Question 589 of 1,020

Network Configuration Concepts →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Troubleshooting Routing Issues with Tracert: First Hop OK, Later Hops Time Out

This 220-1201 practice question tests your understanding of network configuration concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 technician is troubleshooting a connectivity issue where a user's computer can ping the default gateway but cannot access a web server at 203.0.113.50. The technician runs a tracert and sees that the first hop responds, but subsequent hops time out. What is the most likely cause?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

A
The default gateway is down.
Why wrong: If the default gateway were down, the first hop would not respond, but it does respond.
B
The web server is offline.
Why wrong: If the web server were offline, the tracert might still show intermediate hops, but the final destination would time out. However, the pattern of timeouts after the first hop suggests a routing problem.
C
A router along the path is misconfigured or dropping packets.
The first hop works, but subsequent hops timing out indicates a routing issue beyond the local network, likely a misconfigured router or firewall blocking traffic.
D
The user's computer has a duplicate IP address.
Why wrong: A duplicate IP would cause intermittent connectivity or conflicts, but the ability to ping the gateway suggests the IP is valid and not duplicated.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Quick Answer

The answer is a router along the path is misconfigured or dropping packets. This is correct because tracert works by sending ICMP echo requests with incrementing TTL values; the first hop responds, confirming local connectivity to the default gateway, but when later hops time out, it indicates that a router beyond the local network is either misconfigured, blocking ICMP traffic, or dropping packets due to a routing loop or firewall rule. On the CompTIA A+ Core 1 220-1201 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between local and remote routing issues—a common trap is assuming the problem is with the destination server or the user’s NIC, but since the gateway replies, the fault lies upstream. Remember the memory tip: “First hop fine, later hops blind—look for a router that’s unkind.”

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

A router along the path is misconfigured or dropping packets.

The tracert output shows the first hop (the default gateway) responds, confirming the user's computer can reach the local network. The subsequent timeouts indicate that packets are being dropped or discarded beyond the gateway, which points to a misconfigured router or a router along the path that is dropping packets (e.g., due to an ACL, routing loop, or MTU issue). This explains why the user can ping the gateway but cannot reach the web server at 203.0.113.50.

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.

✗
The default gateway is down.
Why it's wrong here
If the default gateway were down, the first hop would not respond, but it does respond.
✗
The web server is offline.
Why it's wrong here
If the web server were offline, the tracert might still show intermediate hops, but the final destination would time out. However, the pattern of timeouts after the first hop suggests a routing problem.
✓
A router along the path is misconfigured or dropping packets.
Why this is correct
The first hop works, but subsequent hops timing out indicates a routing issue beyond the local network, likely a misconfigured router or firewall blocking traffic.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "first", "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The user's computer has a duplicate IP address.
Why it's wrong here
A duplicate IP would cause intermittent connectivity or conflicts, but the ability to ping the gateway suggests the IP is valid and not duplicated.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates assume all timeouts in a traceroute mean the destination is unreachable, when in fact timeouts on intermediate hops specifically indicate a problem with a router along the path, not the endpoint.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
If the web server were offline, the tracert might still show intermediate hops, but the final destination would time out. However, the pattern of timeouts after the first hop suggests a routing problem.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When a router is misconfigured, it may silently drop packets due to an incorrect routing table entry, a firewall ACL that blocks ICMP or the destination port, or a mismatch in MTU that causes fragmentation failures. Tracert uses ICMP Time Exceeded messages from each hop; if a router is configured to not send ICMP messages or is dropping the probe packets entirely, the hop will show as a timeout, even though the router is forwarding other traffic correctly. In real-world scenarios, this often happens when a network administrator accidentally applies an inbound ACL that blocks traceroute probes but allows other traffic, leading to misleading diagnostic results.

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 security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.

Visual reference

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 220-1201 question test?

Network Configuration Concepts — This question tests Network Configuration Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: A router along the path is misconfigured or dropping packets. — The tracert output shows the first hop (the default gateway) responds, confirming the user's computer can reach the local network. The subsequent timeouts indicate that packets are being dropped or discarded beyond the gateway, which points to a misconfigured router or a router along the path that is dropping packets (e.g., due to an ACL, routing loop, or MTU issue). This explains why the user can ping the gateway but cannot reach the web server at 203.0.113.50.

What should I do if I get this 220-1201 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: "first", "most likely". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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