This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of bgp. 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 bgp ipv4 unicast summary | include 10.0.1.5
10.0.1.5 4 65005 3456 3457 15 0 0 00:15:22 5
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 has been down for 15 minutes and 22 seconds.
Why wrong: The 'Up/Down' column shows the time since the session was established or the state changed. A format like 00:15:22 indicates uptime, not downtime.
B
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is up and has received 5 prefixes.
The number 5 in the State/PfxRcd column indicates 5 prefixes received, and the lack of a state word means the session is established.
C
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is in the 'Active' state.
Why wrong: If the session were in Active state, the output would show the word 'Active' instead of a number.
D
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 has sent 5 prefixes.
Why wrong: The column is 'State/PfxRcd' which indicates prefixes received, not sent.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is up and has received 5 prefixes.
The 'show bgp ipv4 unicast summary' output displays BGP neighbor status. The column 'Up/Down' shows '00:15:22', indicating the session has been established for 15 minutes and 22 seconds, not down. The last column shows '5', which under the 'PfxRcd' (Prefixes Received) column indicates the number of prefixes received from the neighbor. Therefore, the session is up and has received 5 prefixes.
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 BGP session with 10.0.1.5 has been down for 15 minutes and 22 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
The 'Up/Down' column shows the time since the session was established or the state changed. A format like 00:15:22 indicates uptime, not downtime.
✓
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is up and has received 5 prefixes.
Why this is correct
The number 5 in the State/PfxRcd column indicates 5 prefixes received, and the lack of a state word means the session is established.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is in the 'Active' state.
Why it's wrong here
If the session were in Active state, the output would show the word 'Active' instead of a number.
✗
The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 has sent 5 prefixes.
Why it's wrong here
The column is 'State/PfxRcd' which indicates prefixes received, not sent.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misinterpretation of the 'Up/Down' column, where candidates mistakenly read it as downtime instead of uptime, and the confusion between prefixes received (PfxRcd) and prefixes sent (PfxSent), which is not shown in this output.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The 'Up/Down' column shows the time since the session was established or the state changed. A format like 00:15:22 indicates uptime, not downtime.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'show bgp ipv4 unicast summary' command output includes columns for neighbor IP, AS, BGP version, messages sent/received, queue depth, uptime, and prefixes received (PfxRcd). The 'PfxRcd' column is critical for verifying prefix propagation; a value of 0 may indicate a filtering issue or that the neighbor has no prefixes to advertise. In real-world scenarios, monitoring PfxRcd helps detect route leaks or blackholing.
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 network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 350-401 question in full detail.
BGP — This question tests BGP — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The BGP session with 10.0.1.5 is up and has received 5 prefixes. — The 'show bgp ipv4 unicast summary' output displays BGP neighbor status. The column 'Up/Down' shows '00:15:22', indicating the session has been established for 15 minutes and 22 seconds, not down. The last column shows '5', which under the 'PfxRcd' (Prefixes Received) column indicates the number of prefixes received from the neighbor. Therefore, the session is up and has received 5 prefixes.
What should I do if I get this 350-401 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.
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Question Discussion
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