220-1201 Practice Test 50 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their external monitor connected via USB-C (DisplayPort Alt Mode) works intermittently. When it does work, the resolution is limited to 1920x1080 even though the monitor supports 4K. The laptop supports USB-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode. What is the most likely cause?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

The USB-C cable is not rated for video or high-speed data.. The most likely cause is that the USB-C cable is not rated for video or high-speed data. USB-C cables vary in capabilities; some only support USB 2.0 data and charging, lacking the necessary wires for DisplayPort Alt Mode or high-bandwidth video, which results in intermittent connectivity and limited resolution.

Answer

The laptop's USB-C port is damaged.

Answer

The monitor's USB-C input is set to a lower resolution in its OSD.

Answer

The graphics driver needs to be updated to support 4K over USB-C.

Question 2

A user reports that their multifunction printer is producing prints with faint, streaky text. The printer uses a toner cartridge and has been in service for two years. The technician has already run a cleaning cycle. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Check the toner cartridge level. Faint, streaky output on a laser/MFP device that uses toner is most commonly caused by a low or unevenly distributed toner supply. Since a cleaning cycle has already been run and did not resolve the issue, the next logical step is to check the toner cartridge level and distribution before replacing more expensive components like the fuser or transfer roller.

Answer

Replace the fuser assembly

Answer

Update the printer firmware

Answer

Inspect the transfer roller

Question 3

A technician is configuring a new web server that must support both standard and encrypted web traffic. Which two ports should be opened in the firewall?

Accepted Answer

Port 80 and 443. Standard web traffic uses HTTP on port 80, while encrypted web traffic uses HTTPS on port 443. Opening these two ports in the firewall allows the web server to serve both unencrypted and TLS/SSL-encrypted content to clients.

Answer

Port 22 and 21

Answer

Port 3389 and 5900

Answer

Port 53 and 123

Question 4

A user brings in a smartphone with a cracked screen that is still responsive to touch. The device is an older model, and the user wants the screen replaced rather than buying a new phone. After powering off the device and removing the SIM and SD cards, what is the next step in the screen replacement process?

Accepted Answer

Apply heat to the edges of the screen to soften the adhesive.. Applying heat to the edges of the screen softens the adhesive that secures the display to the frame, which is a critical step before any prying action. On older smartphone models, the screen is typically bonded with a strong adhesive that can crack the glass further or damage the LCD if pried without softening. This step reduces the risk of breaking the digitizer or LCD during removal.

Answer

Use a spudger to pry the screen off starting from the bottom.

Answer

Remove the battery using a plastic pry tool.

Answer

Insert a guitar pick under the screen to separate it from the frame.

Question 5

A technician is tasked with selecting a CPU for a small form factor (SFF) office PC that must run quietly and efficiently. Which CPU characteristic is most important for this build?

Accepted Answer

Low thermal design power (TDP). In a small form factor (SFF) office PC, limited space restricts cooling capacity, so a CPU with a low thermal design power (TDP) is crucial. Low TDP means the processor generates less heat, allowing for quieter operation with smaller fans or passive cooling, and it also improves energy efficiency. While other factors like integrated GPU or clock speed matter, they don't directly address the primary constraints of quietness and efficiency in an SFF build.

Answer

Highest possible clock speed

Answer

Integrated GPU

Answer

Support for overclocking

Question 6

A user reports that their USB 3.0 external SSD is only achieving USB 2.0 speeds when connected to a front panel port. The technician checks the motherboard and finds the front panel header is connected to a USB 3.0 header. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the slow speed?

Accepted Answer

The front panel USB cable is damaged or not fully seated. A USB 3.0 front panel header on the motherboard must connect to the front panel ports via an internal cable. If that cable is damaged or not fully seated, the ports may fall back to USB 2.0 signaling or fail to negotiate USB 3.0 speeds. Since the motherboard header is confirmed as USB 3.0, the most likely cause is a physical connection issue in the front panel cable path.

Answer

The SSD is formatted with FAT32

Answer

The motherboard BIOS needs updating

Answer

The SSD is connected via a USB 2.0 hub

Question 7

A user reports that their computer randomly restarts when playing games. The technician suspects the CPU is overheating. Which tool should the technician use to monitor the CPU temperature under load?

Accepted Answer

A third-party utility like HWMonitor. A third-party utility like HWMonitor reads the CPU's internal thermal sensors (via SMBus or vendor-specific interfaces) and can display real-time temperatures while the system is under load, which is exactly what's needed to confirm an overheating diagnosis. Because the random restarts occur during gaming (a heavy load scenario), the tool must be able to log or display live temperatures during that workload, which HWMonitor does well.

Answer

Windows Task Manager

Answer

The BIOS/UEFI hardware monitor

Answer

Windows Event Viewer

Question 8

A user reports that their inkjet printer prints colors that are significantly different from what appears on the screen. The printer uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black cartridges. What should the technician do first to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Run the printer's color calibration utility. Color calibration aligns the printer's color output with a reference standard so that printed colors match what the user sees on screen. It adjusts the printhead alignment and color tables without replacing consumables, making it the correct first step for a color-mismatch complaint. Calibration is non-destructive and reversible, so it should always precede hardware replacement.

