200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
A developer runs `curl -I http://api.example.com/health` and receives `HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently` with a `Location: https://api.example.com/health` header. They want to follow the redirect automatically and print the final response body. Which curl option should they add?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any curl flag that changes request behavior, such as forcing a method or disabling certificate checks, will also resolve a 301 redirect, when only the redirect-following flag does that.
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
✓
`-L`
Following an HTTP redirect requires curl to recognize the 3xx status and reissue the request to the URL in the Location header. The `-L` flag enables exactly that behavior. Other flags alter TLS verification, verbosity, or the request method, but none of them cause curl to traverse the redirect chain. Combining `-L` with a method that returns a body is what produces the final content.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
`-v`
Why it's wrong here
The `-v` (verbose) option prints request and response headers to stderr for diagnosis, but it does not change curl's behavior regarding redirects. The developer would still receive only the 301 response and no final body. Verbose output is useful for confirming that a Location header exists, but it does not cause curl to reissue the request to the new URL, so it does not solve the stated problem.
- ✓
`-L`
Why this is correct
The `-L` flag instructs curl to follow HTTP 3xx redirects by reissuing the request to the URL in the Location header. Because the original request used `-I` (HEAD), curl will still issue HEAD requests on the redirect chain, so it will not print a body; to see the final body, the developer should also drop `-I` or use `-o`/`-O` with `-L`. In this scenario, adding `-L` is the correct mechanism to resolve the 301 automatically.
- ✗
`-X GET`
Why it's wrong here
The `-X` option overrides the HTTP method, so `-X GET` would change the request from HEAD to GET. That would retrieve a response body if the server returned 200, but it would not make curl follow the 301 redirect. The developer would still see only the redirect response. Forcing the method is not the same as following a Location header, so this option does not address the redirect behavior.
- ✗
`-k`
Why it's wrong here
The `-k` (or `--insecure`) option tells curl to skip TLS certificate verification. It does not cause curl to follow redirects. In this scenario, the server is redirecting from HTTP to HTTPS, but the problem is not certificate trust; it is that curl stops at the 301 response. Using `-k` would leave the redirect unresolved and could mask a real certificate problem later, so it is the wrong choice here.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 200-901 question is part of Courseiva's 975-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-901 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 200-901 exam.