Which statement best describes a difference between a network switch and a hub?

Which statement best describes a difference between a network switch and a hub?

• A. A hub can be used to create multiple segments for the same network.
• B. A switch can create multiple segments for the same network.
• C. With a hub, bandwidth is never shared among devices.
• D. Switches broadcast all traffic to all ports by default.

Answer: (B)

Switches can create multiple segments within the same network because they forward traffic only to the specific port connected to the destination device, isolating traffic per port. By learning MAC addresses, a switch builds a map of where each device lives and avoids sending every frame to every device, effectively giving each port its own collision domain. That capability is what allows a single switch to connect multiple network segments and keep traffic separate, improving efficiency and reducing collisions. A hub, by contrast, acts as a repeater that simply repeats signals to all ports, so all devices share one collision domain and the same bandwidth. That’s why the statement about a switch creating multiple segments best describes the difference. The other ideas don’t fit the behavior: a hub does not create multiple segments, and bandwidth is indeed shared among devices on a hub. Switches do not broadcast all traffic to all ports by default; they forward frames to the appropriate port (and only flood unknown destinations briefly during learning), which is why they can support multiple segments without wasting bandwidth.

Switches can create multiple segments within the same network because they forward traffic only to the specific port connected to the destination device, isolating traffic per port. By learning MAC addresses, a switch builds a map of where each device lives and avoids sending every frame to every device, effectively giving each port its own collision domain. That capability is what allows a single switch to connect multiple network segments and keep traffic separate, improving efficiency and reducing collisions.

A hub, by contrast, acts as a repeater that simply repeats signals to all ports, so all devices share one collision domain and the same bandwidth. That’s why the statement about a switch creating multiple segments best describes the difference.

The other ideas don’t fit the behavior: a hub does not create multiple segments, and bandwidth is indeed shared among devices on a hub. Switches do not broadcast all traffic to all ports by default; they forward frames to the appropriate port (and only flood unknown destinations briefly during learning), which is why they can support multiple segments without wasting bandwidth.