mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
350-401 Practice Question: Which two statements about Rapid PVST+ are true?…
Which two statements about Rapid PVST+ 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
✓
Rapid PVST+ uses a proposal/agreement handshake to achieve rapid convergence.
Rapid PVST+ is an enhancement of the original 802.1D STP that provides faster convergence by using a proposal/agreement handshake. It runs a separate instance of RSTP for each VLAN, enabling per-VLAN load balancing. The UplinkFast feature is not needed because RSTP already handles uplink convergence quickly. The root bridge is elected based on bridge priority, not MAC address alone. Port roles include alternate and backup, not just designated and root.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Rapid PVST+ uses a proposal/agreement handshake to achieve rapid convergence.
Why this is correct
Correct because the proposal/agreement mechanism allows ports to transition to forwarding quickly without relying on timers.
- ✓
Rapid PVST+ runs a separate instance of STP for each VLAN.
Why this is correct
Correct because Rapid PVST+ is per-VLAN, providing independent spanning trees for each VLAN.
- ✗
Rapid PVST+ requires the UplinkFast feature to be enabled for fast uplink convergence.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because UplinkFast is a legacy Cisco feature for 802.1D; RSTP inherently provides fast convergence.
- ✗
In Rapid PVST+, the root bridge is elected based on the lowest MAC address only.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because the root bridge is elected based on the lowest bridge priority (which includes a configurable priority value and the MAC address as a tiebreaker).
- ✗
Rapid PVST+ supports only two port roles: designated and root.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because RSTP defines additional port roles: alternate and backup, in addition to designated and root.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 350-401 question from scratch — 1,175 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 350-401
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which two statements about Rapid PVST+ are true? (Choose two.)
medium- ✓ A.Rapid PVST+ converges faster than classic STP because it uses synchronized handshakes between switches.
- B.Rapid PVST+ uses a separate BPDU version for each VLAN to maintain per-VLAN spanning-tree instances.
- C.In Rapid PVST+, an alternate port provides a backup path to the root bridge and is in a discarding state when the root port is operational.
- D.Rapid PVST+ requires the use of UplinkFast and BackboneFast features to achieve sub-second convergence.
- ✓ E.Rapid PVST+ supports only one spanning-tree instance per VLAN, but it can load-balance traffic across multiple VLANs.
Why A: Rapid PVST+ is the Cisco implementation of RSTP per VLAN. It converges faster than classic STP due to synchronized handshakes (A). It supports one spanning-tree instance per VLAN, allowing load balancing across multiple VLANs by configuring different root bridges for different VLANs (E). Option C is incorrect because, while alternate ports provide a backup path to the root bridge, the statement about being in a discarding state when the root port is operational is overly simplistic; in RSTP, alternate ports are in discarding state by default, but this is a characteristic of all RSTP port roles, not a unique feature of alternate ports.
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.