220-1201 Practice Exam 3 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their inkjet printer prints blank pages even though the ink cartridges are full and the printer shows no error messages. The technician has already checked the ink levels and performed a nozzle check, which showed no ink on the test pattern. What is the most likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

The printhead has failed and needs to be replaced.. Blank pages despite full cartridges and no errors often indicate a failed printhead that cannot deliver ink to the nozzles. The nozzle check pattern being blank confirms no ink is being ejected. A clogged printhead might show partial patterns, but a completely blank test suggests electrical or mechanical failure of the printhead.

Answer

The printer driver is corrupted and needs reinstallation.

Answer

The paper type setting is set to 'transparency'.

Answer

The ink cartridges are not properly seated.

Question 2

A technician is setting up a virtualized test environment where each virtual machine must have a unique MAC address and IP address, and the VMs must be able to communicate with each other and the physical network. The host has only one physical NIC. Which virtual switch configuration should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Bridged (external) virtual switch. A bridged (or external) virtual switch connects VMs to the physical network through the host's NIC, giving each VM its own MAC and IP address on the same subnet. This allows full communication with other VMs and physical devices.

Answer

Internal virtual switch

Answer

Private virtual switch

Answer

NAT virtual switch

Question 3

A technician is replacing a cracked screen on a smartphone. After removing the old screen, they notice a small, flat, rectangular component with a metal shield is loose near the battery connector. What should they do?

Accepted Answer

Reattach it using double-sided adhesive tape.. The loose component is a battery connector bracket or grounding clip, which is typically secured with adhesive to prevent the battery connector from dislodging. Reattaching it with double-sided adhesive tape restores mechanical stability without soldering, as these parts are not soldered to the motherboard. This ensures reliable power delivery and prevents intermittent shutdowns or charging issues.

Answer

Discard it as it is not needed for the screen replacement.

Answer

Solder it back onto the motherboard.

Answer

Leave it loose; it will not affect screen operation.

Question 4

During a conference call, a user complains that their wireless earbuds keep disconnecting from their smartphone every few minutes. The earbuds work fine when paired with a different phone. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Bluetooth interference from other devices in the conference room.. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, which is shared with Wi-Fi, cordless phones, and other wireless devices. In a conference room with many active devices, RF interference can cause packet loss or retransmission delays, leading the Bluetooth Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) mechanism to fail to avoid all congested channels, resulting in periodic disconnections. The fact that the earbuds work fine with a different phone isolates the issue to the smartphone's environment rather than the earbuds themselves.

Answer

The earbuds have a low battery.

Answer

The smartphone's Bluetooth driver is outdated.

Answer

The earbuds are not compatible with the smartphone's Bluetooth version.

Question 5

A technician is setting up a mobile point-of-sale system using a tablet and a portable receipt printer. The printer supports both Bluetooth and NFC. Which connection method should the technician use for reliable, low-latency printing?

Accepted Answer

Bluetooth. Bluetooth is the correct choice because it provides a reliable, low-latency wireless connection specifically designed for peripheral devices like printers. Unlike NFC, which is optimized for very short-range (under 4 cm) tap-to-pair operations and not sustained data streaming, Bluetooth maintains a stable link over distances up to 10 meters and supports the Serial Port Profile (SPP) or Bluetooth Basic Rate/Enhanced Data Rate (BR/EDR) for consistent print job throughput.

Answer

NFC

Answer

Infrared

Answer

Wi-Fi Direct

Question 6

A technician is configuring a dual-monitor setup for a stock trader. One monitor is a 24-inch 1080p display, and the other is a 27-inch 4K display. The user wants the mouse to move seamlessly between them. What setting must the technician configure in the OS display settings?

Accepted Answer

Arrange the displays in the OS to match their physical positions.. The OS display arrangement settings (e.g., in Windows Display Settings or macOS Displays) allow the technician to drag and position the virtual representations of the monitors to match their physical placement. This ensures that the cursor moves seamlessly across the bezel edge from one screen to the other, preventing it from getting 'stuck' at an invisible boundary. Without this alignment, the mouse may jump to an unexpected location or fail to cross between displays smoothly.

Answer

Set both monitors to the same resolution.

Answer

Adjust the scaling settings on the 4K monitor.

Answer

Set the 4K monitor as the primary display.

Question 7

A user wants to use a wired headset with their tablet for voice calls, but the tablet only has a single USB-C port and no 3.5mm jack. The headset has a 3.5mm plug. Which accessory should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

A USB-C to 3.5mm adapter.. A USB-C to 3.5mm adapter converts the digital audio signal from the USB-C port into an analog signal that the wired headset can use. This adapter typically includes a built-in DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) to handle the conversion, enabling voice calls through the tablet's USB-C port without requiring additional power or Bluetooth pairing.

Answer

A USB-C hub with multiple ports.

Answer

A Bluetooth audio adapter for the headset.

