200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are characteristics of the UDP protocol?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between connection-oriented (TCP) and connectionless (UDP) protocols, and candidates mistakenly associate 'reliable delivery' with UDP because some application-layer protocols (e.g., DNS with retries) can achieve reliability, but UDP itself does not provide it.
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
✓
Used by DNS and DHCP
UDP is a connectionless transport layer protocol that provides minimal overhead, making it ideal for applications like DNS and DHCP that require fast, lightweight communication. DNS uses UDP for queries (port 53) and DHCP uses UDP for client-server exchanges (ports 67/68) because they can tolerate occasional packet loss and benefit from the reduced latency.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Used by DNS and DHCP
Why this is correct
DNS and DHCP commonly use UDP.
- ✓
Low overhead
Why this is correct
UDP has minimal header overhead.
- ✗
Connection-oriented
Why it's wrong here
UDP is connectionless.
- ✗
Reliable delivery
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not guarantee delivery.
- ✓
No flow control
Why this is correct
UDP does not have built-in flow control.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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