200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
A network administrator is configuring a new subnet for a branch office that requires at least 50 usable host addresses. Which subnet mask would meet this requirement while minimizing address waste?
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
✓
255.255.255.192 (/26)
A /26 subnet provides 62 usable hosts (2^6 - 2 = 62), which is the smallest subnet meeting the requirement of 50 hosts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
255.255.255.0 (/24)
Why it's wrong here
A /24 mask yields 254 usable hosts, far exceeding 50 and wasting over 200 addresses, so it does not minimise waste. /24 suits large subnets of up to 254 hosts, such as a whole floor or campus segment.
- ✗
255.255.255.128 (/25)
Why it's wrong here
A /25 mask yields 126 usable hosts, exceeding the 50 required and wasting 76 addresses, so it does not minimise waste. /25 suits segments needing between 51 and 126 hosts, such as a larger departmental subnet.
- ✗
255.255.255.224 (/27)
Why it's wrong here
A /27 mask provides only 30 usable host addresses, below the 50 required, so it fails the capacity requirement outright. /27 suits small segments of up to 30 hosts, such as point-to-point or tiny departmental links.
- ✓
255.255.255.192 (/26)
Why this is correct
A /26 mask leaves 6 host bits, yielding 62 usable addresses after reserving network and broadcast, which satisfies the 50-host minimum. Smaller masks such as /25 waste 64 addresses unnecessarily, while /27 provides only 30 usable hosts and fails the requirement.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 200-901 question from scratch — 975 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.