220-1201 Practice Test 42 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user complains that their computer is running slowly, especially when opening multiple browser tabs. Task Manager shows the CPU is at 100% usage constantly, even when idle. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

Background malware or a driver issue. Constant 100% CPU usage even at idle is a classic indicator of a background process consuming CPU — most commonly malware (cryptominers, botnet agents) or a misbehaving/faulty driver. Malware like cryptojackers is specifically designed to peg CPU continuously, and a corrupted or outdated driver can cause runaway kernel or DPC activity. This matches the symptom far better than the other options.

Answer

Insufficient RAM

Answer

CPU thermal throttling

Answer

Failing hard drive

Question 2

A user complains that their laptop's Wi-Fi connection is extremely slow and keeps dropping, but other devices on the same network work fine. The laptop is an older model running Windows 10. Which of the following should the technician try first?

Accepted Answer

Update the Wi-Fi driver. The first step in troubleshooting a slow Wi-Fi connection on an older laptop running Windows 10 is to update the Wi-Fi driver. Driver issues are a common cause of performance and connectivity problems, and updating is non-invasive and quick. Other devices work fine, so the router and network are likely not the issue.

Answer

Replace the laptop's Wi-Fi card

Answer

Disable the firewall

Answer

Reset the router

Question 3

A company is migrating its on-premises database to a cloud PaaS solution. The database currently contains sensitive customer information. Which of the following is the most important security consideration for the migration?

Accepted Answer

Configuring encryption for data at rest and in transit. Configuring encryption for data at rest and in transit is the most important security consideration because the database contains sensitive customer information, and encryption protects confidentiality both while stored in the PaaS provider's storage and while moving over the network during migration. It directly addresses the risk of data exposure at the two points where the data is most vulnerable.

Answer

Ensuring the PaaS provider has physical security at their data center

Answer

Setting up a VPN between the on-premises network and the cloud

Answer

Verifying that the provider uses a specific hypervisor

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a user's computer that cannot access a web server at 10.10.10.50. The user's IP is 10.10.20.15 with subnet mask 255.255.0.0. The technician can ping 10.10.10.50 from the user's computer. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

The web server's firewall settings.. Since the technician can successfully ping the web server (10.10.10.50) from the user's computer, Layer 3 connectivity is verified. This rules out issues with the user's IP configuration, subnet mask, and default gateway. The problem is therefore specific to the web server's firewall blocking HTTP/HTTPS traffic (port 80/443) while allowing ICMP (ping). Checking the web server's firewall settings is the logical next step.

Answer

The default gateway setting on the user's computer.

Answer

The user's IP address for a conflict.

Answer

The subnet mask on the user's computer.

Question 5

A user complains that their PC is running slowly, especially when opening multiple browser tabs. The system has 4 GB of RAM installed, and the OS is Windows 10 64-bit. Task Manager shows memory usage consistently at 90-95%. Which upgrade would provide the most immediate performance improvement?

Accepted Answer

Add an additional 4 GB of RAM to bring the total to 8 GB.. With only 4 GB of RAM and memory usage consistently at 90–95%, the system is under memory pressure, causing excessive paging to disk and slowing down multitasking (especially multiple browser tabs). Adding another 4 GB to reach 8 GB directly addresses the bottleneck by giving the OS and applications more physical memory, reducing paging and improving responsiveness immediately.

Answer

Upgrade the CPU to a faster model.

Answer

Replace the hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD).

Answer

Disable the page file to force the system to use only RAM.

Question 6

A large corporation needs to connect its headquarters in New York to a regional office in Los Angeles, as well as to a data center in Chicago, using dedicated leased lines. The network must support high bandwidth for video conferencing and data transfers. Which network topology best describes this setup?

Accepted Answer

Wide Area Network (WAN). A Wide Area Network (WAN) is the correct topology because it connects geographically dispersed locations—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago—over a large geographical area using dedicated leased lines (e.g., T1/E1, T3, or MPLS circuits). WANs are specifically designed to provide high-bandwidth, reliable connectivity for applications like video conferencing and data transfers across cities or countries, which matches the requirement for dedicated leased lines spanning multiple states.

Answer

Local Area Network (LAN)

Answer

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

Answer

Personal Area Network (PAN)

Question 7

A user reports that their smartphone's battery drains very quickly, even when the phone is idle. The phone is less than a year old. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

An app is running in the background and consuming power. When a smartphone battery drains quickly even when idle, the most likely cause is a background app consuming power. Many apps continue running processes, syncing data, or using location services even when the screen is off. This is a common issue that can be diagnosed by checking battery usage statistics. A defective battery is less likely in a phone less than a year old, and high screen brightness only affects battery when the screen is on. Viruses are rare on smartphones and typically cause other symptoms.

Answer

The battery is defective and needs replacement

Answer

The screen brightness is set too high

Answer

The phone is infected with a virus

Question 8

A user reports that they cannot access a cloud-based CRM application from their office, but they can access it from home. The technician checks the office firewall and finds that outbound HTTPS traffic is allowed. What should the technician investigate next?

Accepted Answer

DNS resolution for the CRM's domain. If the user can access the CRM from home but not from the office, and outbound HTTPS is allowed, the next logical step is to verify DNS resolution for the CRM's domain from the office network. A common cause is that the office DNS server returns an incorrect or internal-only IP for the CRM domain, or the domain is split-horizon and the internal DNS record points to an unreachable host. Checking DNS resolution directly tests whether the office network can resolve the CRM's hostname to the correct public IP.