Answer

Replace all ink cartridges with new ones

Answer

Clean the printhead

Answer

Change the paper type to photo paper

Question 9

You are deploying 50 tablets for a school and need to secure them in kiosk mode so students can only access a specific learning app. Which hardware servicing step is essential before configuring the software?

Accepted Answer

Charge each tablet to at least 50% and apply all system updates.. Before configuring kiosk mode software on tablets, the essential hardware servicing step is to charge each device to at least 50% and apply all system updates. Updates ensure the OS and firmware are patched and stable, and adequate charge prevents the device from powering off mid-configuration, which could corrupt the kiosk setup. This is a standard best practice in mobile device deployment.

Answer

Install a screen protector on each tablet.

Answer

Remove the SIM card from each tablet.

Answer

Replace the stock ROM with a custom firmware.

Question 10

During a site survey, a technician finds that users in the break room experience very slow Wi-Fi while those in offices nearby have excellent speeds. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A microwave oven in the break room is causing interference.. Microwave ovens operate at approximately 2.4 GHz, which is the same unlicensed band used by 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi. When a microwave is running, it emits RF energy that can cause significant interference in the 2.4 GHz band, degrading throughput and increasing retries for nearby clients. This matches the localized symptom: slow Wi-Fi only in the break room while nearby offices are fine.

Answer

The access point in the break room is overheating.

Answer

Users in the break room are connecting to a 5 GHz network with poor range.

Answer

The break room has too many walls blocking the signal.

Question 11

A user reports that their laptop can connect to the corporate Wi-Fi but cannot access the internet. Other devices on the same network work fine. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's DNS server settings are incorrect.. If the laptop associates with Wi-Fi and gets an IP address but cannot resolve hostnames, the most likely culprit is incorrect DNS server settings on that specific laptop, since other devices on the same network work fine. This isolates the problem to the client's configuration rather than the network or ISP. Checking ipconfig /all for the DNS servers and comparing to a working device would confirm it.

Answer

The wireless router has failed.

Answer

The network cable is unplugged.

Answer

The ISP is down.

Question 12

A user complains that their computer shuts down unexpectedly after a few minutes of gaming. You check the CPU temperature and find it is 105°C. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Degraded thermal paste. A CPU temperature of 105°C is far beyond safe operating limits (typically 90-100°C max for modern CPUs), indicating a critical cooling failure. Degraded thermal paste loses its ability to transfer heat from the CPU to the heatsink, causing rapid overheating under load. The system shuts down to prevent permanent hardware damage, a protective mechanism triggered by the CPU's thermal sensor. This aligns perfectly with the symptom of shutdowns after a few minutes of gaming, which is a sustained high-load scenario.

Answer

Insufficient RAM

Answer

Failing power supply

Answer

Outdated BIOS

Question 13

A user tries to scan a document to a network folder from the multifunction printer, but receives 'Access Denied' error. The printer has been configured with the folder path and credentials. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The user account used for scanning does not have write permissions to the folder.. An 'Access Denied' error when scanning to a network folder almost always indicates a permissions problem — the service account configured on the printer lacks write (and often modify) permission on the target SMB share or NTFS folder. The printer can reach the share (otherwise it would be a path/network error), so the credential's authorization is the likely culprit.

Answer

The printer's IP address has changed.

Answer

The network folder share name has a typo.

Answer

The printer's hard drive is full.

Question 14

An office manager wants to restrict color printing on the multifunction printer to only certain users to save costs. The printer supports user authentication. What is the best way to implement this?

Accepted Answer

Enable user authentication on the printer and assign color printing permissions only to authorized users.. The printer supports user authentication, which means it can identify individual users before processing a job. By enabling authentication and assigning color printing permissions only to authorized users, the office manager enforces the restriction at the device level, ensuring that only approved users can print in color regardless of driver settings. This is the most direct and enforceable method because it ties color access to identity rather than to a default setting that users can override.

Answer

Remove the color toner cartridges and only install black.

Answer

Configure the printer driver to default to black and white.

Answer

Set up a print server with group policies to block color jobs.

Question 15

A technician is installing a thermal printer for a retail point-of-sale system. The printer uses direct thermal paper. What must the technician verify to ensure proper operation?

Accepted Answer

The paper is loaded with the coated side facing the print head. Direct thermal printers use heat to create an image on specially coated paper. The paper has a coated side that reacts to heat. If the paper is loaded with the uncoated side facing the print head, the heat will not reach the coating, and no image will be produced. Therefore, the technician must verify the paper is oriented with the coated side facing the print head for proper operation.

Answer

The printer driver is set to color mode

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The printer is connected via Bluetooth

Answer

The printer has enough memory for graphics