350-501 MPLS and Segment Routing Practice Question
This 350-501 practice question tests your understanding of mpls and segment routing. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which TWO are benefits of using Segment Routing (SR) over traditional LDP-based MPLS?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Eliminates the need for LDP and RSVP-TE protocols.
Option A is correct because Segment Routing (SR) eliminates the need for the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) by encoding MPLS labels directly into the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), such as OSPF or IS-IS. This simplifies the control plane by removing these protocols entirely, reducing operational complexity and resource overhead.
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.
✓
Eliminates the need for LDP and RSVP-TE protocols.
Why this is correct
SR uses IGP to distribute labels, removing LDP and RSVP-TE.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
BGP PIC is not exclusive to SR; SR uses IGP convergence.
✓
Supports traffic engineering without RSVP-TE.
Why this is correct
SR-TE uses segment lists for explicit paths.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that Segment Routing requires a specific IGP (like OSPF only) or that it reduces label imposition, when in fact SR is IGP-agnostic and label depth depends on the path encoding, not the protocol itself.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Segment Routing leverages the IGP's SPF algorithm to compute paths using a stack of MPLS labels (SIDs), where each SID represents a node or adjacency. This eliminates the need for a separate label distribution protocol like LDP (RFC 5036) and RSVP-TE (RFC 3209), as the IGP itself advertises the label bindings via extensions like OSPF extensions (RFC 8665) or IS-IS extensions (RFC 8667). In real-world deployments, this reduces the number of protocols to manage and troubleshoot, and enables traffic engineering by simply specifying a list of SIDs in the packet header, without requiring RSVP-TE's stateful signaling.
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 network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
MPLS and Segment Routing — This question tests MPLS and Segment Routing — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Eliminates the need for LDP and RSVP-TE protocols. — Option A is correct because Segment Routing (SR) eliminates the need for the Label Distribution Protocol (LDP) and Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE) by encoding MPLS labels directly into the Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), such as OSPF or IS-IS. This simplifies the control plane by removing these protocols entirely, reducing operational complexity and resource overhead.
What should I do if I get this 350-501 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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