Answer

The user's browser cache

Answer

The cloud provider's service status

Answer

The user's account permissions

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a VM that cannot connect to the internet. The host has a single NIC and uses a Type 2 hypervisor. The VM's virtual switch is set to 'NAT'. Other VMs on the same host can access the internet. What is the most likely reason for the connectivity issue?

Accepted Answer

The VM's IP address is configured as static and does not match the NAT subnet. With a NAT-configured virtual switch, the VM must obtain an IP address from the hypervisor's NAT DHCP scope (e.g., VMware's VMnet8 subnet). If the VM has a static IP outside that subnet, it cannot route through the NAT gateway to the internet, even though other VMs using DHCP work fine. The symptom — one VM failing while peers succeed — points to a per-VM IP misconfiguration rather than a host-wide issue.

Answer

The virtual switch is set to 'Internal'

Answer

The host's firewall is blocking all outbound traffic

Answer

The hypervisor needs to be reinstalled

Question 10

A technician is setting up a new multifunction printer for a department. The device supports duplex printing, but the driver installation wizard does not show the duplex option. Users need to print on both sides of the paper. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Check if the duplex unit is installed and properly connected.. The most likely reason the duplex option is missing from the driver installation wizard is that the duplex unit is not installed or not properly connected. Duplex printing requires a physical duplex unit in many printers, and if it is missing or not detected, the driver will not present the option. Checking the hardware first is the logical initial step before software troubleshooting.

Answer

Update the printer firmware to the latest version.

Answer

Reinstall the printer driver using the manufacturer's full driver package.

Answer

Configure the duplex setting in the printer's web interface.

Question 11

A customer reports that their desktop computer intermittently freezes and emits a high-pitched whine. The issue occurs more frequently under heavy load, such as when rendering video. Which CPU-related feature is most likely causing this symptom?

Accepted Answer

Coil whine from the voltage regulator modules. The high-pitched whine from a computer under heavy load is typically coil whine, caused by electrical vibrations in the voltage regulator modules (VRMs) or inductors as they work harder to deliver power. While coil whine can sometimes be an annoying but harmless artifact, when accompanied by system freezes, it indicates that the VRMs are struggling to provide stable power under heavy load, leading to instability and crashes. This points to an issue with the power delivery system, which is critical for CPU operation.

Answer

CPU throttling due to overheating

Answer

A failing CPU fan bearing

Answer

Incorrect CPU multiplier setting in BIOS

Question 12

A technician is installing a new server in a data center and needs to connect it to a 10GbE switch. The server has an SFP+ port, and the switch also has SFP+ ports. The technician has a selection of cables: Cat6a, Cat7, multimode fiber with LC connectors, and single-mode fiber with SC connectors. Which cable should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Multimode fiber patch cable with LC connectors.. SFP+ ports are designed for 10GbE over fiber or direct-attach copper, and multimode fiber with LC connectors is the standard media for short-to-medium reach 10GbE SFP+ links within a data center. Multimode OM3/OM4 fiber supports 10GBASE-SR distances up to 300–400m, which fits typical data center runs. LC is the correct connector type for SFP+ transceivers, making option C the matching choice.

Answer

Cat6a cable with RJ45 connectors.

Answer

Cat7 cable with RJ45 connectors.

Answer

Single-mode fiber patch cable with SC connectors.

Question 13

A user is trying to connect their smartphone to a car's infotainment system using Bluetooth for hands-free calling. The phone pairs successfully, but audio only plays through the phone's speaker, not the car's speakers. Which of the following is the most likely reason for this issue?

Accepted Answer

The phone's audio output is set to 'Speaker' in the call app.. Even if a smartphone is successfully paired and connected to a car's infotainment system via Bluetooth (including the Hands-Free Profile for calls), the phone's audio output for calls might still be directed to its internal speaker. This often requires a manual selection within the phone's call interface or settings to route the audio to the connected Bluetooth device. Option D directly addresses this common user configuration issue, which is a more likely cause than a profile mismatch if the primary concern is call audio not routing to the car.

Answer

The car's Bluetooth system does not support the phone's Bluetooth version.

Answer

The phone is only connected for phone calls (HFP) and not for media audio (A2DP).

Answer

The car's speakers are defective.

Question 14

A technician is upgrading a client's laptop from 8 GB to 16 GB of RAM. After installing the new module, the laptop powers on but the screen remains black, and the system emits a series of short beeps. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The RAM module is not fully seated in the slot.. A series of short beeps on power-on is a classic POST (Power-On Self-Test) beep code indicating a memory error. Since the laptop was just upgraded, the most likely cause is that the new RAM module is not fully seated in its slot, preventing proper electrical contact. Reseating the module typically resolves the issue.

Answer

The new RAM module is incompatible with the laptop's chipset.

Answer

The laptop's battery is dead.

Answer

The RAM is installed in the wrong orientation.

Question 15

A technician is building a new workstation for a video editor who needs to run memory-intensive applications. The motherboard supports DDR4 RAM and has four DIMM slots. The editor wants 32 GB of RAM. Which configuration should the technician choose for optimal performance?

Accepted Answer

Two 16 GB sticks of RAM.. Two 16 GB sticks of RAM will operate in dual-channel mode, which doubles the memory bandwidth compared to single-channel. This provides optimal performance for memory-intensive applications like video editing. It also leaves two DIMM slots free for future upgrades.

Answer

One 32 GB stick of RAM.

Answer

Four 8 GB sticks of RAM.

Answer

One 16 GB stick and two 8 GB sticks.