Drag and Drop Question Refer to the exhibit. Drag and drop the destination IPs from the left into the paths to reach those destinations on the right. Answer:

Question

Exhibits

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Explanation

Important Caveat

The question says "Refer to the exhibit" - without seeing the actual routing table/topology diagram, I cannot give you the exact technical reason for each placement. However, based on the IP addresses and the correct arrangement, I can reconstruct the likely scenario with high confidence. This appears to be a Cisco routing table / longest-prefix-match question (CCNA/CCNP level).

Background Concept

Routers use longest prefix match (LPM): when multiple routes could match a destination IP, the router picks the route with the most specific (longest) subnet mask. The "paths" on the right are almost certainly different routes in a routing table, each covering a different subnet.

Likely Routing Table (Inferred from the IPs)

Item-by-Item Explanation

1. 10.10.13.126 -> Path 1

• .126 is the last usable host in a /25 subnet (10.10.13.0/25, range .1-.126).
• This is a classic subnetting tell - .126 as the last host before the broadcast (.127) clearly places it in the first half of the 10.10.13.0/24 block.
• Common mistake: Confusing .126 with .127 (the broadcast address, which is unreachable).

2. 10.10.13.129 -> Path 2

• .129 falls in the second half (10.10.13.128+), and specifically matches a very narrow subnet like 10.10.13.128/30 (hosts: .129 and .130).
• LPM picks this more-specific route over Path 5 (10.10.13.128/26), even though both match.
• Common mistake: Students often pick the broader /26 route - LPM always wins with the longer mask.

3. 10.10.13.209 -> Path 3

• .209 falls in the upper range of 10.10.13.192/27 (hosts .193-.222) or a similar block like /28.
• It does not match the narrower /30 in Path 2 or the /26 in Path 5.
• Common mistake: Assuming all 10.10.13.128-255 addresses go to the same path.

4. 1.1.1.1 -> Path 4 (Default Route)

• 1.1.1.1 is a public IP with no specific route entry in this routing table.
• It matches only the default route (0.0.0.0/0), which is the catch-all for any destination not explicitly listed.
• Path 4 being the default route is confirmed by 209.165.200.30 having its own specific route (Path 6), so the default only catches truly unknown destinations like 1.1.1.1.
• Common mistake: Thinking the default route is used for any non-private IP - it's only used when no more-specific match exists.

5. 10.10.13.150 -> Path 5

• .150 falls in 10.10.13.128/26 (hosts .129-.190), but not in the narrower 10.10.13.128/30.
• Since .150 doesn't match the /30 (which only covers .128-.131), the next best match is the /26.
• Common mistake: This is where the difference between Path 2 and Path 5 trips students up - .129 and .150 are in the same /26 but only .129 is also in the more specific /30.

6. 209.165.200.30 -> Path 6

• 209.165.200.30 is a public IP in the 209.165.200.0/27 range (Cisco's classic lab range, hosts .1-.30).
• .30 is the last usable host in a /27 (broadcast = .31), making it highly recognizable on Cisco exams.
• This has a specific route in the table, so it does NOT go to the default route (Path 4) even though it's a public IP.
• Common mistake: Sending it to the default route - always check for a specific match first.

Key Takeaways

1. LPM is everything - the more specific the subnet mask, the higher the priority.
2. Know your subnet boundaries - .126/.127, .128/.129, .191, .192, .222/.223 are all boundary markers that determine path assignment.
3. Default route is last resort - only used when zero specific routes match.
4. 209.165.200.x is Cisco's standard lab public range - expect it to have a specific route, not default.

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