GATE CSE – COMPUTER NETWORKS
MODULE II: DATA LINK LAYER & MEDIA ACCESS CONTROL
1. Frame Structure
Q1. (GATE CSE 2025)
Which of the following fields is always present in a data link layer frame?
A. Address
B. Control
C. Data
D. All of the above
Answer: D — Address, control, and data are basic frame fields.
Q2. (GATE CSE 2024)
The maximum transmission unit (MTU) determines:
A. Maximum frame size
B. Minimum frame size
C. Header size
D. Error detection capability
Answer: A — MTU defines the largest frame payload size.
Q3. (GATE CSE 2023)
In Ethernet II frame, which field indicates the type of protocol in the payload?
A. Preamble
B. Destination MAC
C. Type/Length
D. CRC
Answer: C — Type/Length field identifies the protocol (e.g., IP).
Q4. (GATE CSE 2022)
The Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) field is used for:
A. Flow control
B. Error detection
C. Addressing
D. Multiplexing
Answer: B — CRC detects transmission errors in frames.
Q5. (GATE CSE 2021)
The minimum Ethernet frame size is:
A. 46 bytes
B. 64 bytes
C. 128 bytes
D. 1500 bytes
Answer: B — Minimum Ethernet frame (including header & CRC) is 64 bytes.
2. Error Detection and Correction
Q6. (GATE CSE 2025)
Parity bit can detect:
A. Single-bit errors
B. Double-bit errors
C. Burst errors
D. All errors
Answer: A — Single parity detects single-bit errors only.
Q7. (GATE CSE 2024)
Hamming code is an example of:
A. Error detection
B. Error correction
C. Flow control
D. Multiplexing
Answer: B — Hamming codes can detect and correct single-bit errors.
Q8. (GATE CSE 2023)
CRC is considered:
A. Error detection only
B. Error correction only
C. Both detection and correction
D. Flow control
Answer: A — CRC detects errors, cannot correct.
Q9. (GATE CSE 2022)
Which of the following is true about checksums?
A. Can detect some errors
B. Used in data link and transport layers
C. Simple to implement
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Q10. (GATE CSE 2021)
Two-dimensional parity is capable of:
A. Detecting and correcting single-bit errors
B. Detecting double-bit errors
C. Correcting burst errors
D. None
Answer: A — 2D parity allows single-bit correction.
3. Medium Access Control (MAC) Protocols
Q11. (GATE CSE 2025)
CSMA/CD is used in:
A. Wi-Fi
B. Ethernet
C. Token Ring
D. Bluetooth
Answer: B — Ethernet uses CSMA/CD for collision detection.
Q12. (GATE CSE 2024)
Which protocol avoids collisions by token passing?
A. CSMA/CD
B. Token Ring
C. CSMA/CA
D. ALOHA
Answer: B — Token Ring uses a circulating token.
Q13. (GATE CSE 2023)
CSMA/CA is primarily used in:
A. Wired Ethernet
B. Wi-Fi
C. Bluetooth
D. Token Bus
Answer: B — Wi-Fi uses CSMA/CA to avoid collisions.
Q14. (GATE CSE 2022)
In ALOHA protocol, throughput is maximized when:
A. Channel is fully utilized
B. Traffic is low
C. Traffic is moderate
D. None
Answer: C — Maximum throughput occurs at moderate load (~18% for pure ALOHA).
Q15. (GATE CSE 2021)
Which MAC protocol is deterministic?
A. CSMA/CD
B. Token passing
C. Pure ALOHA
D. Slotted ALOHA
Answer: B — Token passing ensures orderly access.
4. Virtual LANs (VLANs)
Q16. (GATE CSE 2025)
VLANs provide:
A. Logical segmentation of networks
B. Security isolation
C. Traffic management
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Q17. (GATE CSE 2024)
VLAN tags are inserted in:
A. Ethernet header
B. IP header
C. TCP header
D. None
Answer: A — IEEE 802.1Q inserts VLAN tags in Ethernet frames.
Q18. (GATE CSE 2023)
Which field identifies VLAN membership?
A. Source MAC
B. Type/Length
C. VLAN ID
D. CRC
Answer: C — VLAN ID specifies VLAN membership.
Q19. (GATE CSE 2022)
Trunk links in VLAN carry:
A. Single VLAN
B. Multiple VLANs
C. Control frames only
D. Broadcasts only
Answer: B — Trunk links carry multiple VLANs with tags.
Q20. (GATE CSE 2021)
VLANs improve network efficiency by:
A. Reducing broadcast domains
B. Increasing MTU
C. Reducing latency
D. None
Answer: A — VLANs limit broadcast traffic.
5. Link Layer Addressing
Q21. (GATE CSE 2025)
MAC addresses are:
A. 32-bit
B. 48-bit
C. 64-bit
D. 128-bit
Answer: B — MAC addresses are 48 bits.
Q22. (GATE CSE 2024)
Ethernet MAC address uniqueness is ensured by:
A. IEEE registration authority
B. Random assignment
C. IP allocation
D. DHCP
Answer: A — IEEE assigns MAC addresses.
Q23. (GATE CSE 2023)
Link layer addresses are used for:
A. Routing across networks
B. Node-to-node delivery on the same LAN
C. Flow control
D. Congestion control
Answer: B
Q24. (GATE CSE 2022)
ARP protocol maps:
A. IP → MAC
B. MAC → IP
C. TCP → UDP
D. None
Answer: A
Q25. (GATE CSE 2021)
Broadcast MAC address is:
A. FF:FF:FF:FF:FF:FF
B. 00:00:00:00:00:00
C. 01:23:45:67:89:AB
D. None
Answer: A
6. Flow Control, Error Recovery, Retransmission
Q26. (GATE CSE 2025)
Stop-and-wait protocol ensures:
A. Flow control
B. Error recovery
C. Both
D. None
Answer: C
Q27. (GATE CSE 2024)
Sliding window protocol improves:
A. Efficiency
B. Error detection
C. Addressing
D. Multiplexing
Answer: A
Q28. (GATE CSE 2023)
Go-Back-N protocol:
A. Retransmits only erroneous frame
B. Retransmits all frames from the error frame onward
C. Uses parity bits only
D. Uses token passing
Answer: B
Q29. (GATE CSE 2022)
Selective Repeat protocol:
A. Retransmits all frames
B. Retransmits only erroneous frames
C. Does not use sequence numbers
D. Is connectionless
Answer: B
Q30. (GATE CSE 2021)
Flow control prevents:
A. Receiver overflow
B. Packet loss
C. Routing loops
D. Broadcast storms
Answer: A
7. Transportation & Vehicle Networking, Cross-Layer Optimization
Q31. (GATE CSE 2025)
Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication often uses:
A. Dedicated short-range communications (DSRC)
B. LTE only
C. Fiber optics
D. Bluetooth only
Answer: A
Q32. (GATE CSE 2024)
Cross-layer optimization in data link layer may involve:
A. Physical layer info for MAC scheduling
B. Network layer routing info
C. Transport layer congestion state
D. All of the above
Answer: D
Q33. (GATE CSE 2023)
In vehicular networks, MAC protocols must be:
A. Deterministic
B. Adaptive to high mobility
C. Token-based only
D. None
Answer: B
Q34. (GATE CSE 2022)
Error recovery in vehicular networks may require:
A. Low-latency retransmission
B. Forward error correction
C. Both A & B
D. None
Answer: C
Q35. (GATE CSE 2021)
Cross-layer design improves:
A. Throughput
B. Latency
C. Reliability
D. All of the above
Answer: D