220-1201 Practice Test 42 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A customer complains that their laptop battery no longer holds a charge and the laptop only works when plugged in. The technician confirms the battery is removable. What is the most appropriate first step in servicing this issue?

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

Accepted Answer

Power off the laptop and remove the battery.. The correct first step is to power off the laptop and remove the battery. This ensures safety and prevents electrical shorts or damage during replacement. After removal, the technician can install a new battery.

Answer

Update the battery driver in Device Manager.

Answer

Run a battery calibration utility from the manufacturer.

Answer

Replace the AC adapter to see if the charging circuit is faulty.

Question 2

A company's IT department is deploying new VoIP phones. After connecting a phone to a PoE switch, the phone does not power on. The switch port is configured for PoE and shows no errors. Which tool should be used to verify that the Ethernet cable delivers power correctly?

Accepted Answer

Multimeter. A multimeter is the correct tool because it can measure DC voltage directly on the Ethernet cable's power-carrying pairs (typically pins 4,5 and 7,8 for Mode A or pins 1,2 and 3,6 for Mode B in 802.3af/at PoE). By probing the switch-side pins while the phone is connected, you can verify whether the switch is actually delivering the expected 48V DC, isolating a cable or power issue. This is the only tool among the options that can confirm the presence of voltage.

Answer

Cable tester

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Tone generator

Answer

Wi-Fi analyzer

Question 3

A company uses a custom Android app that stores data locally. After a recent OS update, the app fails to write data to the internal storage, but it can read existing data. The app has all necessary permissions. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The OS update introduced scoped storage restrictions that the app does not support.. This question tests advanced knowledge of Android storage changes. Starting with Android 11, scoped storage restrictions limit how apps access shared storage. Even with permissions, apps may need to use specific APIs (like MediaStore or SAF) to write files. The app likely needs an update to comply with the new storage model.

Answer

The internal storage is full and cannot accept new data.

Answer

The app's cache needs to be cleared to free up space.

Answer

The device's SD card has been removed.

Question 4

A user connects a USB-C docking station to their laptop and finds that the external monitor works, but the Ethernet port on the dock does not provide network connectivity. The laptop's built-in Wi-Fi works fine. Which is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The docking station's Ethernet driver is not installed. USB-C docking stations often require specific drivers for their integrated Ethernet adapters to function. Since the external monitor works, the USB-C connection itself is functional, isolating the issue to the Ethernet component. The missing driver prevents the OS from recognizing the network interface, even though the dock's other features operate normally.

Answer

The Ethernet cable is faulty

Answer

The USB-C port on the laptop is damaged

Answer

The laptop's Wi-Fi is interfering with Ethernet

Question 5

A small office has a single internet connection and needs to provide wired network access to 20 computers. They also need to allow guests to connect wirelessly but keep the guest traffic separate from the internal network. Which single device can handle both wired switching and wireless access with VLAN support?

Accepted Answer

Wireless router. A wireless router (often a small business or SOHO router) integrates a switch, a router, and a wireless access point into one device. It can provide wired switching for the 20 computers and wireless access for guests, and with VLAN support, it can isolate guest traffic from the internal network using 802.1Q tagging or built-in guest network features. This makes it the single device that meets all the requirements.

Answer

Managed switch

Answer

Wireless access point

Answer

Hub

Question 6

A technician is installing a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop motherboard that has two M.2 slots. After installation, the system boots but the new drive is not detected in the BIOS. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

Check if the M.2 slot supports NVMe or only SATA.. This question tests knowledge of M.2 slot configurations. Some M.2 slots share bandwidth with SATA ports or PCIe lanes, and the motherboard manual specifies which slot supports NVMe.

Answer

Update the SSD firmware.

Answer

Replace the SSD with a different brand.

Answer

Disable Secure Boot in the BIOS.

Question 7

A technician is configuring a company-issued tablet for a sales representative who frequently works from a car. The tablet needs internet access for CRM software and GPS navigation. Which mobile network connectivity option is most appropriate for this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Use a tablet with an integrated cellular modem and a company data plan.. A tablet with an integrated cellular modem and a company data plan provides dedicated, always-on mobile broadband connectivity independent of external devices or Wi-Fi hotspots. This ensures reliable internet access for CRM and GPS navigation even while the sales representative is driving between locations, without draining a smartphone battery or depending on inconsistent public Wi-Fi.

Answer

Connect the tablet to a personal hotspot from the sales rep's smartphone.

Answer

Install a Wi-Fi extender in the car to boost nearby public Wi-Fi signals.

Answer

Rely on Bluetooth tethering to a laptop for internet access.

Question 8

A user complains that their PC emits a high-pitched whining noise when under load, and the noise stops when the system is idle. The noise is not coming from the case fans or CPU cooler. What component is most likely failing?

