This JNCIA-JUNOS practice question tests your understanding of routing fundamentals. 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 network engineer is troubleshooting a connectivity issue and wants to see the active routes in the routing table. Which Junos CLI command should they use?
show log messages
Why wrong: Shows system log messages.
show configuration
Why wrong: Shows the configuration, not routing table.
show interface
Why wrong: Shows interface status, not routing table.
show route
Displays the routing table.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
show route
The 'show route' command displays the active routing table entries, including directly connected, static, and dynamic routes learned via protocols like OSPF, BGP, or IS-IS. This is the correct command to view the active routes the device uses for forwarding traffic.
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.
show log messages
Why it's wrong here
Shows system log messages.
show configuration
Why it's wrong here
Shows the configuration, not routing table.
show interface
Why it's wrong here
Shows interface status, not routing table.
show route
Why this is correct
Displays the routing table.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates familiar with Cisco IOS might confuse 'show ip route' with Junos's 'show route' but incorrectly choose 'show configuration' thinking it shows routing information, or 'show interface' thinking it shows connected routes, when only 'show route' provides the complete active routing table.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Shows system log messages.
Detailed technical explanation
The routing table in Junos is stored in the Routing Engine's RIB (Routing Information Base) and is separate from the forwarding table (FIB) used by the Packet Forwarding Engine. The 'show route' command can be filtered by protocol (e.g., 'show route protocol ospf'), prefix, or next-hop, and it also displays route preference and metric values that influence active route selection.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
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FAQ
Routing Fundamentals — This question tests Routing Fundamentals — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: show route — The 'show route' command displays the active routing table entries, including directly connected, static, and dynamic routes learned via protocols like OSPF, BGP, or IS-IS. This is the correct command to view the active routes the device uses for forwarding traffic.
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 JNCIA-JUNOS practice question is part of Courseiva's free Juniper Networks 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 JNCIA-JUNOS exam.
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