GATE CS 2019 Set 1 — Question 39

MCQ+2 / -0.67EasyARP & RARPNetwork Layer: AddressingComputer Networks

Computer Networks → Network Layer: Addressing → ARP & RARP

Last updated 5 September 2026

Question

Suppose that in an IP-over-Ethernet network, a machine X wishes to find the MAC address of another machine Y in its subnet. Which one of the following techniques can be used for this?

Correct answer (C) X sends an ARP request packet with broadcast MAC address in its local subnet Solution Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to map an IP address to a MAC address within a local network. When machine X wants to find the MAC address of machine Y (which is in the same subnet): 1. X broadcasts an ARP request packet to all devices in the local subnet. The destination MAC address in the Ethernet frame is the broadcast address (FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF). 2. All machines receive the request, but only machine Y (whose IP matches the target IP in the ARP request) replies with its MAC address. Therefore, X sends an ARP request packet with the broadcast MAC address in its local subnet. Turn this into a strength. Explore AI-powered practice and doubt support with Success Tracker.

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Correct answer (C) X sends an ARP request packet with broadcast MAC address in its local subnet Solution Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is used to map an IP address to a MAC address within a local network. When machine X wants to find the MAC address of machine Y (which is in the same subnet): 1. X broadcasts an ARP request packet to all devices in the local subnet. The destination MAC address in the Ethernet frame is the broadcast address (FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF). 2. All machines receive the request, but only machine Y (whose IP matches the target IP in the ARP request) replies with its MAC address. Therefore, X sends an ARP request packet with the broadcast MAC address in its local subnet.

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