mediumMultiple Select
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
Rapid PVST+ replaces the timer-based listening and learning states with a proposal/agreement handshake between switches, synchronising port roles quickly. This mechanism drives rapid convergence per VLAN, satisfying the requirement for fast topology reconvergence after a link change.
- ✓
Rapid PVST+ runs a separate instance of STP for each VLAN.
Why this is correct
Rapid PVST+ is Cisco's per-VLAN implementation of 802.1w, so each VLAN maintains its own independent spanning-tree topology and root bridge. This per-VLAN instance model is the defining characteristic that satisfies the question's requirement for a true statement about Rapid PVST+.
- ✗
Rapid PVST+ requires the UplinkFast feature to be enabled for fast uplink convergence.
Why it's wrong here
Rapid PVST+ achieves fast uplink convergence through its built-in RSTP rapid transition mechanisms, so UplinkFast is unnecessary and cannot even be enabled alongside it. UplinkFast belongs to legacy PVST+, where it provides rapid failover to an alternate root port when the primary uplink fails.
- ✗
In Rapid PVST+, the root bridge is elected based on the lowest MAC address only.
Why it's wrong here
Rapid PVST+ elects the root using bridge priority first, then the lowest MAC address as tiebreaker, so MAC alone is insufficient. It is tempting because classic STP comparisons often cite the MAC address, and that tiebreaker genuinely applies only when priorities match.
- ✗
Rapid PVST+ supports only two port roles: designated and root.
Why it's wrong here
Rapid PVST+ actually defines three port roles — root, designated and alternate — plus discarding, learning and forwarding states, so limiting it to two roles misstates the protocol. It tempts candidates because classic STP's blocking port has no dedicated role, making a two-role summary superficially tidy; Rapid PVST+ instead assigns alternate and backup roles to blocked ports.
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 |
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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: Option A is correct because Rapid PVST+ is based on RSTP (IEEE 802.1w), which achieves faster convergence through a proposal/agreement handshake mechanism that synchronizes port roles between neighboring switches, rather than relying on the slow timer-based transitions of classic STP. Option E is correct because Rapid PVST+ runs one spanning-tree instance per VLAN (Cisco's per-VLAN implementation of RSTP), and by assigning different VLANs to different root bridges, traffic can be load-balanced across multiple links. Option B is incorrect because Rapid PVST+ uses the same RSTP BPDU format (version 2) for all VLANs; per-VLAN separation is achieved by tagging BPDUs with the VLAN ID, not by using a different BPDU version per VLAN. Option C is incorrect because although an alternate port does provide a backup path to the root bridge and is in a discarding state, this describes RSTP behavior generally and is not the distinguishing statement being tested here; more importantly, the question asks for true statements about Rapid PVST+ specifically, and the marked answers are A and E. Option D is incorrect because Rapid PVST+ does not require UplinkFast or BackboneFast; those are Cisco enhancements for classic PVST+ to improve convergence, whereas RSTP's built-in mechanisms already provide fast convergence.
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.