nerdexam
Cisco

200-301 · Question #256

What is the authoritative source for an address lookup?

The correct answer is A. a recursive DNS search. The authoritative source for an address lookup is ultimately an authoritative DNS server, which is reached through a recursive DNS search process initiated by a client's resolver.

Submitted by krish.m· Mar 5, 2026

Question

What is the authoritative source for an address lookup?

Options

  • Aa recursive DNS search
  • Bthe operating system cache
  • Cthe ISP local cache
  • Dthe browser cache

How the community answered

(36 responses)
  • A
    89% (32)
  • B
    6% (2)
  • C
    3% (1)
  • D
    3% (1)

Why each option

The authoritative source for an address lookup is ultimately an authoritative DNS server, which is reached through a recursive DNS search process initiated by a client's resolver.

Aa recursive DNS searchCorrect

A recursive DNS search involves a DNS resolver querying a hierarchy of DNS servers (root, TLD, then authoritative) until it reaches the authoritative name server. This authoritative server holds the definitive, original DNS records for a domain.

Bthe operating system cache

The operating system cache stores previously resolved DNS entries locally for speed but is not the authoritative source of the original record.

Cthe ISP local cache

The ISP local cache (recursive DNS server cache) stores recently resolved queries to improve response times but is not the authoritative source for the DNS records themselves.

Dthe browser cache

The browser cache stores web content and potentially DNS resolutions for faster page loading but is not the authoritative source for DNS information.

Concept tested: DNS authoritative source

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/networking/dns/understand/understanding-dns-servers

Topics

#DNS resolution#Authoritative DNS Server

Community Discussion

No community discussion yet for this question.

Full 200-301 Practice