Accepted Answer

The power supply's coils are vibrating due to electrical load. Coil whine from the power supply's inductors or transformers is common under load and can be audible. It is not typically a sign of immediate failure but can indicate a low-quality PSU. Fans and coolers produce different sounds.

Answer

The power supply's internal fan bearing

Answer

The GPU fan is hitting a wire

Answer

The hard drive is failing mechanically

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a DSL connection that syncs at only 1.5 Mbps when the plan is 10 Mbps. The line is 12,000 feet from the central office. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The distance from the central office is too great.. DSL speeds degrade significantly with distance due to signal attenuation and noise. At 12,000 feet from the central office, ADSL2+ typically cannot sustain 10 Mbps; 1.5 Mbps is consistent with the maximum achievable rate at that distance. The sync rate is determined by line conditions, not the plan speed, making distance the primary limiting factor.

Answer

The modem is defective.

Answer

The router's firmware needs updating.

Answer

The ISP is throttling the connection.

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a smartphone that cannot connect to any Wi-Fi network. The technician has already verified that the device's Wi-Fi adapter is enabled and that other devices can connect to the same networks. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Check if the device has a static IP address configured.. A static IP address can prevent a device from obtaining a valid IP from the DHCP server, causing connection failure. This is a common issue when a device has been manually configured with an IP that is not in the network's range or is already in use.

Answer

Check the device's MAC address filter on the router.

Answer

Check if the device's date and time are correct.

Answer

Check if the device's Bluetooth is interfering.

Question 11

A user complains that their laser printer is printing pages with a vertical black line down the left side of every page. The line appears consistently in the same position regardless of the document printed. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The toner cartridge's drum is scratched or has debris.. A vertical black line in a fixed position on laser printer output is often caused by a scratch or debris on the photosensitive drum, which picks up toner and transfers it to the paper. The drum is part of the toner cartridge in many printers. Other components like the fuser or transfer roller would cause different patterns.

Answer

The fuser roller has a scratch.

Answer

The paper feed rollers are dirty.

Answer

The printer driver is set to 'economy mode'.

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a network where several users cannot access the internet, but they can communicate with each other. The network uses a router with IP 10.0.0.1 and a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. All computers have IPs in the 10.0.0.0/24 range. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The default gateway on the computers is not set to 10.0.0.1.. Since users can communicate with each other but cannot access the internet, the issue is likely with the default gateway. The router's IP is 10.0.0.1, and the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, so computers must have their default gateway set to 10.0.0.1 to route traffic outside the local subnet. Without a correct default gateway, packets destined for the internet have no route to the router and are dropped.

Answer

The DNS server address is set to 10.0.0.1.

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrectly set to 255.255.0.0 on some computers.

Answer

The router's DHCP server is disabled.

Question 13

A sales representative reports that their tablet's screen becomes unresponsive when they try to use it with a capacitive stylus. They need to annotate documents during client meetings. Which accessory should you recommend to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

A fine-point capacitive stylus. The issue is that the tablet's screen is unresponsive to the capacitive stylus. A capacitive stylus works by conducting the electrical charge from your finger to the screen. A fine-point capacitive stylus (Option B) provides a more precise tip while still maintaining the necessary conductivity for the touchscreen to register input, allowing the sales representative to annotate documents effectively.

Answer

A Bluetooth keyboard

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A screen protector

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A passive stylus with a rubber tip

Question 14

A client in a rural area has a cellular hotspot for internet but experiences frequent slowdowns. They want a more stable option that does not rely on wired infrastructure. Which technology should a technician recommend?

Accepted Answer

Fixed wireless. Fixed wireless (C) is the correct recommendation because it provides a stable, high-speed internet connection using radio waves between a fixed antenna on the client's premises and a nearby tower, without requiring any wired infrastructure. This technology is ideal for rural areas where DSL and cable are unavailable, and it offers lower latency and more consistent performance than satellite, which suffers from high latency due to geostationary orbit distances (approximately 600 ms round-trip time).

Answer

DSL

Answer

Cable broadband

Answer

Satellite

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a PC that powers on for a few seconds then shuts off. The technician removes the 24-pin connector and jumps the green wire to a black wire; the PSU fan spins and stays on. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard has a short circuit causing the PSU to shut down.. The paperclip test confirms the PSU can power on independently. If the fan runs continuously, the PSU is likely functional. The issue is probably elsewhere, such as a short on the motherboard or a faulty component drawing too much power.

Answer

The power supply is definitely faulty and should be replaced.

Answer

The CPU is overheating and triggering thermal shutdown.

Answer

The power supply fan is defective, causing it to overheat and shut off.