FC0-U71 Infrastructure Practice Question
A network administrator is documenting the physical topology of a new office. The design uses a central switch with a dedicated cable to every desk, and the administrator wants to describe the strengths of this layout. Which TWO characteristics accurately describe this topology? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse the star's per-device fault isolation with the bus topology's shared-cable vulnerability.
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
✓
A single cable failure affects only the device connected to that cable
A star topology connects every device to a central switch through its own dedicated cable. This design isolates faults to individual links, so one damaged cable affects only that workstation. The trade-off is that the central switch becomes a single point of failure for the whole network. Shared backbones, cable-path interruptions, and looped traffic describe bus and ring topologies instead.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Adding a new workstation requires breaking the existing cable path
Why it's wrong here
Adding a device to a star topology only requires running a new cable from the central switch to the new location. Existing connections remain undisturbed because each device has an independent link. Breaking the cable path describes bus topologies, where adding a node can interrupt the shared medium.
- ✗
All devices share a single common backbone cable
Why it's wrong here
A shared backbone cable describes a bus topology, where a break in the main cable can disrupt the entire network. In the described star design, every device has an individual cable to the central switch, so there is no common backbone segment. This option misidentifies the topology.
- ✗
Data travels in one direction around a closed loop
Why it's wrong here
Unidirectional travel around a closed loop describes a ring topology, not a star. In a star, frames travel from the source device to the switch and then out to the destination device, which may be on any port. There is no continuous loop or token passing in the described design.
- ✓
A single cable failure affects only the device connected to that cable
Why this is correct
In a star topology, each endpoint has its own dedicated link to the central switch. If one cable is cut or a connector fails, only that workstation loses connectivity while all other devices continue communicating normally. This fault isolation is a key advantage of the star layout in office environments.
- ✓
The central switch is a single point of failure for the network
Why this is correct
Because every device connects through the central switch, a failure of that switch disconnects all workstations simultaneously. This is the primary drawback of a star topology. Administrators mitigate it with redundant switches, spare hardware, or stacking technologies, but the central device remains a critical dependency.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This FC0-U71 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 FC0-U71 exam.