220-1101 Networking Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that can access internal network resources and the internet, but users report that they cannot browse websites using domain names (e.g., www.example.com). The technician opens a command prompt and successfully pings a public IP address (8.8.8.8), but pinging www.google.com returns 'Ping request could not find host'. The workstation receives IP settings via DHCP. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between IP connectivity (Layer 3) and name resolution (Application Layer), and the trap here is that candidates see 'can access internet' and assume DNS is working, when in fact the successful ping to an IP address proves the gateway and NAT are fine, isolating the issue to DNS configuration.
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
✓
The DNS server addresses are not being provided by DHCP
The workstation can ping a public IP address (8.8.8.8) but cannot resolve domain names like www.google.com. This indicates that IP connectivity is working, but DNS resolution is failing. Since the workstation receives IP settings via DHCP, the most likely cause is that the DHCP server is not providing correct DNS server addresses, leaving the workstation without a valid DNS resolver.
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 default gateway is misconfigured
Why it's wrong here
If the default gateway were misconfigured, the workstation would be unable to route packets to any destination outside its local subnet. The successful ping to 8.8.8.8 proves that the gateway correctly forwards IP packets to the internet and that return traffic is routed back. DNS queries also travel via the same default gateway, so a gateway failure would prevent name resolution just as easily as IP connectivity, but this scenario shows IP works—so the gateway is not the issue. Instead, the DNS client settings are the likely culprit.
- ✓
The DNS server addresses are not being provided by DHCP
Why this is correct
Without a functional DNS server, the workstation can access resources by IP address but cannot resolve domain names. DHCP may be failing to supply DNS server settings, or the supplied DNS server may be down.
- ✗
The workstation's firewall is blocking DNS traffic
Why it's wrong here
A firewall blocking DNS (port 53) would prevent name resolution, but it would not affect pinging by IP. However, this scenario is more likely an incorrect or missing DNS server assignment from DHCP, as firewall issues are less common in typical workstation setups.
- ✗
The router's NAT is misconfigured
Why it's wrong here
NAT misconfiguration would cause all internet-bound traffic to fail because the router would not properly translate private source addresses to the public IP, breaking return-path routing. Since the workstation can successfully ping a public IP address, such as 8.8.8.8, the router's NAT table and translation rules are functioning correctly for ICMP and all forwarded packets. Moreover, NAT operates at Layer 3/4 and would not exclusively block DNS (port 53) while allowing ping traffic, as both traverse the same translation process. Therefore, the observed symptom of failing name resolution while IP connectivity works points to a DNS-specific issue, not NAT.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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