Answer

Dividing an Ethernet LAN using a bridge provides several advantages:

1. Reduces collision domain size: Each bridged segment is a separate collision domain, reducing contention.
2. Improves performance: Local traffic can remain within its segment instead of consuming bandwidth on every segment.
3. Filters frames: The bridge learns MAC addresses and forwards frames only when necessary.
4. Extends the LAN: Different physical Ethernet segments can be interconnected.
5. Reduces congestion: Separating traffic between segments can reduce the load on each segment.

Exam-ready: A bridge divides a LAN into smaller collision domains, filters unnecessary traffic using MAC addresses, and improves overall network performance.