200-901 Understanding and Using APIs Practice Question
A developer is making a GET request to a REST API and needs to specify that the response should be in JSON format. Which HTTP header should be set?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between Content-Type (for request body) and Accept (for response body), leading candidates to mistakenly choose Content-Type because they confuse 'sending' data with 'receiving' data.
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
✓
Accept
The Accept header is used by the client to tell the server which media types (e.g., application/json) it can understand and prefers for the response. In a GET request, the client does not send a body, so Content-Type is irrelevant for specifying the response format. Setting Accept: application/json ensures the server returns JSON if it supports that format.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Content-Type
Why it's wrong here
Content-Type describes the media type of the request body; a GET typically has no body, and it does not tell the server which response format to return. It is tempting because it names a media type, and it would be correct when POSTing or PUTting JSON so the server parses the payload correctly.
- ✗
User-Agent
Why it's wrong here
User-Agent identifies the requesting client software to the server; it cannot request a JSON representation. It is tempting because it is a common request header, and it would be correct when the server needs client identification for logging, analytics, or content negotiation based on browser capabilities.
- ✗
Authorization
Why it's wrong here
Authorization carries credentials for authenticating the caller; it does not negotiate the response representation. It is tempting because it is a standard request header, and it would be correct when the API requires a bearer token or basic credentials to permit the GET at all.
- ✓
Accept
Why this is correct
The Accept request header tells the server which media types the client can handle, so setting Accept: application/json requests a JSON response. This satisfies the stem's requirement to specify JSON as the desired response format.
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