220-1201 Practice Test 14 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their computer will not boot and displays an 'Operating System Not Found' error. They recently installed a new SATA SSD and connected it to the motherboard. What is the most likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

The boot order in BIOS is not set to the new SSD.. When a new SATA SSD is installed and the system displays 'Operating System Not Found,' the most likely cause is that the BIOS boot order is not set to boot from the new SSD. Even if the SSD contains an OS, the firmware may still be trying to boot from the old drive or another device. Option C is correct.

Answer

The SATA cable is faulty.

Answer

The SSD is not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The SSD needs to be formatted before use.

Question 2

A company is adopting a cloud-first strategy and wants to minimize vendor lock-in. They plan to use multiple cloud providers for different workloads. Which cloud deployment model does this describe?

Accepted Answer

Multi-cloud. Multi-cloud specifically refers to using two or more public cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) for different workloads, which directly minimizes vendor lock-in by avoiding dependence on a single provider's proprietary services. The scenario explicitly states the company will use multiple cloud providers, which is the definition of multi-cloud. Hybrid cloud involves a mix of private and public clouds, not necessarily multiple public providers. Public cloud alone means using a single provider's shared infrastructure, which increases lock-in risk. Community cloud is shared by several organizations with common concerns, not multiple public providers.

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Hybrid cloud

Answer

Community cloud

Question 3

You are configuring a dual-monitor setup for a financial analyst. After connecting both monitors, one display shows a distorted, stretched image while the other works perfectly. Both monitors are identical 1920x1080 models. What is the most efficient troubleshooting step?

Accepted Answer

Change the resolution of the distorted monitor to 1920x1080 in Windows Display Settings.. The distorted, stretched image on an identical 1920x1080 monitor is the classic symptom of a resolution mismatch — Windows is driving that display at a non-native resolution (commonly 1280x1024 or 1024x768), which the panel then scales to fit, producing the stretch. Setting the resolution back to the native 1920x1080 in Display Settings restores 1:1 pixel mapping and eliminates the distortion. This is the fastest fix because it addresses the actual cause without hardware swaps or driver reinstalls.

Answer

Swap the video cables between the two monitors.

Answer

Update the graphics driver from the manufacturer's website.

Answer

Replace the monitor with a different model.

Question 4

A user reports that their laser printer is producing pages with vertical black streaks. The streaks appear consistently in the same location on every page. Which printer component is most likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

Drum unit. Vertical black streaks that appear in the same location on every page are typically caused by a scratched or contaminated drum unit. The drum transfers toner to the paper, and any damage or debris on its surface creates a repeating mark at the corresponding position on each page.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Toner cartridge

Answer

Pickup roller

Question 5

A user's Android phone is running slowly and frequently shows 'App not responding' messages. The user has not installed any new apps recently. What should a technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Check for available OS and app updates.. Checking for available OS and app updates is the least invasive and most likely first step when an Android phone runs slowly without new app installations. Outdated system software or apps can cause memory leaks, compatibility issues, and ANR (Application Not Responding) errors. Applying updates often resolves performance degradation without data loss or hardware intervention.

Answer

Perform a factory reset.

Answer

Uninstall all recently used apps.

Answer

Replace the phone's battery.

Question 6

A user reports that their smartphone's mobile hotspot works for a few minutes, then the connected laptop loses internet access, but the smartphone still shows a cellular data connection. The hotspot remains enabled. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The carrier is throttling the hotspot data after a usage threshold.. The scenario describes a hotspot that works initially but then stops providing internet to the laptop while the smartphone still shows cellular data. This is a classic symptom of carrier throttling: many mobile plans have a separate high-speed hotspot data allowance, after which the carrier throttles the hotspot connection to 2G speeds or blocks it entirely. The smartphone itself retains cellular data because the throttling applies only to tethered devices, not the phone's own data usage. Thus, the most likely cause is that the carrier is throttling the hotspot data after a usage threshold.

Answer

The smartphone's battery saver mode is limiting hotspot performance.

Answer

The laptop's Wi-Fi adapter is overheating.

Answer

The smartphone is switching to a different cellular band.

Question 7

A customer complains that their LCD monitor has a persistent faint shadow of the previous image visible on the screen, even after changing applications. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

Image persistence due to static content. Image persistence (also called image retention or 'ghosting') occurs when a static image is displayed for an extended period, causing the liquid crystal molecules in an LCD panel to become temporarily stuck in a particular orientation. This leaves a faint, ghost-like copy of the previous image visible even after the content changes. Unlike burn-in on OLED or plasma, LCD image persistence is usually temporary and can often be resolved by displaying a moving or white image for a while. The other options would cause different symptoms: a failing inverter would cause dimming or flickering, a damaged cable would cause missing colors or artifacts, and incorrect calibration would affect color accuracy, not leave a persistent shadow.

Answer

A failing backlight inverter

Answer

A damaged video cable

Answer

Incorrect color calibration settings

Question 8

A user reports that their external monitor connected via HDMI displays a 'No Signal' message, though the monitor power LED is lit. The laptop's built-in display works fine. Which of the following should be checked FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the HDMI cable is fully seated at both ends. The monitor's power LED being lit but showing 'No Signal' with a working laptop display most commonly indicates a physical connection issue, so verifying the HDMI cable is fully seated at both ends is the fastest, least invasive first step. Loose or partially inserted HDMI connectors frequently cause exactly this symptom.

