Given the following routing table: How would an outgoing packet to the destination 192.168.2.150 be handled?

Question

Exhibit

Options

• AIt would be passed to the default router 192.168.178.1 on wlan0.
• BIt would be directly transmitted on the device eth0.
• CIt would be passed to the default router 255.255.255.0 on eth0.
• DIt would be passed to the router 192.168.1.1 on eth0.
• EIt would be directly transmitted on the device wlan0.

• A
  13% (2)
• B
  6% (1)
• D
  81% (13)

Explanation

Option D is correct because the routing table contains a specific route for the 192.168.2.0/24 network reachable via gateway 192.168.1.1 on eth0, and 192.168.2.150 falls within that network range - the router applies longest prefix match, always choosing the most specific matching route over the default.

Why the distractors fail:

• A is wrong because the default router (192.168.178.1 on wlan0) is only used when no more specific route matches; a specific route for 192.168.2.0/24 exists, so the default is bypassed.
• B is wrong because direct transmission only occurs when the destination is on the same local subnet as the outgoing interface; 192.168.2.150 is not directly reachable on eth0's subnet.
• C is a trap - 255.255.255.0 is a subnet mask, not a router address; no valid packet is ever forwarded to a subnet mask.
• E is wrong for the same reason as B: 192.168.2.150 is not on wlan0's local subnet, so direct transmission there is impossible.

Memory tip: Think of routing as a "most specific wins" contest - the default route (0.0.0.0/0) is always the last resort. If you see a specific subnet route that contains your destination, that route wins, regardless of which interface the default route is on.

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