If a destination belongs to a remote network, the router will typically forward the packet to which next hop?

• A. The next-hop router
• B. The directly connected interface
• C. The Gateway of Last Resort
• D. The local host

Answer: (A)

When a destination is in a remote network, the router forwards the packet toward the next hop indicated by the routing table. This next hop is the next router on the path to the destination. The router uses the appropriate exit interface to send the frame to that next-hop router, which will then continue routing toward the destination. The gateway of last resort is only used if there’s no specific route for the destination, acting as a default path. A directly connected interface is only for destinations on networks directly attached to the router, and the local host would be the router itself or a locally attached device, not a remote network. So the packet goes to the next-hop router.