Level up your skills with our routing paths and subnets quiz, crafted for IT professionals and eager learners who want to master computer networking fundamentals. Through this computer networking quiz and IP subnetting test, you'll tackle network routing challenges, calculate precise host ranges, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and refine your subnet mask exercises for real-world scenarios. Ready to dive in? Jump into the routing paths and subnets quiz or explore subnetting practice questions for targeted skill-building. Start now and prove your expertise today!
What is the default subnet mask for a /24 network?
255.255.255.128
255.0.0.0
255.255.0.0
255.255.255.0
A /24 network has 24 bits set to 1 in the subnet mask, which corresponds to 255.255.255.0. This mask is the default for Class C IPv4 networks and provides 256 addresses, 254 of which are usable for hosts. It is commonly used for small LAN segments. For more details, see NetworkLessons.
Which IP address class does 192.168.1.1 belong to?
Class A
Class B
Class D
Class C
IP addresses from 192.0.0.0 to 223.255.255.255 fall into Class C, which uses a default mask of /24. The 192.168.x.x range is part of private Class C addresses reserved for local networks. Class C networks are widely used for small to medium LANs. More information is available at IANA IPv4 Assignments.
What is the network address for IP 10.0.5.7/16?
10.0.255.0
10.0.5.7
10.0.0.0
10.0.5.0
A /16 mask (255.255.0.0) zeroes out the last 16 bits of the IP address, resulting in the network address 10.0.0.0. The host portion is everything after the first two octets. Any IP in the range 10.0.0.1 to 10.0.255.254 would map to the same /16 network. For more details, see Cisco Subnetting.
What is the broadcast address for 172.16.0.0/16?
172.16.255.0
172.16.0.1
172.16.255.255
172.16.0.255
The broadcast address for a /16 network sets all host bits to 1, giving 172.16.255.255. The first two octets remain 172.16 per the mask 255.255.0.0. Hosts in this network can send to this address to reach all devices in the subnet. Learn more at GeeksforGeeks.
Which protocol is used to resolve IP addresses to MAC addresses?
DHCP
DNS
ARP
ICMP
The Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) maps IPv4 addresses to the corresponding MAC addresses on a local network. When a host knows the IP but not the MAC, it sends a broadcast ARP request. The owner of the IP replies with its MAC address. More information is available at RFC 826.
What is the CIDR notation for subnet mask 255.255.255.192?
/26
/28
/24
/30
The mask 255.255.255.192 has 26 ones in binary (11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000), which corresponds to /26 in CIDR notation. This provides 64 total addresses, 62 usable for hosts. It's commonly used for small subnets. See IP Address Guide for more.
How many total usable host addresses are there in a /30 subnet?
62
2
4
256
A /30 mask (255.255.255.252) reserves two bits for hosts, providing 4 total addresses. Two are usable for hosts, one is the network address, and one is the broadcast address. This is often used for point-to-point links. For details, see NetworkLessons.
What wildcard mask corresponds to a /28 network?
0.0.255.0
0.0.0.15
0.0.0.255
255.255.255.240
A /28 network has a subnet mask of 255.255.255.240. The wildcard mask inverts the subnet mask, giving 0.0.0.15. Wildcard masks are used in Cisco ACLs and OSPF networks. For more information, see Cisco Wildcard Masks.
How many /28 subnets can you create from a single /24 network?
8
14
16
32
A /24 network has 256 addresses. A /28 subnet uses 16 addresses each (2^(32-28) = 16), so 256/16 = 16 subnets. Each /28 provides 14 usable hosts. This calculation is fundamental in subnetting practice. See Practical Networking.
What is the range of host addresses in the subnet 192.168.10.64/26?
192.168.10.65 - 192.168.10.126
192.168.10.0 - 192.168.10.63
192.168.10.64 - 192.168.10.127
192.168.10.66 - 192.168.10.127
A /26 mask (255.255.255.192) groups addresses in blocks of 64. The subnet starting at .64 has a broadcast at .127. The usable host range excludes the network .64 and broadcast .127, so hosts range from .65 to .126. More details at Subnet Calculator.
