200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
An application developer is using a protocol that does not require a connection setup and has minimal header overhead. Which transport protocol is being used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between transport-layer and application-layer protocols, so candidates mistakenly choose HTTP (an application protocol) instead of recognizing that the question explicitly asks for the transport protocol.
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
✓
UDP
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a connectionless transport-layer protocol that does not require a handshake (no SYN/SYN-ACK/ACK) and has minimal header overhead (only 8 bytes, compared to TCP's 20 bytes). This makes it ideal for applications like DNS queries, streaming media, or real-time communications where low latency is more critical than guaranteed delivery.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
TCP
Why it's wrong here
TCP is connection-oriented, requiring a three-way handshake before data transfer, so it fails the no-connection-setup requirement. It is tempting because TCP is the default for reliable application traffic, and would be correct where ordered, retransmitted delivery matters more than header size or setup latency.
- ✓
UDP
Why this is correct
UDP is connectionless, requiring no handshake before transmission, and its header carries only source port, destination port, length and checksum — eight bytes versus TCP's larger header. This satisfies both constraints: no connection setup and minimal header overhead.
- ✗
HTTP
Why it's wrong here
HTTP is an application-layer protocol that runs over TCP, so it inherits the connection setup the question excludes; it is not a transport protocol. It is tempting because HTTP is the everyday choice for web communication, and would be correct if the question asked which protocol carries request-response application data.
- ✗
ICMP
Why it's wrong here
ICMP is a network-layer control and error-reporting protocol, not a transport protocol, so it cannot be the transport carrying application data. It is tempting because ICMP is connectionless with a small header, and would be correct where the requirement is diagnostic messaging such as echo requests rather than application transport.
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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.