350-501 Architecture Practice Question
An engineer is troubleshooting a BGP route propagation issue. The customer is receiving a default route from upstream provider, but the route is not being installed in the routing table. The BGP table shows the route is valid but not best. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between a route being 'valid' in the BGP table versus being 'best' and installed in the routing table, trapping candidates who assume a valid BGP route is automatically used for forwarding.
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
✓
A static default route with lower administrative distance exists
A static default route with a lower administrative distance (e.g., 1) will be preferred over a BGP default route (AD 20 for eBGP). Even though the BGP route is valid in the BGP table, it is not installed in the routing table because the static route is more trustworthy. This is a common scenario where the routing table already has a better path, preventing the BGP route from becoming 'best' and being installed.
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 next-hop is unreachable
Why it's wrong here
That would make the route invalid, not just not best.
- ✗
The route is filtered by an inbound route-map
Why it's wrong here
If filtered, it would not appear in BGP table at all.
- ✗
The BGP session is not established
Why it's wrong here
If session down, route would not be in BGP table.
- ✓
A static default route with lower administrative distance exists
Why this is correct
Static route AD 1 < BGP AD 20, so BGP route is not best.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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