CISSP Communication and Network Security Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of communication and network security. 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 company has a headquarters and three branch offices connected via MPLS VPN. Recently, they deployed a new VoIP system across all sites. Users report intermittent call drops and poor voice quality during peak business hours. The network team suspects packet loss and jitter are the cause. The IT manager wants to verify the issue without affecting production traffic. Which of the following is the best course of action?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use IP SLA to generate test traffic and measure jitter and packet loss.
IP SLA can generate synthetic traffic to measure network performance metrics like jitter, latency, and packet loss without impacting production traffic. Creating a full packet capture is resource-intensive and may affect performance. Duplicating traffic requires additional configuration and may not reflect real-time issues. Increasing bandwidth is a solution, not a diagnostic step.
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.
✗
Deploy a full packet capture on all branch routers.
Why it's wrong here
Full packet capture is heavy and may degrade performance.
✓
Use IP SLA to generate test traffic and measure jitter and packet loss.
Why this is correct
IP SLA allows non-intrusive performance measurement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Conduct a network assessment by duplicating traffic to a monitoring tool.
Why it's wrong here
Duplicating traffic can be invasive and may not isolate the specific issue.
✗
Increase the MPLS bandwidth immediately.
Why it's wrong here
Bandwidth increase may not address the root cause and is a reactive measure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Communication and Network Security — This question tests Communication and Network Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use IP SLA to generate test traffic and measure jitter and packet loss. — IP SLA can generate synthetic traffic to measure network performance metrics like jitter, latency, and packet loss without impacting production traffic. Creating a full packet capture is resource-intensive and may affect performance. Duplicating traffic requires additional configuration and may not reflect real-time issues. Increasing bandwidth is a solution, not a diagnostic step.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This CISSP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CISSP exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.