200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
A DNS AAAA record is used to resolve a hostname to what type of address?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing AAAA with A records or with CNAME — candidates must remember AAAA is exclusively for IPv6, while A is for IPv4 and CNAME is an alias.
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
✓
IPv6 address
A DNS AAAA record maps a hostname to an IPv6 address, analogous to how an A record maps to an IPv4 address. The four A's in 'AAAA' correspond to the 128-bit IPv6 address being four times the 32-bit IPv4 size, making it the standard record type for IPv6 resolution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Mail exchange server
Why it's wrong here
An MX record identifies mail exchange servers for a domain and carries no IP address data. It is tempting because MX records also live in DNS zones and reference hostnames, yet they direct email delivery, whereas AAAA records return IPv6 addresses; the question asks for the address type, so mail routing is irrelevant.
- ✗
IPv4 address
Why it's wrong here
An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address, not the IPv6 address an AAAA record returns. It is tempting because A and AAAA records perform the same name-to-address function, differing only in address family; the question specifically asks about AAAA, so IPv4 is the wrong family.
- ✗
Canonical name alias
Why it's wrong here
A CNAME record maps one hostname to another canonical name, returning no address at all. It is tempting because both are DNS records resolving names, yet CNAME aliases names, whereas AAAA records return IPv6 addresses; the question asks for the address type, so an alias cannot satisfy it.
- ✓
IPv6 address
Why this is correct
An AAAA record maps a hostname to a 128-bit IPv6 address, satisfying the stem's requirement for the address family returned by this record type. It mirrors the A record's role for IPv4 but uses four times the bits, which is why the mnemonic quadruples the letter.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
One of 975 original 200-901 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.