Which of the following wireless frames are control frames? (Multiple choice)

Question

Options

• ABeacon
• BRTS
• CCTS
• DPS-Poll

• A
  12% (4)
• B
  82% (28)
• D
  6% (2)

Explanation

RTS (Request to Send) and CTS (Clear to Send) are both 802.11 control frames, used to coordinate channel access and reduce collisions via the RTS/CTS handshake mechanism - they assist data frame delivery without carrying user data themselves. A Beacon (A) is a management frame, periodically broadcast by an access point to advertise network presence and capabilities. It's worth flagging that PS-Poll (D) is also technically a control frame per the IEEE 802.11 standard (Type 01, Subtype 1010) - it's sent by a client to retrieve buffered frames from an AP during power-save mode, so this question may contain an error if it marks D as a distractor.

Memory tip: Control frames control the medium (RTS/CTS, ACK, PS-Poll), management frames manage the relationship between station and AP (Beacon, Auth, Associate), and data frames carry the payload. When in doubt, RTS and CTS are the classic control frame pair - they always appear together on exam questions.

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