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300-410 Practice Question: Which TWO statements about the behavior of…
Which TWO statements about the behavior of administrative distance in Cisco IOS are correct? (Choose TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often misremember OSPF's AD as 90 (confusing with EIGRP) or think the distance command affects all route types; the exam tests precise default values and command scope.
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
✓
The default administrative distance for an EIGRP summary route is 5.
Option A is correct because Cisco IOS assigns an EIGRP summary route a default administrative distance of 5, which is lower (more preferred) than internal EIGRP's AD of 90, reflecting the summary's trusted status. Option D is correct because the show ip route command output includes the administrative distance and metric in brackets, e.g., [90/30720], for each route in the routing table. Option B is incorrect because OSPF's default administrative distance is 110, not 90 (90 is internal EIGRP). Option C is incorrect because the distance command under a routing protocol only changes the AD for routes learned by that protocol; it cannot alter connected or static route distances. Option E is incorrect because when two protocols offer routes to the same destination, the route with the lower administrative distance is preferred and installed, not the higher one.
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 default administrative distance for an EIGRP summary route is 5.
Why this is correct
EIGRP summary routes carry an administrative distance of 5, making them more trusted than internal EIGRP routes (90) or external EIGRP routes (170). This ensures the summary is preferred when competing with its component routes.
- ✗
The default administrative distance for OSPF is 90.
Why it's wrong here
OSPF's default administrative distance is 110, not 90; 90 belongs to internal EIGRP. The value 90 is tempting because it is a genuine Cisco default, but it applies to a different protocol, so this statement fails the factual accuracy the question demands.
- ✗
The distance command applied under a routing protocol can modify the AD for all routes, including connected and static routes, learned via that protocol.
Why it's wrong here
The distance command only alters administrative distance for routes learned by that specific routing protocol; connected and static routes retain their own AD values and are unaffected. It is tempting because the command does tune protocol-learned route preference, which is its actual purpose in scenarios requiring manipulation of a single protocol's AD.
- ✓
The show ip route command displays the administrative distance of each route in the routing table.
Why this is correct
The `show ip route` output prefixes each entry with its administrative distance in brackets, for example `[110/2]`, where 110 is the distance and 2 the metric. This directly satisfies the stem's requirement to identify correct administrative distance behaviour, since the value is exposed per route in the routing table.
- ✗
When two different routing protocols provide routes to the same destination, the route with the higher administrative distance is installed in the routing table.
Why it's wrong here
Cisco IOS installs the route with the lowest administrative distance, not the higher one; a higher AD route is only used if the lower-AD route is withdrawn. It is tempting because AD does rank protocols, but the direction of preference is inverted here.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 300-410 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 300-410 exam.