Which routing protocol uses DUAL to calculate the best path?
EIGRP
OSPF
IS-IS
RIP
EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) uses the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) to calculate loop-free and backup paths. DUAL ensures rapid convergence and optimal path selection. EIGRP is a Cisco proprietary protocol. Read more in the Cisco EIGRP Guide.
In OSPF, what is the cost of a 100 Mbps link by default?
100
1
10
0
OSPF cost is calculated as Reference Bandwidth (100 Mbps) divided by interface bandwidth. For a 100 Mbps link, cost = 100/100 = 1. Lower cost paths are preferred. Administrators can adjust reference bandwidth if needed. See Cisco OSPF Cost.
What type of route does a router learn through directly connected networks?
Directly connected route
Static route
Default route
Dynamic route
Directly connected routes are those networks that are attached to the router's interfaces. They appear in the routing table when an interface is up and configured with an IP address. These routes have the lowest administrative distance. More detail at Cisco Routing Concepts.
Which command displays the routing table on a Cisco router?
show ip route
show interfaces
show running-config
show arp
The 'show ip route' command lists all known routes in the IPv4 routing table on Cisco IOS devices. It displays directly connected, static, and dynamic routes. Network administrators use it to verify routing information. For syntax, see Cisco Command Reference.
What is the maximum number of hosts in a class B network without subnetting?
16,384
65,536
65,534
254
A Class B network uses a /16 mask, providing 2^16 = 65,536 total addresses. Subtracting the network and broadcast addresses yields 65,534 usable host addresses. Class B ranges from 128.0.0.0 to 191.255.255.255. See IANA IPv4 Assignments.
Given the network 10.0.0.0/22, what is the subnet mask in dotted decimal?
255.255.255.0
255.255.252.0
255.255.254.0
255.255.240.0
A /22 mask has 22 one bits, which equates to 255.255.252.0 in dotted decimal. It groups addresses in increments of 4 in the third octet. This provides 1024 total addresses, 1022 usable hosts. For a deeper dive, see Cisco CIDR Guide.
If a routing table has two routes for 192.168.1.0/24, one learned via OSPF with administrative distance 110 and one via EIGRP with administrative distance 90, which route is preferred?
The EIGRP route
The OSPF route
The route with the longest prefix
They share equal preference
Routers use administrative distance to choose between routes to the same destination. Lower administrative distance is preferred. EIGRP default AD is 90, while OSPF is 110, so the EIGRP route is chosen. For details, see Cisco AD Documentation.
Given these routing entries: 0.0.0.0/0, 192.168.0.0/16, and 192.168.1.0/24, what route will a packet to 192.168.1.100 use?
192.168.0.0/16
Next best match
0.0.0.0/0
192.168.1.0/24
Routers choose the most specific route using longest prefix match. Among /24, /16, and default (/0), the /24 entry is the longest prefix. Therefore, traffic to 192.168.1.100 matches 192.168.1.0/24. For more, see Longest Prefix Match.
How many bits are borrowed when subnetting a /16 into /20 subnets?
8
12
2
4
Moving from /16 to /20 increases the prefix length by 4 bits, so you borrow 4 bits from the host portion to create additional subnet bits. This yields 16 subnets of equal size. Each /20 provides 4096 addresses. See Practical Networking.
Which protocol uses hop count as its metric and limits path length to 15 hops?
RIP
EIGRP
BGP
OSPF
RIP (Routing Information Protocol) uses hop count as its only metric and treats 16 hops as unreachable. It is one of the oldest IGPs and is limited in large networks due to this constraint. Modern protocols like OSPF use bandwidth-based metrics instead. More detail at RFC 2453.
Which BGP attribute is used to prefer a path from multiple BGP routes within the same autonomous system?
Origin
Local Preference
MED
AS Path
Local Preference is a well-known discretionary BGP attribute used to prefer one exit point from the local AS over others. Higher local preference values are preferred. It is set by network administrators to influence outbound traffic. See Cisco BGP Local Preference.
