What is the concept of a default route and how is it represented?

• A. A route to the local subnet only.
• B. A route to a specific internal LAN segment.
• C. A route to destinations not in the local routing table, typically 0.0.0.0/0 via a next-hop gateway.
• D. A route that points to broadcast addresses.

Answer: (C)

The concept tested is the default route, a catch-all path that routers use for destinations not found in their local routing table. It’s represented as a route for all possible addresses, typically shown as 0.0.0.0/0 in IPv4 (and ::/0 in IPv6), with a next-hop gateway or exit interface that can reach other networks. This entry acts as the gateway of last resort, guiding any unknown traffic toward a router that can forward it toward its destination. It’s not a route to the local subnet or to a specific internal LAN, and it isn’t a route to broadcast addresses.