In the context of DNS, what does the lower numerical preference value for MX records indicate?

• A. No effect on priority.
• B. Lower mail delivery priority.
• C. Higher mail delivery priority.
• D. Mandatory TLS requirement.

Answer: (B)

MX records include a numeric preference value that tells mail systems which server to try first. The lower this value, the higher the server’s priority. In practice, mail is routed to the MX with the smallest preference first; if that server is unavailable, the system falls back to the next smallest value, and so on.

So, a lower numerical preference value means higher priority for mail delivery—for example, an MX with 10 is tried before one with 20. This explains why the option phrased as lower mail delivery priority aligns with the intended behavior.