Answer

A 3.5mm Y-splitter cable.

Question 8

A technician is configuring a smartphone for a user who frequently travels internationally. The user wants to avoid high roaming charges but still use data when connected to local Wi-Fi. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Disable cellular data in the mobile network settings.. Disabling cellular data in the mobile network settings prevents the device from using the carrier's mobile data network, thereby avoiding roaming charges. The user can still connect to local Wi-Fi networks for data access, as Wi-Fi operates independently of the cellular data radio. This approach ensures that no data is transmitted over the cellular network while traveling internationally.

Answer

Enable airplane mode and then turn on Wi-Fi.

Answer

Enable data roaming.

Answer

Set the device to 2G only.

Question 9

A technician is setting up internet for a remote cabin that is 5 miles from the nearest road. No wired infrastructure exists. Which connection type is most practical for reliable, moderate-speed internet?

Accepted Answer

Satellite. Satellite internet is the only viable option for a remote cabin 5 miles from the nearest road with no wired infrastructure. It uses a geostationary satellite to provide coverage anywhere with a clear line of sight to the sky, offering moderate speeds (typically 25–100 Mbps) without requiring terrestrial cabling. DSL, cable, and fiber all depend on physical infrastructure (copper phone lines, coaxial cable, or fiber optic cables) that cannot reach such a remote location.

Answer

DSL

Answer

Cable

Answer

Fiber optic

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting an iPhone that cannot install or update any apps from the App Store. The device is connected to Wi-Fi, and other internet services (Safari, email) work. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the Apple ID is signed in and has no payment issues.. The most common cause for an iPhone being unable to install or update apps while other internet services work is an issue with the Apple ID, such as a payment method that has expired or a billing problem. The App Store requires a valid payment method on file even for free apps, and the device will block downloads until the account is resolved. Since Safari and email function normally, the network connectivity is fine, narrowing the issue to account authentication or authorization.

Answer

Check if the date and time are set correctly on the iPhone.

Answer

Reset the iPhone's network settings.

Answer

Check if the iPhone is in Low Power Mode.

Question 11

A customer reports that their internet connection drops frequently during rainstorms. They have a cable modem and a wireless router. What is the most likely cause of the intermittent connection?

Accepted Answer

The cable modem's coaxial cable connection is compromised by moisture.. Cable internet relies on a coaxial cable connection from the street to the modem. During rainstorms, moisture can seep into damaged or poorly sealed coaxial connectors or cable sheathing, causing signal attenuation or intermittent shorting that drops the connection. This is a classic symptom of RF signal degradation due to water ingress, which directly affects the physical layer (Layer 1) of the cable modem's link.

Answer

The wireless router is overheating.

Answer

The DSL filter is malfunctioning.

Answer

The satellite dish is out of alignment.

Question 12

A technician is tasked with upgrading the RAM in an all-in-one (AIO) desktop. The AIO has a sealed back cover with several screws. After removing the screws, the cover still does not come off. What should the technician do next?

Accepted Answer

Use a plastic spudger to gently pry the cover along the seam to release clips.. All-in-one (AIO) desktops often use plastic clips along the seam in addition to screws to secure the back cover. After removing all visible screws, a plastic spudger is the proper tool to gently release these clips without damaging the casing or internal components. Forceful prying with metal tools or applying heat can crack the plastic or damage the display panel.

Answer

Use a flathead screwdriver to pry the cover off forcefully.

Answer

Check if there are hidden screws under rubber feet or stickers.

Answer

Apply heat to the back cover to soften any adhesive.

Question 13

A technician is configuring a router with two interfaces: WAN (DHCP from ISP) and LAN (static IP 10.0.0.1/24). The technician sets the LAN subnet mask to 255.255.255.0. A workstation is assigned IP 10.0.0.100/24 and can ping the router, but cannot access the internet. The router's WAN interface has IP 203.0.113.5/30. What is the most likely missing configuration?

Accepted Answer

The router lacks a default route pointing to the ISP's gateway.. The workstation can ping the router's LAN interface (10.0.0.1), confirming Layer 2 and basic IP connectivity on the LAN. However, for the workstation to reach the internet, the router must have a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to the ISP's next-hop gateway (likely 203.0.113.6, the other end of the /30 WAN link). Without this route, the router does not know where to forward packets destined for external networks, even though the WAN interface has a valid IP from DHCP.

Answer

The workstation's default gateway is set to 10.0.0.1.

Answer

The WAN subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0.

Answer

The LAN subnet mask should be 255.255.0.0.

Question 14

A user's smartphone can connect to a corporate Wi-Fi network but cannot access any internet sites. Other devices on the same network work fine. The smartphone shows it is connected with full signal. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The smartphone's DNS settings are misconfigured or pointing to a non-functional server.. The smartphone can connect to the Wi-Fi network (Layer 2 connectivity is fine) and other devices work, so the issue is specific to this device's higher-layer configuration. DNS resolution is required to translate domain names to IP addresses; if the smartphone's DNS settings point to a non-functional or incorrect server, it will fail to resolve any hostname, preventing internet access even though the network connection itself is active. This matches the symptom of being connected with full signal but unable to browse.

