mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
350-401 Practice Question: Which two statements about OSPF neighbor states…
Which two statements about OSPF neighbor states are true? (Choose two.)
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
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The 2-Way state indicates that the router has received a Hello packet from the neighbor with its own Router ID in the neighbor list.
OSPF neighbor state machine progresses through several states. The 2-Way state indicates bidirectional communication has been established. The Full state means the routers have exchanged complete LSDB information. The ExStart state is where the master/slave relationship is determined. The Loading state occurs after the Database Description (DBD) exchange.
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 2-Way state indicates that the router has received a Hello packet from the neighbor with its own Router ID in the neighbor list.
Why this is correct
Correct because 2-Way state confirms bidirectional communication: each router sees its own Router ID in the other's Hello packet.
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In the ExStart state, routers exchange Database Description (DBD) packets to describe their LSDB contents.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because DBD exchange occurs in the Exchange state, not ExStart. ExStart is used to establish the master/slave relationship and initial DBD sequence numbers.
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The Full state means the routers have synchronized their link-state databases and are fully adjacent.
Why this is correct
Correct because Full is the final adjacency state, indicating that the LSDBs are fully synchronized between the two routers.
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The Loading state occurs before the Exchange state in the neighbor state machine.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because Loading occurs after Exchange. In Loading, routers send Link-State Requests for missing LSAs identified during the Exchange state.
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The Down state means the router has received a Hello packet from the neighbor but has not yet established two-way communication.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because Down means no Hello packets have been received from the neighbor. The Init state occurs when a Hello packet is received but two-way is not yet established.
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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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.