200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure and automation. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During a CI/CD pipeline for network changes, a Jenkins job runs an Ansible playbook that applies configuration to a device. The playbook fails with a timeout error. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The device is under heavy CPU load causing slow responses
A timeout error in an Ansible playbook during a CI/CD pipeline typically indicates that the network device is responding too slowly to complete the SSH or API session within the configured timeout period. Heavy CPU load on the device can cause delayed responses to Ansible's control node, triggering the timeout before the playbook finishes applying the configuration. This is distinct from connectivity failures or authentication issues, which produce different error messages.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The playbook syntax is invalid
Why it's wrong here
Syntax errors are caught early in the playbook run and do not cause timeouts.
✗
Incorrect credentials
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect credentials would result in an authentication failure, not a timeout.
✓
The device is under heavy CPU load causing slow responses
Why this is correct
High CPU can delay responses, resulting in timeout errors.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Device is unreachable
Why it's wrong here
Unreachability might cause timeout, but a specific network issue is less likely than CPU load.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between connectivity failures (unreachable), authentication errors (wrong credentials), and performance issues (timeouts), where candidates mistakenly assume any failure is due to a syntax or credential problem rather than device resource exhaustion.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Ansible uses SSH (for network devices) or API calls (e.g., NX-API, NETCONF) with configurable timeout parameters like `timeout` in the `ansible_connection` settings or `connect_timeout` in the `wait_for` module. Under heavy CPU load, the device may take longer to process commands or respond to keepalives, exceeding the default timeout (often 30 seconds). In real-world scenarios, this is common during peak traffic or when the device is running complex routing protocols like OSPF or BGP, which consume CPU cycles.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 200-901 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Infrastructure and Automation — This question tests Infrastructure and Automation — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The device is under heavy CPU load causing slow responses — A timeout error in an Ansible playbook during a CI/CD pipeline typically indicates that the network device is responding too slowly to complete the SSH or API session within the configured timeout period. Heavy CPU load on the device can cause delayed responses to Ansible's control node, triggering the timeout before the playbook finishes applying the configuration. This is distinct from connectivity failures or authentication issues, which produce different error messages.
What should I do if I get this 200-901 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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