220-1201 Practice Test 20 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a display that shows vertical lines across the entire screen. The lines persist when a different video cable is used, and the monitor works fine when connected to another computer. What is the most likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

The graphics card driver is corrupted.. Vertical lines that persist with different cables but disappear on another computer indicate a problem with the graphics card or its driver on the original computer. The monitor is proven good, so the issue is with the video source.

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The monitor's panel is defective.

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The video cable is damaged.

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The monitor's refresh rate is set incorrectly.

Question 2

A user complains that their LCD monitor has a persistent dark spot in the center of the screen that does not change with different images. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

There is a stuck pixel.. This scenario describes a stuck or dead pixel, a common LCD defect. A dark spot that remains constant indicates a pixel that is not receiving power or is stuck in the off state. This is a hardware defect, not a software or connection issue.

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The monitor's backlight is failing.

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The graphics card is overheating.

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The video cable is loose.

Question 3

During a hardware installation, you connect a new 4K monitor to a desktop PC using DisplayPort, but the display is stuck at 1080p resolution. The graphics card supports 4K. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DisplayPort cable is not rated for 4K.. This question tests knowledge of display cable capabilities. DisplayPort cables come in different versions, and older cables may not support 4K at higher refresh rates. The most likely cause is using a DisplayPort cable that does not meet the required bandwidth for 4K.

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The graphics card driver is outdated.

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The monitor's refresh rate is set too high.

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The monitor's input is set to HDMI.

Question 4

A user reports that their laptop's built-in display shows a dim image that is barely visible even at maximum brightness. An external monitor works perfectly. The laptop uses an LED-backlit screen. What component is most likely failing?

Accepted Answer

The backlight LED driver is failing.. A dim display on a laptop with a working external monitor points to a backlight issue. In LED-backlit screens, the backlight is driven by an LED driver circuit on the display or motherboard. A failing backlight or its driver causes dimness while the LCD panel itself may still function.

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The LCD panel is defective.

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The inverter board is failing.

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The graphics card is outputting a low signal.

Question 5

During a hardware upgrade, you install a new high-end graphics card and connect a 144Hz gaming monitor via DisplayPort. The monitor is set to 144Hz in Windows, but the screen occasionally goes black for a few seconds during gameplay. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The monitor's refresh rate is set too high for the cable.. Intermittent black screens at high refresh rates often indicate that the DisplayPort cable does not meet the required bandwidth for 144Hz at the monitor's resolution. This can also be caused by power supply issues or driver problems, but cable bandwidth is a common culprit.

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The graphics card is overheating.

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The power supply unit is insufficient.

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The monitor's firmware is outdated.

Question 6

A user reports that their laptop screen suddenly went black, but the laptop is still powered on (fans running, power light on). Connecting an external monitor shows the desktop correctly. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's LCD inverter or backlight has failed.. The external display working normally indicates the GPU and OS are functional. The black built-in display points to a failure in the LCD panel, backlight, or the display cable (e.g., LVDS/eDP ribbon cable) connecting the motherboard to the screen. A loose or damaged internal cable is a common cause, especially in laptops that have been moved frequently.

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The graphics driver has crashed and needs to be reinstalled.

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The Windows display settings are set to 'Show only on external display'.

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The laptop's RAM is faulty and causing video output issues.

Question 7

A user has a 27-inch 1440p monitor connected via DisplayPort. They report that text appears slightly blurry and images look less sharp than expected. The monitor's native resolution is set correctly in Windows. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Enable and recalibrate ClearType in Windows.. Blurry text at the correct native resolution often means ClearType (Windows font smoothing) is disabled or misconfigured. ClearType improves text clarity on LCD monitors by sub-pixel rendering. Enabling or recalibrating ClearType in Control Panel typically resolves the issue.

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Replace the DisplayPort cable with an HDMI cable.

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Adjust the monitor's sharpness setting from the on-screen display (OSD) menu.

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Set the monitor to a lower resolution to see if text improves.

Question 8

A technician is setting up a new 32-inch 4K monitor for a graphic designer. After connecting it via HDMI, the display shows a 'Signal Out of Range' error. The PC has an integrated Intel GPU. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The monitor's native resolution is set too high for the GPU's capabilities.. 'Signal Out of Range' means the monitor cannot display the resolution or refresh rate being sent by the GPU. Many integrated Intel GPUs have a maximum resolution of 4096x2160 at 30Hz over HDMI, but if the PC is set to 60Hz, the monitor may reject it. Booting into Safe Mode or using a lower resolution to adjust settings is the standard fix.