Answer

Update the graphics driver

Answer

Replace the monitor

Answer

Adjust the screen resolution in Windows settings

Question 9

A company deploys a new VoIP phone system. Users report that calls are choppy and sometimes drop. The network uses a single flat subnet with no QoS. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

There is no Quality of Service (QoS) configured.. VoIP is real-time and delay-sensitive, so without QoS, voice packets compete equally with bulk data and suffer jitter, latency, and packet loss that manifest as choppy audio and dropped calls. QoS marking (DSCP EF for voice) and priority queuing on switches and routers ensure voice traffic is serviced first. On a flat subnet with no QoS, congestion directly degrades call quality.

Answer

The VoIP phones have incorrect DNS settings.

Answer

The switch ports are set to half-duplex.

Answer

The Ethernet cables are Cat5 instead of Cat6.

Question 10

A user's projector displays a very dim image, even with the brightness setting at maximum. The lamp hour counter shows 1500 hours, and the projector is three years old. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The projector lamp is reaching end of life. A projector lamp rated for roughly 1,500–2,000 hours that has reached 1,500 hours of use and is three years old is almost certainly at end of life, which manifests as a dim image even at maximum brightness. Lamp output degrades gradually as the bulb ages, so the symptom matches the lamp hour counter exactly. Replacing the lamp is the standard fix.

Answer

The projector's air filter is clogged

Answer

The video cable is damaged

Answer

The input source is set to low brightness

Question 11

A customer says their external hard drive is not recognized by their laptop. The drive uses a USB-C connector and the laptop has both USB-A and USB-C ports. Which connector type should be used to ensure the fastest possible data transfer?

Accepted Answer

USB-C to USB-C cable. A USB-C to USB-C cable connects the drive directly to the laptop's USB-C port, which supports the highest USB data rates (USB 3.2 Gen 2 at 10 Gbps, or USB4/Thunderbolt at 40 Gbps depending on the port). Using native USB-C on both ends avoids the bandwidth and protocol limitations of adapters and legacy connectors. This is the correct choice for fastest possible transfer.

Answer

USB-A to USB-B cable

Answer

USB-A to USB-C adapter

Answer

Micro-USB to USB-C cable

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a network issue where a user's computer can access local resources but cannot reach the internet. The user's cable is connected to a wall jack that leads to a patch panel in the server room. The technician tests the cable and finds it is wired as a crossover cable. What is the most likely impact?

Accepted Answer

The crossover cable is not the cause of the internet issue.. Modern Ethernet interfaces support Auto-MDI/MDIX, which automatically detects and compensates for straight-through versus crossover wiring. Therefore, a crossover cable between a PC and a wall jack (which connects to a switch) will not prevent internet access; the switch port will auto-configure the transmit and receive pairs. Since the user can already access local resources, the physical link is working, so the crossover cable is not the cause of the internet issue.

Answer

The crossover cable will prevent any network connectivity.

Answer

The crossover cable will cause intermittent connectivity.

Answer

The crossover cable will only work at 100 Mbps.

Question 13

A help desk ticket reports that a user's PC fails to boot and emits a series of long beeps. The system has two 8 GB DDR4 modules installed. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

One of the RAM modules is faulty or not seated properly.. A series of long beeps during POST is a classic motherboard beep code indicating a memory (RAM) error. Since the system has two DDR4 modules, the most likely cause is that one module is faulty or has become unseated from its slot, preventing the POST from completing and halting the boot process.

Answer

The power supply is failing.

Answer

The CPU is overheating.

Answer

The hard drive has failed.

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that emits a high-pitched whining noise under load. The noise is coming from the power supply area. The system is stable and temperatures are normal. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The PSU is experiencing coil whine due to electrical resonance.. Coil whine is a high-pitched noise caused by electromagnetic resonance in the PSU's inductors and transformers when current flows through them under varying load. It is a benign acoustic artifact — the system remains stable, temperatures are normal, and no protective shutdown occurs, which matches the scenario. Fan bearing failure produces a grinding or rumbling noise, not a high-pitched whine, and thermal protection would trigger shutdowns rather than just noise.

Answer

The PSU fan bearing is failing.

Answer

The PSU is overheating and the thermal protection is activating.

Answer

The PSU has a loose internal component rattling.

Question 15

A small office manager wants to upgrade the RAM in several identical workstations from 8 GB to 16 GB. The current modules are DDR3-1600. The company has a box of unused DDR3-1333 modules from an older system. Can they use these modules to upgrade the workstations?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they can add the DDR3-1333 modules, but all RAM will run at 1333 MHz.. DDR3 modules of different speeds are electrically compatible as long as they are the same DDR generation (DDR3) and fit the same slot. When mixed, the memory subsystem runs at the speed of the slowest module — here 1333 MHz — so the workstations will work but at reduced bandwidth. The manager can add the DDR3-1333 modules alongside the existing DDR3-1600 modules.

Answer

No, because the speeds are different and will cause system instability.

Answer

Yes, but only if they replace the existing modules entirely with the DDR3-1333 modules.

Answer

No, because DDR3-1333 is not compatible with DDR3-1600 slots.