- A
Redundancy and load balancing
Spines provide multiple paths for redundancy and ECMP.
- B
Lower latency
Why wrong: Latency is low regardless of spine count.
- C
Simplified management
Why wrong: Management is not simplified by adding spines.
- D
Increased oversubscription
Why wrong: More spines reduce oversubscription, not increase.
Question 315 of 1,000
350-601 Network Practice Question
This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of network. 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.
In a spine-leaf architecture, what is the primary advantage of having multiple spine switches?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
✓
Redundancy and load balancing
In a spine-leaf architecture, multiple spine switches provide redundancy by ensuring that if one spine fails, traffic can still flow through other spines. They also enable load balancing because leaf switches can use equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing to distribute traffic across all available spine uplinks, maximizing bandwidth utilization and preventing congestion on any single path.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Redundancy and load balancing
Why this is correct
Spines provide multiple paths for redundancy and ECMP.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Lower latency
Why it's wrong here
Latency is low regardless of spine count.
- ✗
Simplified management
Why it's wrong here
Management is not simplified by adding spines.
- ✗
Increased oversubscription
Why it's wrong here
More spines reduce oversubscription, not increase.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that multiple spines primarily reduce latency, but the real advantage is redundancy and load balancing through ECMP, not a reduction in per-hop forwarding delay.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, spine-leaf relies on ECMP (Equal-Cost Multipath) routing, typically using OSPF or BGP, where each leaf switch has equal-cost paths to every spine. The spine switches act as a non-blocking fabric; with N spines, each leaf can achieve up to N times the uplink bandwidth, reducing oversubscription ratios (e.g., from 3:1 to 1.5:1 with more spines). In real-world data centers, this design allows linear scalability—adding spines increases aggregate bandwidth without reconfiguring existing leaf switches.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 350-601 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Visual reference
What to study next
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 350-601 question test?
Network — This question tests Network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Redundancy and load balancing — In a spine-leaf architecture, multiple spine switches provide redundancy by ensuring that if one spine fails, traffic can still flow through other spines. They also enable load balancing because leaf switches can use equal-cost multipath (ECMP) routing to distribute traffic across all available spine uplinks, maximizing bandwidth utilization and preventing congestion on any single path.
What should I do if I get this 350-601 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 350-601 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-601 exam.
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