What does a route table define?

• A. The MAC address table for a switch.
• B. Rules for where IP packets egress; longest prefix match applies.
• C. The VLAN to port mapping.
• D. The logging configuration for routing events.

Answer: (B)

A route table defines how IP packets are forwarded by mapping destination prefixes to the next hop or exit interface. Each entry specifies a destination network (with a prefix length) and the path to reach that network. When a router handles a packet, it uses the destination IP and applies the longest prefix match rule to choose the most specific route, then forwards the packet along that path toward its destination. This is the mechanism that guides IP traffic from source to destination across multiple networks. Other items, like a MAC address table, VLAN-to-port mappings, or logging configurations, handle different aspects (switching at Layer 2, network segmentation, or monitoring) and do not define how IP forwarding decisions are made.