This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of networking concepts. 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.
Which of the following is a characteristic of UDP when compared to TCP?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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C) UDP has lower overhead due to minimal header
UDP (User Datagram Protocol) has a minimal 8-byte header compared to TCP's 20-byte header, resulting in lower overhead and faster transmission. Unlike TCP, UDP does not provide reliability, flow control, or error recovery, making it ideal for real-time applications like VoIP or video streaming where speed is prioritized over guaranteed delivery.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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A) UDP uses sequence numbers for ordering
Why it's wrong here
UDP does not use sequence numbers; TCP does to ensure ordered delivery.
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B) UDP provides reliable data delivery
Why it's wrong here
UDP is unreliable; it does not guarantee delivery. TCP provides reliability through acknowledgments and retransmissions.
✓
C) UDP has lower overhead due to minimal header
Why this is correct
Correct. UDP has a smaller header (8 bytes) compared to TCP (20 bytes) and no connection setup, resulting in lower overhead.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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D) UDP requires a three-way handshake to establish a connection
Why it's wrong here
UDP is connectionless and does not use a handshake. TCP uses a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to establish a connection.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse UDP's lack of reliability with it being 'unusable' or 'broken,' but the exam tests that UDP's lower overhead is a deliberate design choice for performance-sensitive applications where occasional packet loss is acceptable.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
UDP's header consists of only four fields: source port, destination port, length, and checksum, each 2 bytes. This simplicity means no sequence numbers, acknowledgment numbers, or flags, so UDP can send datagrams without any prior setup or state maintenance. In real-world scenarios, DNS queries use UDP by default (port 53) because the overhead of TCP would slow down the quick request-response pattern, even though UDP may lose packets and require application-layer retries.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the N10-009 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this N10-009 question in full detail.
Networking Concepts — This question tests Networking Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: C) UDP has lower overhead due to minimal header — UDP (User Datagram Protocol) has a minimal 8-byte header compared to TCP's 20-byte header, resulting in lower overhead and faster transmission. Unlike TCP, UDP does not provide reliability, flow control, or error recovery, making it ideal for real-time applications like VoIP or video streaming where speed is prioritized over guaranteed delivery.
What should I do if I get this N10-009 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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