What is the effect of route summarization on router memory usage?
It duplicates routes for redundancy
It reduces memory usage by decreasing the number of routes
It has no impact on memory usage
It increases memory usage due to extra calculations
Route summarization aggregates multiple routes into a single advertisement, which reduces the size of the routing table. This leads to lower memory consumption and faster lookups. Summaries also minimize protocol overhead in large networks. For details, see Cisco Route Summarization.
When VLSM is implemented, what must all routers in the network support?
Fixed-length subnet masks
Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR)
Only static routing
Classful addressing only
Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) requires classless routing to handle subnets of different sizes. Protocols like OSPF and EIGRP support CIDR, whereas classful protocols do not advertise subnet masks. Without CIDR, routers cannot understand variable masks. See Cisco CIDR.
Given a network 192.0.2.0/24, design a subnet scheme to support 5 subnets with at least 30 hosts each, minimizing wasted addresses. What prefix length should you choose?
/27
/28
/26
/25
To support 5 subnets with at least 30 hosts, a /27 mask (32 addresses, 30 usable) is required. Subnetting /24 into /27 yields 8 subnets of 32 addresses each. This meets host requirements while minimizing waste. For more details, see Practical Networking.
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AI Study Notes
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Study Outcomes
Analyze Routing Paths -
Learn to interpret routing tables and trace packet flows across diverse network topologies to determine optimal data paths.
Calculate Subnet Masks -
Master the math behind IP subnetting to derive network IDs, broadcast addresses, and host ranges for given address spaces.
Apply CIDR Notation -
Use Classless Inter-Domain Routing to create efficient, variable-length subnets tailored to specific network requirements.
Troubleshoot Routing Issues -
Identify common misconfigurations and routing loops to resolve connectivity problems and ensure reliable network performance.
Interpret IP Address Schemes -
Distinguish between public and private IP ranges, and understand how address classes affect routing and security.
Optimize Network Segmentation -
Evaluate subnetting strategies and propose improvements to enhance scalability and resource utilization.
Cheat Sheet
IP Addressing & CIDR Basics -
Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) notation like 192.168.1.0/24 indicates 24 network bits, equivalent to a 255.255.255.0 mask as defined by IETF RFC 4632. Use the mnemonic "Count the ones" to recall that /26 means 26 ones in the binary mask. Mastery of this underpins many routing paths and subnets quiz scenarios.
Subnet Mask Binary Conversion -
Translating masks to binary (e.g., 255.255.255.192 = 11111111.11111111.11111111.11000000) helps pinpoint network, host, and broadcast addresses. Practice with Cisco's binary table for quick reference and use the "255, 128, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1" sequence to convert any octet. This skill is a cornerstone for accurate IP subnetting tests.
Calculating Subnets & Hosts -
The formula 2^n − 2 (where n = host bits) gives the number of usable hosts per subnet (e.g., /28 yields 2^(32−28)−2 = 14 hosts). Refer to university networking lab exercises for hands-on practice with subnet calculations. It's vital for acing network routing challenges involving multiple subnets.
Variable Length Subnet Masking (VLSM) -
VLSM allows assigning different mask lengths to subnets based on host requirements, improving IP efficiency - a technique covered in Cisco CCNA materials. Use route summarization (supernetting) to reduce routing table entries by aggregating contiguous networks (e.g., 10.0.0.0/24 + 10.0.1.0/24 = 10.0.0.0/23). VLSM and summarization are frequent topics in IP subnetting tests and network routing challenges.
Shortest Path Algorithms & Metrics -
Dijkstra's link-state algorithm and Bellman-Ford's distance-vector method underpin OSPF and RIP, establishing optimal routes based on cost, bandwidth, or hop count. Visualizing link weights on a sample graph from RIPE Atlas reinforces how real-world path selection works. Grasping these fundamentals ensures strong performance on any computer networking quiz.
