- A
SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate.
The SNMP class shows 150 conformed and 50 dropped (exceeded+violated), while BGP shows all 50 conformed.
- B
BGP traffic is being dropped because it exceeds the CIR.
Why wrong: BGP shows all 50 packets conformed, so no drops.
- C
All traffic to the control plane is being dropped.
Why wrong: Only SNMP traffic is being partially dropped; BGP and class-default have no drops.
- D
The control-plane policy is applied in the output direction.
Why wrong: The service-policy is input, so it is inbound.
Quick Answer
The correct conclusion is that SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate. This is determined by interpreting the CoPP show policy-map control-plane statistics, where the police counters reveal how many packets conformed, exceeded, or violated the configured CIR. In the output, the BGP-CLASS shows all 50 packets as conformed, meaning they were transmitted, whereas the SNMP-CLASS shows 40 exceeded and 10 violated packets out of 200, indicating 50 packets were dropped because the offered rate of 2000 bps surpassed the 16 kbps policer. On the ENCOR 350-401 exam, this tests your ability to read CoPP output and identify which traffic classes are being policed versus dropped, a common trap being to overlook the violated counter or misinterpret the class-default as a catch-all for all unmatched traffic. Remember the memory tip: “Conformed is good, exceeded and violated are dropped”—focus on the non-zero numbers in the exceeded and violated rows to spot trouble.
CCNP ACLs and CoPP Practice Question
This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of acls and copp. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1:
R1# show policy-map control-plane
Control Plane
Service-policy input: CoPP-POLICY
Class-map: BGP-CLASS (match-all) 50 packets, 2500 bytes 5 minute offered rate 500 bps Match: access-group name BGP-ACL police: cir 64000 bps, bc 8000 bytes, be 8000 bytes conformed 50 packets, 2500 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop
Class-map: SNMP-CLASS (match-all) 200 packets, 10000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 2000 bps Match: access-group name SNMP-ACL police: cir 16000 bps, bc 2000 bytes, be 2000 bytes conformed 150 packets, 7500 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 40 packets, 2000 bytes; actions: drop violated 10 packets, 500 bytes; actions: drop
Class-map: class-default (match-any) 100 packets, 5000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 1000 bps Match: any police: cir 32000 bps, bc 4000 bytes, be 4000 bytes conformed 100 packets, 5000 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate.
The BGP class has a CIR of 64 kbps and all 50 packets conformed. The SNMP class has a CIR of 16 kbps, but 50 out of 200 packets exceeded or violated, meaning 50 packets were dropped. The class-default has a CIR of 32 kbps and all 100 packets conformed. The correct answer is that SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate.
Key principle: ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate.
- ✗
BGP traffic is being dropped because it exceeds the CIR.
Why it's wrong here
BGP shows all 50 packets conformed, so no drops.
- ✗
All traffic to the control plane is being dropped.
- ✗
The control-plane policy is applied in the output direction.
Why it's wrong here
The service-policy is input, so it is inbound.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
BGP shows all 50 packets conformed, so no drops.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
- The first matching ACL entry is used.
- There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
- Check inbound versus outbound direction.
- Read the ACL from top to bottom.
- Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
Key takeaway
ACLs process entries top to bottom and stop at the first match. Entry order and interface direction matter as much as the permit or deny statement.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related 350-401 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 350-401 question test?
ACLs and CoPP — This question tests ACLs and CoPP — Standard ACLs match source addresses..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate. — The BGP class has a CIR of 64 kbps and all 50 packets conformed. The SNMP class has a CIR of 16 kbps, but 50 out of 200 packets exceeded or violated, meaning 50 packets were dropped. The class-default has a CIR of 32 kbps and all 100 packets conformed. The correct answer is that SNMP traffic to the control plane is experiencing drops due to exceeding its policer rate, while BGP traffic is within its rate.
What should I do if I get this 350-401 question wrong?
Review ACL processing order, placement rules (standard near destination, extended near source), and inbound vs outbound direction. Study wildcard masks and implicit deny. Then practise related 350-401 ACL questions on filtering logic and placement.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on 350-401
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show policy-map control-plane Control Plane Service-policy input: CoPP-POLICY Class-map: ICMP-CLASS (match-all) 10 packets, 1000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 0 bps Match: access-group name ICMP-ACL police: cir 8000 bps, bc 1500 bytes, be 1500 bytes conformed 10 packets, 1000 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop Class-map: SSH-CLASS (match-all) 5 packets, 500 bytes 5 minute offered rate 0 bps Match: access-group name SSH-ACL police: cir 16000 bps, bc 3000 bytes, be 3000 bytes conformed 5 packets, 500 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop Class-map: class-default (match-any) 20 packets, 2000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 0 bps Match: any police: cir 64000 bps, bc 8000 bytes, be 8000 bytes conformed 20 packets, 2000 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop Based on this output, what can be concluded?
hard- ✓ A.ICMP traffic to the control plane is rate-limited to 8 kbps, and all packets so far have been within the conform rate.
- B.SSH traffic to the control plane is being dropped because it exceeds the CIR.
- C.The control-plane policy is applied in the output direction.
- D.All traffic to the control plane is rate-limited to 64 kbps.
Why A: The output shows a CoPP policy applied to the control plane. The ICMP class has a CIR of 8 kbps, and all 10 ICMP packets conformed. The SSH class has a higher CIR of 16 kbps. The class-default has a CIR of 64 kbps. The correct answer is that ICMP traffic to the control plane is rate-limited to 8 kbps, and all packets so far have been within the conform rate.
Variation 2. A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show policy-map control-plane Control Plane Service-policy input: CoPP-POLICY Class-map: MGMT-CLASS (match-all) 100 packets, 5000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 1000 bps Match: access-group name MGMT-ACL police: cir 32000 bps, bc 4000 bytes, be 4000 bytes conformed 80 packets, 4000 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 15 packets, 750 bytes; actions: drop violated 5 packets, 250 bytes; actions: drop Class-map: class-default (match-any) 200 packets, 10000 bytes 5 minute offered rate 2000 bps Match: any police: cir 64000 bps, bc 8000 bytes, be 8000 bytes conformed 200 packets, 10000 bytes; actions: transmit exceeded 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop violated 0 packets, 0 bytes; actions: drop Based on this output, what can be concluded?
hard- ✓ A.Management traffic to the control plane is being policed, and some packets are being dropped because they exceed the configured rate.
- B.All management traffic is being transmitted without drops.
- C.The policer is configured in the output direction.
- D.The class-default is dropping packets.
Why A: The MGMT class has a CIR of 32 kbps. Out of 100 packets, 80 conformed and were transmitted, while 20 exceeded or violated and were dropped. This indicates that the traffic rate exceeded the policer's CIR, causing drops. The correct answer is that management traffic to the control plane is being policed, and some packets are being dropped because they exceed the configured rate.
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Last reviewed: Jun 18, 2026
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