Answer

The corporate network is blocking the smartphone's MAC address.

Answer

The smartphone's Wi-Fi adapter is faulty.

Answer

The corporate proxy server is down.

Question 15

A user complains that their wireless Bluetooth earbuds frequently disconnect during calls when their smartphone is in their pocket. The earbuds work fine when the phone is on a desk. Which accessory or configuration change is most likely to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

A Bluetooth neckband style headset. The issue is that the smartphone's Bluetooth antenna is being physically blocked or attenuated by the user's body (specifically the leg/torso) when the phone is in a pocket. A Bluetooth neckband-style headset places the Bluetooth receiver and antenna around the user's neck, which is typically above the pocket and has a clearer line-of-sight to the phone, significantly reducing signal obstruction and multipath interference. This configuration change directly addresses the physical signal path problem without requiring any software or network changes.

Answer

A Bluetooth signal booster app

Answer

A metal phone case

Answer

A Wi-Fi analyzer to change router channels

Question 16

A technician is troubleshooting a smartphone that can send and receive text messages but cannot make or receive phone calls. The device shows full signal bars. Which network setting is most likely misconfigured?

Accepted Answer

The device's preferred network type is set to 'LTE only' and VoLTE is disabled.. When a smartphone shows full signal bars but cannot make or receive voice calls while SMS works, the most likely cause is that the device is set to 'LTE only' as its preferred network type and VoLTE (Voice over LTE) is disabled. SMS can be carried over LTE via IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) or fallback to circuit-switched networks, but voice calls require either VoLTE or a circuit-switched fallback (CSFB) to 2G/3G. With 'LTE only' selected and VoLTE off, the device cannot initiate or accept voice calls because it lacks a circuit-switched connection and has no fallback path.

Answer

The device's data roaming is turned off.

Answer

The device's Bluetooth is enabled.

Answer

The device's airplane mode is turned on.

Question 17

A company's file server uses a RAID 5 array with five 4 TB hard drives. One drive fails and is replaced. During the rebuild, the server crashes and the RAID controller reports that the array is 'Failed'. What is the most likely reason for this catastrophic failure?

Accepted Answer

A second drive failed during the rebuild process.. In RAID 5, a single drive failure is survivable, but during rebuild, the remaining drives are under heavy read stress. If another drive fails or has an unrecoverable read error, the array fails. This is known as a 'double fault' during rebuild, a common risk with large-capacity drives.

Answer

The new drive was not properly formatted before installation.

Answer

The RAID controller cache battery is dead.

Answer

The rebuild was attempted while the server was under heavy load.

Question 18

A technician is troubleshooting a home network where the 5 GHz band works fine, but the 2.4 GHz band is extremely slow and drops connections. The router is placed near a cordless phone base station. Which type of interference is most likely occurring?

Accepted Answer

RF interference from the cordless phone base. The 2.4 GHz band is shared by many consumer devices, including cordless phones that operate in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. The proximity of the router to the cordless phone base station causes RF interference, which degrades the 2.4 GHz signal, leading to slow speeds and dropped connections, while the 5 GHz band remains unaffected because it operates on a different frequency range.

Answer

Bluetooth interference

Answer

Microwave oven interference

Answer

Co-channel interference from a neighboring Wi-Fi network

Question 19

A technician is configuring a tablet for field workers who need to transfer large files to a central server. The tablet has a USB-C port. Which connection method provides the fastest data transfer speed?

Accepted Answer

USB 3.1 Gen 2 over USB-C. USB 3.1 Gen 2 over USB-C supports a maximum signaling rate of 10 Gbps, which is significantly faster than any wireless or NFC option. For transferring large files to a central server, this wired connection provides the highest throughput and lowest latency, making it the optimal choice for the scenario.

Answer

Bluetooth 5.0

Answer

Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)

Answer

NFC

Question 20

A technician is installing a new SSD into a customer's laptop. After removing the bottom cover, they see the existing hard drive is held in place by a metal bracket and a single screw. What is the correct next step?

Accepted Answer

Remove the screw and bracket, then gently lift the drive out of the SATA connector.. The correct next step is to remove the screw and bracket, then gently lift the drive out of the SATA connector. This is because the metal bracket secures the drive in place, and the SATA connector is a fragile, keyed interface that requires a straight, gentle pull to avoid damaging the pins or the drive's edge connector. Forcing the drive or prying it can bend pins or crack the connector.

Answer

Pull the drive straight out with force to disconnect it.

Answer

Use a plastic spudger to pry the drive from the connector.

Answer

Remove the battery first to avoid electrical shock.