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NAT and PAThardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

300-410 NAT and PAT Practice Question

This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of nat and pat. 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.

Router R1 is configured with ip nat inside source list 100 interface GigabitEthernet0/1 overload. Internal hosts can access the internet, but traffic to a specific external server at 203.0.113.200 is being dropped. Router R1 shows: show ip nat statistics: Total active translations: 1000. Debug ip nat: NAT: s=192.168.1.1->203.0.113.1, d=203.0.113.200 [0]. The external server shows no received packets. What is the root cause?

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

The router does not have a route to 203.0.113.200; configure a default route or specific route.

The debug output shows a successful NAT translation from 192.168.1.1 to 203.0.113.1, but the external server at 203.0.113.200 receives no packets. This indicates the router can translate but cannot forward the packet to the destination. Without a route to 203.0.113.200, the router has no next hop for the translated packet, so it is dropped. Configuring a default route or a specific route to 203.0.113.200 resolves the issue.

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 router does not have a route to 203.0.113.200; configure a default route or specific route.

    Why this is correct

    Without a route, the packet is dropped after NAT.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • The access-list 100 is blocking the destination.

    Why it's wrong here

    The ACL is for NAT matching, not for routing.

  • The NAT translation is failing due to port exhaustion.

    Why it's wrong here

    The debug shows a successful translation, and statistics show only 1000 active translations.

  • The external server is blocking the source IP.

    Why it's wrong here

    The server shows no received packets, indicating the packet never arrived.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Cisco often tests the misconception that a successful NAT translation guarantees packet delivery, when in fact the router must still have a valid route to the destination after translation.

Trap categories for this question

  • Command / output trap

    The debug shows a successful translation, and statistics show only 1000 active translations.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

When NAT translates the source IP, the router must perform a routing lookup on the destination IP (203.0.113.200) using the translated packet's destination. If no route exists, the packet is dropped at the routing stage, even though NAT succeeded. This is a common misconfiguration where NAT is assumed to bypass routing; in reality, NAT and routing are separate processes, and the router always routes the packet after translation. The 'show ip route' command would reveal the missing route.

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 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.

Visual reference

Inside (Private) PC-A 10.0.0.1 PC-B 10.0.0.2 NAT Router Outside (Public) 203.0.113.1 Inside Global Server PAT: many private IPs share one public IP via unique port numbers

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 300-410 question test?

NAT and PAT — This question tests NAT and PAT — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The router does not have a route to 203.0.113.200; configure a default route or specific route. — The debug output shows a successful NAT translation from 192.168.1.1 to 203.0.113.1, but the external server at 203.0.113.200 receives no packets. This indicates the router can translate but cannot forward the packet to the destination. Without a route to 203.0.113.200, the router has no next hop for the translated packet, so it is dropped. Configuring a default route or a specific route to 203.0.113.200 resolves the issue.

What should I do if I get this 300-410 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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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026

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