What two things does a router do when it forwards a packet? (Choose two.)

Question

Options

• Aswitches the packet to the appropriate outgoing interfaces
• Bcomputes the destination host address
• Cdetermines the next hop on the path
• Dupdates the destination IP address
• Eforwards ARP requests

• A
  88% (21)
• D
  8% (2)
• E
  4% (1)

Explanation

When a router forwards a packet, it determines the next hop (C) by consulting its routing table to find the best path toward the destination, then switches the packet to the appropriate outgoing interface (A) by encapsulating it in a new frame and sending it out the correct port. These two actions - deciding where to send the packet and actually sending it - are the core of the forwarding process.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• B - Routers work with network (IP) addresses, not host addresses; they never compute a destination host address.
• D - The destination IP address is never modified during normal forwarding (only NAT changes IP addresses); routers decrement the TTL, not the destination IP.
• E - ARP operates at Layer 2 and is used to resolve IPs to MAC addresses on a local segment; routers don't forward ARP broadcasts between networks.

Memory tip: Think of a router as a postal sorter - it reads the address to decide the route (C) and drops the letter in the correct outgoing bin (A). Everything else (rewriting addresses, asking who owns an address) is someone else's job.

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