300-410 IPv4 Access Control Lists Practice Question
This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of ipv4 access control lists. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1:
R1# show ip access-lists
Extended IP access list 120
10 permit tcp 10.0.0.0 0.255.255.255 any eq www (1000 matches)
20 permit udp any any eq dns (500 matches)
30 deny ip any any (200 matches)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The ACL is blocking all traffic except web and DNS, which may be too restrictive.
Option B is correct because the ACL explicitly permits only TCP port 80 (www) and UDP port 53 (dns) traffic, while the final deny ip any any statement blocks all other traffic. With only 1000 matches for web and 500 for DNS, the ACL is likely too restrictive for a production network, as it would drop essential traffic such as routing protocols, management traffic (e.g., SSH, SNMP), or other application flows. The output shows the ACL is present and has hit counts, but its restrictive nature is the problem.
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 ACL is correctly permitting web and DNS traffic.
Why it's wrong here
While it permits those, the deny all statement may block other needed traffic.
✓
The ACL is blocking all traffic except web and DNS, which may be too restrictive.
Why this is correct
The deny ip any any with matches shows that other traffic is being denied, which could be a problem.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The ACL has no effect because it is not applied.
Why it's wrong here
The match counts indicate the ACL is applied and active.
✗
The ACL allows all traffic because of the permit statements.
Why it's wrong here
The deny ip any any overrides and denies all other traffic.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that an ACL with permit statements is automatically 'correct' or 'permissive,' when in fact the explicit deny at the end makes it highly restrictive, and candidates may overlook the need to evaluate whether the ACL matches the intended security policy.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cisco ACLs process entries sequentially from top to bottom; once a match occurs, no further lines are evaluated. The implicit deny ip any any at the end of every ACL is overridden here by the explicit deny statement, but the behavior is identical. In real-world scenarios, an ACL that only permits web and DNS would break services like VoIP, NTP, or ICMP (ping), which are often required for network health and troubleshooting.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 300-410 question in full detail.
IPv4 Access Control Lists — This question tests IPv4 Access Control Lists — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The ACL is blocking all traffic except web and DNS, which may be too restrictive. — Option B is correct because the ACL explicitly permits only TCP port 80 (www) and UDP port 53 (dns) traffic, while the final deny ip any any statement blocks all other traffic. With only 1000 matches for web and 500 for DNS, the ACL is likely too restrictive for a production network, as it would drop essential traffic such as routing protocols, management traffic (e.g., SSH, SNMP), or other application flows. The output shows the ACL is present and has hit counts, but its restrictive nature is the problem.
What should I do if I get this 300-410 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.