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 network topology connects all devices to a central device?
Star
A star topology uses a central device to connect all end devices.
Mesh
Why wrong: In a full mesh topology, every device connects to every other device directly.
Bus
Why wrong: A bus topology uses a single cable as a backbone; all devices are connected in a linear fashion.
Ring
Why wrong: In a ring topology, each device connects to two neighbors, forming a circular path.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Star
In a star topology, each device connects directly to a central device such as a switch or hub. This central device manages all communication between endpoints, meaning any data sent from one device must pass through the central point before reaching its destination. This design simplifies fault isolation because a single cable failure only affects the connected device, not the entire network.
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.
Star
Why this is correct
A star topology uses a central device to connect all end devices.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Mesh
Why it's wrong here
In a full mesh topology, every device connects to every other device directly.
Bus
Why it's wrong here
A bus topology uses a single cable as a backbone; all devices are connected in a linear fashion.
Ring
Why it's wrong here
In a ring topology, each device connects to two neighbors, forming a circular path.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse a physical star topology with a logical bus topology (e.g., early Ethernet using a hub) and forget that a switch-based star creates a point-to-point logical connection, eliminating the shared medium and collision domain of a bus.
Detailed technical explanation
In modern Ethernet networks, the star topology is implemented using switches that perform MAC address learning and frame forwarding based on the destination address, which reduces collisions compared to a hub-based star. The central device can also support Spanning Tree Protocol (STP, IEEE 802.1D) to prevent loops when multiple switches are interconnected, a subtle behavior that candidates often overlook. In a real-world scenario, a star topology is the foundation of most enterprise LANs, where a collapsed backbone design uses a central switch to aggregate traffic from access switches.
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
Networking Concepts — This question tests Networking Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Star — In a star topology, each device connects directly to a central device such as a switch or hub. This central device manages all communication between endpoints, meaning any data sent from one device must pass through the central point before reaching its destination. This design simplifies fault isolation because a single cable failure only affects the connected device, not the entire network.
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 11, 2026
This N10-009 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 N10-009 exam.
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