200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
An organization has a web server that needs to be reachable via both 'www.example.com' and 'example.com'. Which DNS record type should be used to make 'example.com' an alias for 'www.example.com'?
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
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CNAME record
A CNAME record creates an alias that points to the canonical name. The A record points to an IP address, not another domain.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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A record
Why it's wrong here
An A record maps a name directly to an IPv4 address, so 'example.com' would need its own address rather than aliasing 'www.example.com'. It is tempting because it does resolve the bare domain, but a single-address host record is correct only when no alias is required.
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MX record
Why it's wrong here
MX records direct email delivery to mail exchangers for a domain, carrying no web-hosting alias function. They are tempting because they also map a domain name to a target host, but routing SMTP for a mail domain is their actual purpose.
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NS record
Why it's wrong here
NS records delegate a DNS zone to authoritative name servers; they do not alias one hostname to another. They are tempting because both records live in the zone file, but delegation of a subdomain to another nameserver is the scenario NS records serve.
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CNAME record
Why this is correct
A CNAME record maps one DNS name to another canonical name, so querying example.com returns www.example.com's records. This satisfies the stem's requirement for an alias rather than a duplicate A record, letting both hostnames resolve to the same web server without maintaining separate IP entries.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
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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.