CISCO CERTIFIED NETWORK
PROFESSIONAL (CCNP) EXAMINATION
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES
2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which routing protocol uses hop count as its metric?
A. OSPF
B. EIGRP
C. RIP
D. BGP
Rationale: RIP uses hop count as its only metric, limiting paths to a maximum of
15 hops.
2. Which of the following is a classless routing protocol?
A. RIP v1
B. IGRP
C. OSPF
D. RIPv1
Rationale: OSPF supports variable-length subnet masks (VLSM) and includes
subnet information in its updates, making it classless.
3. Which port does HTTPS use by default?
A. 21
B. 22
C. 80
D. 443
Rationale: HTTPS runs over TCP port 443, ensuring encrypted communication.
,4. Which protocol is used to automatically assign IP addresses to hosts?
A. DNS
B. DHCP
C. FTP
D. TFTP
Rationale: DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) dynamically assigns IP
addresses to hosts on a network.
5. What is the function of the STP protocol?
A. Encrypts traffic
B. Prevents switching loops
C. Assigns IP addresses
D. Routes traffic
Rationale: Spanning Tree Protocol prevents layer 2 loops in a switched network
by blocking redundant paths.
6. Which layer of the OSI model does a router operate?
A. Physical
B. Data Link
C. Network
D. Transport
Rationale: Routers operate at Layer 3 (Network) and make forwarding decisions
based on IP addresses.
7. Which of the following is a link-state routing protocol?
A. RIP
B. OSPF
C. BGP
D. EIGRP (distance-vector only)
Rationale: OSPF is a link-state protocol that uses Dijkstra’s algorithm to calculate
the shortest path.
, 8. Which protocol translates private IP addresses to public IP addresses?
A. NAT
B. NAT
C. DHCP
D. ICMP
Rationale: NAT (Network Address Translation) allows private IP addresses to
communicate with external networks using public IP addresses.
9. Which type of VLAN carries traffic for multiple VLANs over a single link?
A. Access VLAN
B. Management VLAN
C. Native VLAN
D. Trunk VLAN
Rationale: A trunk port can carry multiple VLANs using tagging, typically via IEEE
802.1Q.
10. Which protocol provides secure remote access to a Cisco device?
A. Telnet
B. HTTP
C. SSH
D. FTP
Rationale: SSH provides encrypted terminal access to network devices, unlike
Telnet.
11. Which of the following is a valid IPv6 address?
A. 192.168.1.1
B. 2001::1
C. 172.16.0.1
D. 255.255.255.0
Rationale: 2001::1 is a valid abbreviated IPv6 address.
12. Which of the following is a benefit of OSPF over RIP?
A. Maximum hop count of 15
PROFESSIONAL (CCNP) EXAMINATION
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
(VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS RATIONALES
2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
1. Which routing protocol uses hop count as its metric?
A. OSPF
B. EIGRP
C. RIP
D. BGP
Rationale: RIP uses hop count as its only metric, limiting paths to a maximum of
15 hops.
2. Which of the following is a classless routing protocol?
A. RIP v1
B. IGRP
C. OSPF
D. RIPv1
Rationale: OSPF supports variable-length subnet masks (VLSM) and includes
subnet information in its updates, making it classless.
3. Which port does HTTPS use by default?
A. 21
B. 22
C. 80
D. 443
Rationale: HTTPS runs over TCP port 443, ensuring encrypted communication.
,4. Which protocol is used to automatically assign IP addresses to hosts?
A. DNS
B. DHCP
C. FTP
D. TFTP
Rationale: DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) dynamically assigns IP
addresses to hosts on a network.
5. What is the function of the STP protocol?
A. Encrypts traffic
B. Prevents switching loops
C. Assigns IP addresses
D. Routes traffic
Rationale: Spanning Tree Protocol prevents layer 2 loops in a switched network
by blocking redundant paths.
6. Which layer of the OSI model does a router operate?
A. Physical
B. Data Link
C. Network
D. Transport
Rationale: Routers operate at Layer 3 (Network) and make forwarding decisions
based on IP addresses.
7. Which of the following is a link-state routing protocol?
A. RIP
B. OSPF
C. BGP
D. EIGRP (distance-vector only)
Rationale: OSPF is a link-state protocol that uses Dijkstra’s algorithm to calculate
the shortest path.
, 8. Which protocol translates private IP addresses to public IP addresses?
A. NAT
B. NAT
C. DHCP
D. ICMP
Rationale: NAT (Network Address Translation) allows private IP addresses to
communicate with external networks using public IP addresses.
9. Which type of VLAN carries traffic for multiple VLANs over a single link?
A. Access VLAN
B. Management VLAN
C. Native VLAN
D. Trunk VLAN
Rationale: A trunk port can carry multiple VLANs using tagging, typically via IEEE
802.1Q.
10. Which protocol provides secure remote access to a Cisco device?
A. Telnet
B. HTTP
C. SSH
D. FTP
Rationale: SSH provides encrypted terminal access to network devices, unlike
Telnet.
11. Which of the following is a valid IPv6 address?
A. 192.168.1.1
B. 2001::1
C. 172.16.0.1
D. 255.255.255.0
Rationale: 2001::1 is a valid abbreviated IPv6 address.
12. Which of the following is a benefit of OSPF over RIP?
A. Maximum hop count of 15
