Answers with Detailed Rationales CCNA Automation 200-901
CCNAAUTO v1.1 2026 Updated
This exam assesses mastery of software development and automation concepts for Cisco DevNet Associate
certification, covering Python programming, REST APIs, data formats, Cisco platforms, DevOps, and network
automation. It emphasizes practical application, troubleshooting, and integration of modern network
programmability tools. It contains 50 multiple-choice questions, each with four distractors and a fully worked
rationale that explains why the keyed answer is correct. Questions are organized into clearly labelled sections
that mirror the major content areas of the course. Targeted learning outcomes include: Design and implement
Python scripts interacting with Cisco APIs; Analyze and construct REST API requests and responses; Apply
DevOps practices to network automation workflows; Interpret data formats such as JSON, XML, and YAML in
network contexts. Every item has been reviewed for clinical accuracy, current guidelines, and clarity so that
students can study with confidence and self-correct as they work through the bank. Use it as a high-yield review
immediately before the exam, or as a structured practice tool during the unit - the rationales double as concise
teaching notes. The recommended writing time is 2 hours, with a passing score of 80%. Aligned with Meets US
university standards for advanced undergraduate computer science and networking courses, aligned with
ACM/IEEE curricula. standards and reflects the question style commonly seen on accredited program
examinations. Students consistently achieving above the cut score on this bank have historically gone on to earn
Section 1: General (Questions 1-50)
1 Which Python construct ensures a REST API session is closed after use?
A) Using a try/except block with manual session.close()
B) Employing a context manager with the 'with' statement
C) Relying on garbage collection to close the session
D) Calling session.disconnect() explicitly
Answer: B
Rationale: The 'with' statement ensures proper resource cleanup by automatically
calling __exit__, which closes the session. Manual close() in try/except is
error-prone and not guaranteed; garbage collection is non-deterministic;
session.disconnect() is not a standard method.
2 Which HTTP status code indicates a successful REST API request that created a
resource?
A) 200 OK
B) 201 Created
C) 202 Accepted
D) 204 No Content
Answer: B
Rationale: 201 Created specifically indicates successful resource creation. 200 OK is
,generic success, 202 Accepted means request accepted but not completed, and 204
No Content indicates success with no body.
3 In a CI/CD pipeline for network automation, which practice ensures infrastructure
consistency?
A) Manual configuration updates
B) Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
C) Ad-hoc scripting
D) Periodic backups
Answer: B
Rationale: IaC treats infrastructure as code, enabling version control, testing, and
automated deployment for consistency. Manual updates, ad-hoc scripting, and
backups do not ensure consistent configuration across environments.
4 Which data format is human-readable and commonly used for configuration files
in network automation?
A) JSON
B) XML
C) YAML
D) CSV
Answer: C
Rationale: YAML is designed for human readability and is widely used in
configuration files like Ansible playbooks. JSON and XML are less readable, and
CSV is tabular, not hierarchical.
5 What is the primary purpose of the Cisco DNA Center Intent API?
A) To provide network policy abstraction and automation
B) To manage device firmware upgrades
C) To monitor network traffic
D) To configure SNMP traps
Answer: A
Rationale: The Intent API abstracts network policies and enables automation based
on business intent. Firmware upgrades, traffic monitoring, and SNMP are separate
functions not central to Intent API.
6 Which authentication method is commonly used for REST API security in Cisco
platforms?
A) Basic Auth
, B) OAuth 2.0
C) API Key
D) All of the above
Answer: D
Rationale: Cisco platforms support multiple authentication methods including Basic
Auth, OAuth 2.0, and API keys depending on the API. All are valid and used in
different contexts.
7 Which Python library is commonly used for parsing YAML in network
automation?
A) PyYAML
B) json
C) xml.etree.ElementTree
D) csv
Answer: A
Rationale: PyYAML is the standard library for YAML parsing in Python. json parses
JSON, xml.etree handles XML, and csv processes CSV files.
8 In a REST API, what does the 'PUT' method typically do?
A) Retrieve a resource
B) Create a new resource
C) Update an existing resource
D) Delete a resource
Answer: C
Rationale: PUT is used to update or replace an existing resource. GET retrieves,
POST creates, and DELETE removes resources.
9 Which DevOps principle emphasizes collaboration between development and
operations teams?
A) Continuous Integration
B) Continuous Delivery
C) Culture of Collaboration
D) Microservices Architecture
Answer: C
Rationale: DevOps culture emphasizes breaking down silos and fostering
collaboration. CI/CD are practices, and microservices is an architectural style, not a
principle.