200-901 Network Fundamentals Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are true about HTTP/2 compared to HTTP/1.1? (Select three.)
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
✓
Header compression using HPACK
Option C is correct because HTTP/2 introduces HPACK (RFC 7541), a header compression scheme that uses static and dynamic tables plus Huffman encoding to shrink repetitive header fields, which HTTP/1.1 sends uncompressed as plain text on every request. Option D is correct because HTTP/2 adds server push, allowing the server to proactively send resources (e.g., via PUSH_PROMISE frames) that the client will likely need, a feature absent from HTTP/1.1. Option E is correct because HTTP/2 multiplexes many concurrent streams over one TCP connection using binary framing, eliminating HTTP/1.1's head-of-line blocking at the request level and its need for multiple parallel connections. Option A is wrong because HTTP/2 is a binary protocol, whereas HTTP/1.1 is text-based. Option B is wrong because HTTP/2 does not mandate TLS; it can run over cleartext TCP (h2c), although browsers only implement it over TLS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Text-based protocol
Why it's wrong here
HTTP/2 is a binary framing protocol, so describing it as text-based contradicts its actual wire format; HTTP/1.1 is the text-based one. It tempts because HTTP/1.1 request and response messages are human-readable text, which is what most engineers picture when discussing HTTP.
- ✗
Requires TLS/SSL encryption
Why it's wrong here
HTTP/2 does not require TLS, though browsers often enforce it.
- ✓
Header compression using HPACK
Why this is correct
HTTP/2 compresses request and response header fields with HPACK, which uses static and dynamic tables plus Huffman coding. HTTP/1.1 sends headers as uncompressed plaintext on every request, so repetitive headers waste bandwidth that HPACK eliminates.
- ✓
Server push capability
Why this is correct
HTTP/2 lets a server proactively send resources the client has not yet requested, anticipating dependencies before the HTML is parsed. HTTP/1.1 has no such mechanism; clients must discover and request each asset sequentially, adding round trips.
- ✓
Multiplexing multiple streams over a single connection
Why this is correct
HTTP/2 multiplexes many independent streams over one TCP connection, eliminating HTTP/1.1's head-of-line blocking at the request level and removing the need for multiple parallel connections. This directly satisfies the stem's comparison, where HTTP/1.1 required separate connections or pipelining to handle concurrent requests.
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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.