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The HDMI cable is defective.

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The monitor's firmware is outdated.

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The PC's BIOS has disabled the HDMI port.

Question 9

A user reports that their iPhone 12 will not turn on after being left in a hot car for several hours. The device feels warm, and pressing the power button does nothing. What is the most likely cause of the device not powering on?

Accepted Answer

The device entered a thermal shutdown state to protect internal components. Excessive heat can trigger thermal protection circuits in modern smartphones, causing them to shut down and refuse to power on until they cool down. This is a safety feature to prevent battery or component damage. The correct answer identifies thermal shutdown as the cause.

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The battery has expanded due to heat and disconnected from the logic board

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The device's logic board has been permanently damaged by heat

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The power button is stuck due to heat expansion

Question 10

A customer brings in a laptop that will not charge. The technician checks the AC adapter with a multimeter and gets 19V output. When the adapter is plugged into the laptop, the charging LED does not illuminate. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Test the DC jack for continuity. Since the AC adapter is outputting correct voltage, the issue is likely in the power delivery path. The DC jack is a common failure point due to mechanical stress or broken solder joints. Testing continuity at the jack is a logical next step.

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Replace the laptop's battery

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Update the laptop's BIOS

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Replace the AC adapter with a universal one

Question 11

A user reports that their Android smartphone's touchscreen is unresponsive after they dropped it in a puddle. The device powers on, but the display shows distorted colors and the touch input does not register at all. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The digitizer and LCD have been damaged by liquid ingress. Water damage can cause short circuits and corrosion on the display digitizer and LCD panel, leading to both touch unresponsiveness and visual distortion. Powering on a wet device often worsens the damage. The correct answer focuses on the digitizer and LCD failure due to liquid ingress.

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The device's battery is swollen and pressing against the display

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The device's operating system has corrupted due to water exposure

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The screen protector is trapping moisture and blocking touch input

Question 12

A user complains that their laptop's built-in webcam is not working in video conferencing apps. The device manager shows the camera as 'disabled'. The technician enables it, but the camera still shows a black screen in apps. What should the technician do next?

Accepted Answer

Check for a physical privacy shutter on the webcam and verify Windows camera privacy settings. Even if the camera is enabled in Device Manager, the privacy shutter or a privacy setting in the OS (like Windows Camera privacy settings) can block the camera. Checking the physical shutter and OS privacy settings is the logical next step.

Answer

Uninstall and reinstall the camera driver

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Replace the webcam module

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Update the laptop's BIOS

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that has a blank screen after the user closed the lid and then reopened it. The laptop's power LED is on, and the fan is spinning. Pressing keys does not wake the display. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Perform a hard reset by holding the power button for 10-15 seconds. This scenario describes a classic 'lid sensor' or 'display not waking' issue. The laptop is on (power LED, fan), but the display is blank. The first step should be to perform a hard reset by holding the power button to force a shutdown, then power on again. This can clear a hung state.

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Replace the LCD panel

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Reseat the RAM modules

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Check the laptop's lid sensor for damage

Question 14

A user complains that their laptop's touchpad cursor jumps erratically while typing. They have cleaned the touchpad surface, but the issue persists. Which configuration change should you try first?

Accepted Answer

Enable the 'Ignore accidental touches' or 'PalmCheck' feature in the touchpad settings.. Erratic cursor movement while typing is a classic sign of palm rejection not working correctly. The most common fix is to enable the 'disable touchpad while typing' feature in the touchpad settings. This prevents accidental input from the user's palms during typing.

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Increase the touchpad sensitivity in the operating system settings.

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Update the touchpad driver from the manufacturer's website.

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Disable the touchpad entirely and use an external mouse.

Question 15

A user reports that their laptop's battery life has dropped significantly over the past month. The battery now lasts only 30 minutes on a full charge. The technician runs a battery report and finds that the design capacity is 50,000 mWh, but the full charge capacity is only 12,000 mWh. What is the most likely conclusion?

Accepted Answer

The battery has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced.. The battery report shows a severe reduction in full charge capacity compared to design capacity. This indicates the battery has degraded significantly, likely due to age, heat, or charging cycles. A battery with a full charge capacity below 80% of design capacity is considered worn out and should be replaced. There is no software fix for this hardware degradation.

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The battery calibration is off and needs to be recalibrated by fully discharging and recharging.

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A background process is consuming excessive power, draining the battery quickly.

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The laptop's power adapter is not providing enough voltage to charge the battery fully.