Question 1mediummulti select
Full question →mediummulti selectObjective-mapped
Which two statements accurately describe ARP in an IPv4 Ethernet network?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
ARP resolves a known IPv4 address to a MAC address on the local segment.
This is correct because ARP is used to discover the Layer 2 MAC address associated with a known IPv4 address on the local network.
B
Distractor review
ARP is used to choose the best Layer 3 path across multiple routers.
This is wrong because routing protocols and routing tables handle path selection, not ARP.
C
Best answer
ARP requests are typically sent as broadcasts on the local LAN.
This is correct because ARP requests are broadcast so the device owning the target IP can respond.
D
Distractor review
ARP can normally resolve the MAC address of a host located across a routed network.
This is wrong because ARP is a local-link mechanism and does not normally resolve remote hosts across routers.
E
Distractor review
ARP replaces the need for a default gateway.
This is wrong because ARP does not replace gateway logic. It may help discover the gateway MAC on the local LAN, but the gateway is still required for off-subnet traffic.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A frequent exam trap is assuming that ARP can resolve MAC addresses for hosts beyond the local subnet or that it participates in routing decisions. Some candidates mistakenly believe ARP helps select the best path across routers or resolves remote MAC addresses, which is incorrect. ARP is strictly a local broadcast mechanism used only within the same Layer 2 domain. This confusion often leads to selecting incorrect options that describe routing or path selection functions, which are handled by routing protocols and not ARP.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a fundamental protocol used in IPv4 Ethernet networks to map a known IP address to its corresponding MAC address on the local network segment. When a device wants to communicate with another device on the same LAN, it must encapsulate the IP packet inside an Ethernet frame addressed to the destination's MAC address. ARP facilitates this by broadcasting a request to all devices on the local segment, asking "Who has this IP address?" The device with the matching IP replies with its MAC address, enabling direct Layer 2 communication. The ARP process is strictly confined to the local broadcast domain because Ethernet frames cannot traverse routers without being encapsulated differently. Therefore, ARP requests are sent as broadcasts to the local LAN, and only devices on that segment respond. If the destination IP is outside the local subnet, the sender uses the MAC address of its configured default gateway to forward the packet. ARP does not resolve MAC addresses beyond the local segment, nor does it participate in routing decisions or path selection across multiple routers. A common exam trap is confusing ARP’s role with routing protocols or path selection mechanisms. Some may incorrectly believe ARP helps determine the best Layer 3 path or resolves MAC addresses across routed networks. In reality, ARP only resolves IP-to-MAC mappings locally and does not cross routers. Understanding this distinction is critical for CCNA candidates to avoid selecting incorrect answers that blur local address resolution with routing functionality.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- ARP resolves a known IPv4 address to a MAC address only on the local Ethernet segment where the devices reside.
- ARP requests are sent as Layer 2 broadcasts to all devices on the local LAN to discover the MAC address of a known IP.
- Devices respond to ARP requests only if the requested IPv4 address matches their own configured IP address.
- ARP does not operate across routers and cannot resolve MAC addresses for hosts located on remote subnets.
- Routing protocols and routing tables determine the best Layer 3 path, not ARP, which is solely for local address resolution.
- When the destination IP is off-subnet, the sender uses ARP to find the MAC address of the default gateway, not the remote host.
- ARP entries are cached temporarily in the ARP table to reduce broadcast traffic and speed up address resolution.
- Misunderstanding ARP’s scope leads to common exam traps where candidates confuse local MAC resolution with routing functions.
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.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A router learns the same prefix from both OSPF and EIGRP. Which route is installed by default?
Question 2
A router shows this output: R1#show ip ospf neighbor Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface 10.1.1.2 1 FULL/DR 00:00:34 192.168.12.2 GigabitEthernet0/0 10.1.1.3 1 2WAY/DROTHER 00:00:39 192.168.12.3 GigabitEthernet0/0 Which statement is correct?
Question 3
What is the OSPF metric called?
Question 4
A non-root switch has two uplinks toward the root bridge. One path has a lower total STP cost than the other. What role will the lower-cost uplink have?
Question 5
A router interface applies this ACL inbound: 10 deny tcp any any eq 80 20 permit ip any any A user reports that web browsing to a server by IP address fails, but ping works. Which statement best explains the behavior?
Question 6
A router learns route 198.51.100.0/24 from OSPF with AD 110 and also has a static route to the same prefix configured with AD 150. Which route is installed?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
ARP resolves a known IPv4 address to a MAC address only on the local Ethernet segment where the devices reside.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: ARP resolves a known IPv4 address to a MAC address on the local segment. — ARP is the mechanism used to map a known IPv4 address to a Layer 2 MAC address on the local network segment. In plain language, if a device knows the IP address it wants to reach on the same LAN, ARP helps it discover the correct Ethernet destination MAC address to use in the frame. That is why ARP is so important for local delivery in IPv4 Ethernet environments. Without it, devices would know where they want to send traffic logically, but not how to address the actual frame on the local link. ARP does not cross routers in the usual way, and it is not a routing protocol. It does not determine best paths to remote networks. It simply helps with local resolution of IPv4-to-MAC information. This distinction matters a lot on CCNA questions because many wrong answers try to blur the line between local neighbor resolution and routing behavior.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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