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.
A network technician is explaining the difference between TCP and UDP to a junior technician. Which of the following correctly identifies a characteristic of TCP but NOT of UDP?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "NOT"
Why it matters: Negative qualifier — you are looking for the one option that does NOT apply. Most options will be true; only one is false for this scenario.
It provides connectionless communication with minimal overhead.
Why wrong: This describes UDP, which is connectionless and has low overhead. TCP is connection-oriented.
B
It supports multicast and broadcast transmissions.
Why wrong: UDP supports multicast and broadcast; TCP is unicast only.
C
It uses a three-way handshake to establish a connection before data transfer.
TCP uses a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to establish a reliable connection. UDP does not have a handshake; it sends data immediately.
D
It is commonly used for real-time applications like VoIP and video streaming.
Why wrong: Real-time applications typically use UDP because they can tolerate some loss but need low latency. TCP's retransmissions would cause delays.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
It uses a three-way handshake to establish a connection before data transfer.
TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that uses a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to establish a reliable connection before any data is transmitted, ensuring ordered delivery and error recovery. UDP, in contrast, is connectionless and sends datagrams without any prior setup, making the three-way handshake a defining characteristic of TCP only.
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.
✗
It provides connectionless communication with minimal overhead.
Why it's wrong here
This describes UDP, which is connectionless and has low overhead. TCP is connection-oriented.
✗
It supports multicast and broadcast transmissions.
Why it's wrong here
UDP supports multicast and broadcast; TCP is unicast only.
✓
It uses a three-way handshake to establish a connection before data transfer.
Why this is correct
TCP uses a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to establish a reliable connection. UDP does not have a handshake; it sends data immediately.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "NOT" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
It is commonly used for real-time applications like VoIP and video streaming.
Why it's wrong here
Real-time applications typically use UDP because they can tolerate some loss but need low latency. TCP's retransmissions would cause delays.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the three-way handshake with general connection establishment, forgetting that UDP is stateless and never performs any handshake, while TCP always does before data transfer.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The TCP three-way handshake is defined in RFC 793 and involves the exchange of sequence numbers to synchronize both ends before data flows; this ensures reliable, in-order delivery but adds a round-trip time (RTT) of overhead. In contrast, UDP (RFC 768) simply sends datagrams with a minimal 8-byte header, making it ideal for applications like DNS queries or live streaming where speed is prioritized over reliability. A subtle behavior is that TCP can also perform a 'simultaneous open' with a four-way handshake, but the standard three-way handshake remains the core distinction.
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 network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
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: It uses a three-way handshake to establish a connection before data transfer. — TCP is a connection-oriented protocol that uses a three-way handshake (SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK) to establish a reliable connection before any data is transmitted, ensuring ordered delivery and error recovery. UDP, in contrast, is connectionless and sends datagrams without any prior setup, making the three-way handshake a defining characteristic of TCP only.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "NOT". Negative qualifier — you are looking for the one option that does NOT apply. Most options will be true; only one is false for this scenario.
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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