220-1201 Practice Exam 55 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A technician is configuring a new satellite internet connection for a rural home. After aligning the dish, the modem shows 'online' but the user cannot browse the web. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The router's MTU setting is too high.. The modem shows 'online', indicating the satellite link is established, but the user cannot browse the web. This points to a Layer 3 or Layer 4 issue rather than a physical alignment problem. Satellite internet often uses a high MTU (e.g., 1500 bytes), but the link may have a lower effective MTU due to encapsulation overhead (e.g., PPPoE or VPN). If the router's MTU is set too high, packets larger than the path MTU will be fragmented or dropped, causing web pages to fail to load while the modem remains online.

Answer

The dish is not aligned properly.

Answer

The modem's firmware is outdated.

Answer

The user's browser is incompatible.

Question 2

You are troubleshooting a network where users in one department cannot reach a critical server. You need to check if the server's IP address is reachable and measure the round-trip time. Which command-line tool provides this information?

Accepted Answer

ping. The `ping` command uses ICMP Echo Request and Echo Reply messages to test reachability of a target IP address and measures the round-trip time (RTT) in milliseconds. This directly matches the requirement to check if the server's IP address is reachable and to measure the RTT.

Answer

tracert

Answer

nslookup

Answer

netstat

Question 3

A user reports that their laser printer is producing pages with vertical black streaks. The streaks appear in the same position on every page. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A scratched drum. Vertical black streaks that appear in the same position on every page are typically caused by a scratched or damaged drum (C). The drum is a cylindrical component that transfers toner to the paper; scratches or debris on the drum cause repetitive marks at the same location on each page. Replacing the drum unit resolves the issue.

Answer

Low toner cartridge

Answer

A dirty corona wire

Answer

A faulty fuser

Question 4

A company wants to connect two office buildings that are 2 miles apart in the same city to share a high-speed internet connection and internal resources. Fiber optic cable is not an option due to cost. Which network type and technology would be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

MAN using a point-to-point wireless bridge. A MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) using a point-to-point wireless bridge is the most appropriate choice because it connects two buildings within the same city (a metropolitan area) without the high cost of fiber. A wireless bridge operating in the 5 GHz or 60 GHz band can provide high-speed, dedicated links over distances up to several miles, making it ideal for sharing internet and internal resources between the two sites.

Answer

LAN using CAT6 Ethernet cable

Answer

WAN using a satellite link

Answer

PAN using Bluetooth

Question 5

A company is upgrading its network to support 10 Gbps connections between server racks. The distance between racks is 25 meters. Which cabling standard is most appropriate for this upgrade?

Accepted Answer

Cat6a cable.. Cat6a cable is the most appropriate choice because it supports 10GBASE-T (10 Gbps) over twisted-pair copper cabling at distances up to 100 meters, which easily covers the 25-meter distance between racks. Cat6a has a bandwidth of 500 MHz, double that of Cat6, and includes improved alien crosstalk (AXT) specifications required for reliable 10 Gbps transmission. This makes it the standard recommendation for 10 Gbps Ethernet in data center environments.

Answer

Cat5e cable.

Answer

Cat6 cable.

Answer

Cat7 cable.

Question 6

A small office experiences intermittent Wi-Fi drops on laptops but not on desktops connected via Ethernet. The wireless network uses 2.4 GHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A microwave oven is operating near the access point.. Microwave ovens operate at approximately 2.45 GHz, which falls within the 2.4 GHz ISM band used by Wi-Fi. When a microwave is running near an access point, it generates strong electromagnetic interference that can cause intermittent signal degradation or drops, affecting wireless clients like laptops but not wired desktops.

Answer

The access point is overheating.

Answer

The laptops have outdated Bluetooth drivers.

Answer

The Ethernet switch is failing.

Question 7

A technician is setting up a new printer on a network. The printer has a static IP address of 192.168.1.50, but users cannot ping it from their workstations. The workstations are on the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

Verify the switch port status and cable connection.. The printer and workstations are on the same 192.168.1.0/24 subnet, so no default gateway is needed for local communication — the gateway only matters for off-subnet traffic. Since the printer has a valid static IP in the same subnet, the most likely cause of failed pings is a physical or Layer 2 issue, such as an unplugged cable, a disabled switch port, or a bad NIC. Verifying the switch port status and cable connection is the correct first troubleshooting step.

Answer

Check the printer's default gateway setting.

Answer

Change the printer's IP address to a DHCP address.

Answer

Reboot the router.

