SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  Enter global configuration mode, then specify the destination network and subnet mask, then specify the next-hop IP address or exit interface.

  Why this is correct

  Entering global configuration mode first is mandatory because the 'ip route' command is a global configuration command, not an interface or exec command. Once in that mode, the correct syntax is 'ip route <destination-network> <subnet-mask> <next-hop|exit-interface>', where the network and mask define the prefix being routed and must appear before the forwarding decision. The next-hop IP or exit interface is the path to use for that prefix, so it logically follows the destination. This order matches Cisco IOS parsing expectations and avoids syntax errors.

• ✗

  Specify the destination network and subnet mask, then enter global configuration mode, then specify the next-hop IP address or exit interface.

  Why it's wrong here

  This sequence is invalid because the destination network and subnet mask are parameters of the 'ip route' command, which only exists in global configuration mode. Attempting to 'specify' these values outside config mode has no effect—you cannot enter command arguments before invoking the command itself. Even if you subsequently enter global configuration mode, no persistent configuration has been created. Thus, the correct flow is to enter global config first, then issue 'ip route' with network, mask, and next-hop or exit interface as a single coherent command.

• ✗

  Specify the next-hop IP address or exit interface, then enter global configuration mode, then specify the destination network and subnet mask.

  Why it's wrong here

  Placing the next-hop IP address or exit interface before entering global configuration mode is fundamentally flawed for two reasons: (1) that parameter is an argument of the 'ip route' command, so it cannot be specified in a vacuum, and (2) even within the command, the destination network and mask must come first—the next-hop is only meaningful after the prefix is identified. If you attempt to issue the command this way, IOS will misinterpret the next-hop address as the destination network, leading to an error or an incorrect route. Therefore, this ordering is not syntactically or logically possible.

• ✗

  Enter global configuration mode, then specify the next-hop IP address or exit interface, then specify the destination network and subnet mask.

  Why it's wrong here

  This order incorrectly assumes you can specify the next-hop parameter before the destination network within the 'ip route' command. The full command syntax is 'ip route <destination-network> <subnet-mask> <next-hop|exit-interface>', so the next-hop must come last. If you try to enter the next-hop first, IOS will treat it as the network address, causing a syntax error or a route to an unintended prefix. While entering global configuration mode first is correct, the ordering of the command's arguments is still wrong, making this sequence invalid.

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