negotiation alone will never convert interfaces from Layer 2 to Layer 3.

  When this WOULD be correct

  If the question specified that the switches were configured to operate in a mode that requires routed ports, such as in a Layer 3 EtherChannel scenario, then this option would be correct. In that case, the interfaces would indeed become routed ports to facilitate Layer 3 communication.

• ✗

  The switches delete the port-channel automatically.

  Why it's wrong here

  If LACP negotiation fails due to mismatched settings, the switch does not automatically delete the port-channel interface or its member ports. The physical ports remain operational as regular switch ports, and the port-channel interface stays configured but remains in a down state because it lacks valid member links. Configuration objects are never removed automatically by a protocol event; a network administrator must manually delete them with 'no interface port-channel' or by removing the channel-group configuration.

  When this WOULD be correct

  This option would be correct in a scenario where the configuration of the switches is incorrect or incompatible, leading to a situation where the port-channel cannot be established, thus triggering an automatic deletion of the port-channel configuration.

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.

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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