This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of troubleshooting. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network administrator needs to diagnose connectivity issues from a Linux server to a remote host. Which of the following tools can provide information about the path and latency? (Choose three.)
iproute
Why wrong: Used for network configuration, not diagnosis.
netstat
Why wrong: Shows network connections and statistics, not path or latency.
mtr
Combines ping and traceroute functionality.
traceroute
Displays the route packets take to host.
ping
Tests connectivity and round-trip time.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
mtr
C (mtr) is correct because it combines the functionality of traceroute and ping into a single diagnostic tool, continuously probing each hop along the path to a remote host and reporting both the route and real-time latency statistics. This makes it ideal for identifying where packet loss or high latency occurs along the network path.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
iproute
Why it's wrong here
Used for network configuration, not diagnosis.
netstat
Why it's wrong here
Shows network connections and statistics, not path or latency.
mtr
Why this is correct
Combines ping and traceroute functionality.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
traceroute
Why this is correct
Displays the route packets take to host.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
ping
Why this is correct
Tests connectivity and round-trip time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may think ping alone is sufficient for diagnosing path issues, but ping only tests end-to-end connectivity and latency to the final destination, not the performance of each intermediate hop, which is why mtr and traceroute are needed alongside ping.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows network connections and statistics, not path or latency.
Detailed technical explanation
mtr works by sending ICMP Echo Requests (or UDP probes) with incrementing TTL values, similar to traceroute, but it continues sending probes to each hop over time, allowing it to compute average, minimum, and maximum round-trip times as well as packet loss percentages per hop. This continuous probing helps distinguish transient network issues from persistent problems, such as a congested intermediate router that drops packets intermittently.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Troubleshooting — This question tests Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: mtr — C (mtr) is correct because it combines the functionality of traceroute and ping into a single diagnostic tool, continuously probing each hop along the path to a remote host and reporting both the route and real-time latency statistics. This makes it ideal for identifying where packet loss or high latency occurs along the network path.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This XK0-005 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 XK0-005 exam.
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