This JNCIA-JUNOS practice question tests your understanding of junos os fundamentals. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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 needs to check the operational status of all interfaces on a Juniper device. Which command provides a summary of interface status including link state, protocol state, and error counters?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
show interfaces
Why wrong: This shows detailed information, not a summary.
show configuration interfaces
Why wrong: This shows the configuration, not operational status.
show interfaces terse
This command displays interface status in a compact format.
show interface descriptions
Why wrong: This only displays interface descriptions.
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 interfaces terse
Option C is correct because the 'show interfaces terse' command provides a concise summary of all interfaces, displaying the interface name, administrative status (Admin), link state (Link), protocol state (Proto), and a brief description. This command is specifically designed for a quick operational overview, including error counters in the full output when combined with other flags, but the terse output itself focuses on status and protocol state, which directly meets the engineer's requirement.
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 interfaces
Why it's wrong here
This shows detailed information, not a summary.
show configuration interfaces
Why it's wrong here
This shows the configuration, not operational status.
show interfaces terse
Why this is correct
This command displays interface status in a compact format.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
show interface descriptions
Why it's wrong here
This only displays interface descriptions.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'show interfaces terse' with 'show interfaces' or 'show configuration interfaces', assuming that a summary of operational status requires the full verbose output or configuration view, but Junos specifically uses 'terse' for a compact operational summary.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
This shows detailed information, not a summary.
Detailed technical explanation
The 'show interfaces terse' command outputs a table with columns for Interface, Admin, Link, Proto, and Description, where 'Admin' indicates administrative status (up/down), 'Link' indicates physical link state, and 'Proto' indicates the protocol family state (e.g., inet, inet6). Error counters are not shown in the terse output; for error counters, one would use 'show interfaces extensive' or 'show interfaces <interface-name> detail'. In real-world scenarios, this command is invaluable for quickly identifying interfaces that are administratively down or have protocol issues without parsing verbose output.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the JNCIA-JUNOS exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Junos OS Fundamentals — This question tests Junos OS Fundamentals — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: show interfaces terse — Option C is correct because the 'show interfaces terse' command provides a concise summary of all interfaces, displaying the interface name, administrative status (Admin), link state (Link), protocol state (Proto), and a brief description. This command is specifically designed for a quick operational overview, including error counters in the full output when combined with other flags, but the terse output itself focuses on status and protocol state, which directly meets the engineer's requirement.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
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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