The answer is that Proxy ARP is not enabled on the router's internal interface. When the host at 192.168.1.100 sends traffic to an external destination, the router forwards the packet out its WAN interface, but the return traffic from the ISP gateway arrives at the router with a destination IP of 192.168.1.100. Without Proxy ARP on ge-0/0/1, the router cannot respond to the ARP request for that host’s IP on the internal subnet, so the reply packet is never delivered. This scenario tests your understanding of how Junos handles ARP on directly connected interfaces, a common pitfall on the JNCIA-Junos exam where candidates assume a default route alone guarantees two-way connectivity. The trap is that while the router can reach the ISP, the host’s return path breaks because the router does not automatically proxy ARP for hosts on its own subnet. Memory tip: “Proxy ARP bridges the return path—without it, replies hit a dead end.”
JNCIA-JUNOS Routing Fundamentals Practice Question
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.
You are managing a small enterprise network with one Juniper router and two switches. The router connects to an ISP via ge-0/0/0 and to the internal network via ge-0/0/1. The internal network uses the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet. You need to configure a default route on the router to send all Internet-bound traffic to the ISP gateway at 203.0.113.1. You also want to ensure that internal hosts can reach the Internet. After configuring the default route, you test connectivity from a host on the internal network to an external website, but the ping fails. You verify that the host has an IP address of 192.168.1.100/24 and a default gateway of 192.168.1.1 (the router's internal interface). On the router, you run 'show route 0.0.0.0/0' and see the default route active. You also run 'ping 203.0.113.1' from the router and it succeeds. However, pinging from the host to the ISP gateway fails. 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: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Proxy ARP is not enabled on the router's internal interface.
Option D is correct because the host's default gateway (192.168.1.1) is correctly configured, and the router has a working default route to the ISP gateway (203.0.113.1). However, when the host sends a ping to an external IP (e.g., the ISP gateway), the router receives the packet on ge-0/0/1 and routes it out ge-0/0/0. The reply from 203.0.113.1 arrives back at the router's ge-0/0/0, but the router does not have a route for the host's source IP (192.168.1.100) in its routing table (since it's directly connected to ge-0/0/1, but the router needs to send an ARP request for that IP on ge-0/0/1). If Proxy ARP is not enabled on ge-0/0/1, the router will not respond to ARP requests for the host's IP, so the reply packet cannot be delivered to the host. Proxy ARP allows the router to answer ARP requests on behalf of hosts that are not on the same subnet, which is necessary here because the ISP gateway's reply is destined to 192.168.1.100, and the router must act as a proxy to forward that reply to the correct host.
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.
✗
DNS resolution is failing on the host.
Why it's wrong here
The ping test used an IP address, not a hostname, so DNS is not involved.
✗
The host's default gateway is incorrectly configured.
Why it's wrong here
The host's default gateway is 192.168.1.1, which is correct.
Proxy ARP is not enabled on the router's internal interface.
Why this is correct
Without proxy ARP, the router does not respond to ARP requests for the ISP gateway, so the host cannot resolve the next-hop MAC.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the default route or host gateway is misconfigured, but the real issue is the router's inability to forward return traffic to the host due to missing Proxy ARP, which is a subtle Layer 2-to-Layer 3 interaction.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The exhibit shows the default route is active.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Proxy ARP is defined in RFC 1027 and allows a router to respond to ARP requests on behalf of hosts that are not on the same physical segment. In this scenario, the ISP gateway's reply packet has a destination MAC address that must match the host's IP (192.168.1.100). Without Proxy ARP on ge-0/0/1, the router will not answer ARP requests for that IP, so the reply is dropped. This is a common issue when hosts are on a subnet that is directly connected but the router does not have a specific host route; enabling Proxy ARP on the interface (via 'set interfaces ge-0/0/1 unit 0 proxy-arp') resolves it.
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 network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
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.
Routing Fundamentals — This question tests Routing Fundamentals — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Proxy ARP is not enabled on the router's internal interface. — Option D is correct because the host's default gateway (192.168.1.1) is correctly configured, and the router has a working default route to the ISP gateway (203.0.113.1). However, when the host sends a ping to an external IP (e.g., the ISP gateway), the router receives the packet on ge-0/0/1 and routes it out ge-0/0/0. The reply from 203.0.113.1 arrives back at the router's ge-0/0/0, but the router does not have a route for the host's source IP (192.168.1.100) in its routing table (since it's directly connected to ge-0/0/1, but the router needs to send an ARP request for that IP on ge-0/0/1). If Proxy ARP is not enabled on ge-0/0/1, the router will not respond to ARP requests for the host's IP, so the reply packet cannot be delivered to the host. Proxy ARP allows the router to answer ARP requests on behalf of hosts that are not on the same subnet, which is necessary here because the ISP gateway's reply is destined to 192.168.1.100, and the router must act as a proxy to forward that reply to the correct host.
What should I do if I get this JNCIA-JUNOS 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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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