CCNA 2026 Practice Exam Questions and Answers – Part 11/14

Practice for the CCNA exam with 23 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: What is the collapsed layer in collapsed core architectures?. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.

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What you will practice

  • What is the collapsed layer in collapsed core architectures?
  • An engineer must configure R1 for a new user account. The account must meet these requirements: • It must be…
  • Which QoS traffic handling technique retains excess packets in a queue and reschedules these packets for late…
  • Which statement correctly describes syslog severity levels?
  • Which switching feature removes unused MAC addresses from the MAC address table, which allows new MAC address…
  • Which protocol must be implemented to support separate authorization and authentication solutions for wireles…

Answers and explanations

Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.

Q1. What is the collapsed layer in collapsed core architectures?

Answer: A. A. Core and distribution

A collapsed core architecture combines the core and distribution layers into a single tier to reduce hardware costs and complexity. The access layer remains separate, creating a simplified two-tier network design.

Q2. An engineer must configure R1 for a new user account. The account must meet these requirements: • It must be configured in the local database. • The username is engineer2. • It must use the strongest password configurable. Which command mu…

Answer: C. C. R1(config)# username engineer2 algorithm-type scrypt secret test2021

The scrypt hashing algorithm provides the strongest resistance against brute-force attacks for local user accounts on Cisco devices. Type 5 and Type 7 passwords rely on older, weaker encryption or hashing methods, making them less secure.

Q3. Which QoS traffic handling technique retains excess packets in a queue and reschedules these packets for later transmission when the configured maximum bandwidth has been surpassed?

Answer: D. D. traffic shaping

Traffic shaping buffers excess packets to smooth traffic flow and transmits them later when bandwidth is available. Traffic policing drops packets immediately when the configured rate is exceeded.

Q4. Which statement correctly describes syslog severity levels?

Answer: C. C. The logging level defines the severity of a particular message.

Syslog severity levels range from zero to seven and define the importance of a specific message. By default, devices send level zero through level six messages to local logging destinations.

Q5. Which switching feature removes unused MAC addresses from the MAC address table, which allows new MAC addresses to be added?

Answer: A. A. MAC address aging

MAC address aging removes stale entries from the MAC address table after a period of inactivity. This automated process prevents the table from filling up with inactive devices.

Q6. Which protocol must be implemented to support separate authorization and authentication solutions for wireless APs?

Answer: B. B. TACACS+

TACACS+ separates authentication, authorization, and accounting into distinct processes. RADIUS is typically preferred for wireless networks, but it combines authorization and authentication, making TACACS+ the correct choice for independent control.

Q7. Which value can you modify to configure a specific interface as the preferred forwarding interface?

Answer: B. B. The port priority

Spanning Tree Protocol uses the port ID as a tiebreaker when path costs are equal. By lowering the port priority value on a specific interface, you can force it to become the preferred forwarding port.

Q8. Which statement compares traditional networks and controller-based networks?

Answer: A. A. Only controller-based networks decouple the control plane and the data plane.

Controller-based networks decouple the control plane from the data plane, allowing centralized management of forwarding tables. Traditional networks keep these planes coupled on each individual device, so this separation is unique to controller architectures.

Q9. Which protocol resolves an IPv4 address to a MAC address on the local LAN segment?

Answer: A. A. ARP

Address Resolution Protocol maps a known IPv4 address to the corresponding Layer 2 MAC address on a local broadcast domain. Hosts use ARP before sending Ethernet frames when they know the destination IP but need the destination MAC.

Q10. Which protocol does Ansible use to push modules to nodes in a network?

Answer: D. D. SSH

Ansible uses SSH by default to securely connect to managed nodes and push modules for execution. SSH provides encrypted communication and authentication between the control node and managed network devices.

Q11. What is a specification for SSIDs?

Answer: C. C. They are case sensitive.

Service Set Identifiers are case sensitive, meaning uppercase and lowercase letters create different network names. Wireless clients must match the SSID exactly to associate with the correct wireless network.

Q12. What is the role of disaggregation in controller-based networking?

Answer: A. A. It divides the control-plane and data-plane functions.

Disaggregation in controller-based networking separates the control plane from the data plane. The centralized controller manages network intelligence while the underlying forwarding devices handle packet routing.

Q13. What is a function of Opportunistic Wireless Encryption in an environment?

Answer: B. B. protect traffic on open networks

Opportunistic Wireless Encryption protects traffic on open Wi-Fi networks without requiring passwords. It uses individualized encryption keys between the client and access point to prevent eavesdropping while maintaining easy access.

Q14. What is a function of Layer 3 switches?

Answer: A. A. They route traffic between devices in different VLANs.

A Layer 3 switch routes traffic between different VLANs using switched virtual interfaces or routed ports. Standard switching relies on MAC addresses to move frames within the same broadcast domain, eliminating the other choices.

Q15. Which protocol should be used to transfer large files on a company intranet that allows TCP 20 and 21 through the firewall?

Answer: D. D. FTP

File Transfer Protocol uses TCP port 21 for control and TCP port 20 for active data transfers. Since the firewall explicitly permits these ports, FTP is the correct choice over TFTP or application protocols.

Q16. What is the purpose of the service-set identifier?

Answer: D. D. It identifies a wireless network for a mobile device to connect.

The service-set identifier, or SSID, identifies a specific wireless LAN that a mobile or wireless client device can discover and join. The SSID allows clients to distinguish between multiple wireless networks within range and select the appropriate WLAN for association.

Q17. Which NAT term is defined as a group of addresses available for NAT use?

Answer: A. A. NAT pool

A NAT pool is a defined range of public IP addresses made available for translation. When dynamic NAT is configured, the router selects an available address from this pool to translate inside local addresses.

Q18. What is the role of nonoverlapping channels in a wireless environment?

Answer: D. D. to reduce interference

Nonoverlapping channels are utilized to reduce co-channel and adjacent-channel interference in wireless networks. In the 2.4 GHz band, channels one, six, and eleven are commonly used because their frequencies do not overlap.

Q19. Which statement about Cisco Discovery Protocol is true?

Answer: A. A. It is a Cisco-proprietary protocol.

Cisco Discovery Protocol is a Cisco-proprietary protocol used to share information between directly connected Cisco devices. This exclusivity is its primary differentiator from the standards-based alternative, Link Layer Discovery Protocol.

Q20. What is a difference between local AP mode and FlexConnect AP mode?

Answer: A. A. Local AP mode creates two CAPWAP tunnels per AP to the WLC

In local mode, an access point establishes two CAPWAP tunnels to the wireless LAN controller for control and data traffic. FlexConnect allows local switching at the edge, eliminating the need to bridge all client traffic back to the controller.

Q21. Which access point mode relies on a centralized controller for management, roaming, and SSID configuration?

Answer: A. A. lightweight mode

Lightweight mode relies on a centralized Wireless LAN Controller for management and roaming. Autonomous mode operates independently without a controller, eliminating the other options.

Q22. Which PoE mode enables powered-device detection and guarantees power when the device is detected?

Answer: A. A. auto

Power over Ethernet auto mode detects compliant devices and automatically supplies power within the budget. Static mode applies power continuously without verifying the actual device requirements.

More CCNA 2026 drills and other practice exams are on @CertPunch. New rounds drop every few days at certpunch.com.

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