Question 8

A customer reports that their laptop connects to the office Wi-Fi but cannot access the internet. Other devices on the same network work fine. The technician checks the laptop's IP configuration and sees an IP address of 169.254.15.22. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's DHCP client is failing to obtain an IP address.. The IP address 169.254.15.22 falls within the Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) range (169.254.0.0/16), which Windows assigns when the DHCP client fails to receive a valid IP from a DHCP server. Since other devices on the same network work fine, the DHCP server is not exhausted; rather, this specific laptop's DHCP client could not complete the DORA process, likely due to a misconfiguration, firewall blocking DHCP traffic, or a driver issue. Option D correctly identifies that the DHCP client is failing to obtain an IP address, as evidenced by the APIPA address.

Answer

The DNS server is misconfigured.

Answer

The laptop's network adapter is faulty.

Answer

The DHCP server is out of available IP addresses.

Question 9

A technician is configuring a new database server that needs to accept remote connections from client applications using the default port for MySQL. Which port should be opened in the firewall?

Accepted Answer

3306. MySQL's default port for client connections is 3306, so the firewall must allow inbound TCP traffic on that port for remote clients to reach the database server. This is the standard IANA-registered port for MySQL and is used unless the administrator explicitly changes it in the MySQL configuration file. Opening 3306 is the correct action for enabling remote MySQL connectivity.

Answer

1433

Answer

1521

Answer

5432

Question 10

A technician is diagnosing a PC that will not power on. The multimeter shows 0V on all pins of the 24-pin connector when the PSU is plugged in and the power switch is on. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The AC power cord is loose or the wall outlet is dead.. A completely dead PSU would still typically show standby voltage (+5VSB) on the purple wire of the 24-pin connector when AC is present, so 0V on ALL pins points to no AC input reaching the PSU at all. The most common cause is a loose AC cord or a dead wall outlet, which is why checking those first is the standard troubleshooting step. If AC were present, at minimum the +5VSB standby rail would read ~5V even with the PC powered off.

Answer

The motherboard is shorted, preventing the PSU from starting.

Answer

The power supply is completely dead and needs replacement.

Answer

The front panel power switch is faulty.

Question 11

A technician is deploying a 3D printer that uses fused deposition modeling (FDM) in a school lab. After several test prints, the prints are warping at the edges and not adhering to the build plate. The filament is PLA, and the build plate is heated. Which adjustment should be made first?

Accepted Answer

Adjust the bed leveling or Z-offset to ensure proper first layer height. Adjusting bed leveling or Z-offset to ensure proper first layer height is the correct first step because poor first-layer adhesion is the root cause of edge warping in FDM printing. If the nozzle is too far from the build plate, the extruded filament doesn't get pressed into the surface, resulting in weak adhesion that lets the print lift as it cools. Correcting the first layer height ensures the plastic is properly squished onto the plate, which is the foundation for all subsequent layers.

Answer

Increase the nozzle temperature by 10°C

Answer

Apply a layer of glue stick to the build plate

Answer

Reduce the print speed

Question 12

A user's laptop cannot connect to any network after a recent OS update. The Wi-Fi adapter shows as enabled in Device Manager with no errors, and other devices on the same network work fine. What should the technician do first?

Accepted Answer

Run ipconfig to check the IP address.. The first step is to run ipconfig to check the IP address configuration. Since the Wi-Fi adapter is enabled with no errors and other devices work, the issue is likely related to IP configuration (e.g., APIPA address, incorrect subnet, or no DHCP lease). Running ipconfig will reveal if the laptop has a valid IP address or if it's using an APIPA address (169.254.x.x), indicating a DHCP failure. This is a quick, non-invasive diagnostic step.

Answer

Replace the Wi-Fi adapter.

Answer

Reset the network switch.

Answer

Disable the Windows Firewall.

Question 13

A network administrator is troubleshooting intermittent connectivity issues on a fiber optic link between two buildings. The link works but has occasional errors. The technician inspects the fiber and finds that the connectors are dirty. After cleaning them, the issue persists. What should the technician check next?

Accepted Answer

Check the light level with a power meter.. After cleaning the connectors, the next logical step is to verify the optical signal strength using a power meter. Dirty connectors are a common cause of intermittent errors, but if cleaning doesn't resolve the issue, the problem may be a weak or degraded optical signal due to other factors such as a damaged cable, faulty transceiver, or excessive loss. A power meter measures the actual light level (in dBm) and compares it to the transceiver's specifications, quickly identifying if the signal is too low. This is a standard troubleshooting step for fiber links and is more efficient than blindly replacing components.

Answer

Replace the entire fiber cable.

Answer

Swap the SFP modules on both ends.

Answer

Run a loopback test on the switch ports.

Question 14

During a routine check, a technician finds that a RAID 0 array with two SSDs is no longer bootable. The BIOS detects both SSDs individually but the array is missing from the RAID controller. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The RAID metadata has been corrupted.. RAID 0 has no redundancy — it stripes data across both SSDs. If the RAID metadata (stored on the drives or controller) is corrupted, the controller cannot reconstruct the array, even though both SSDs are physically detected by BIOS. The array disappears from the RAID controller because the metadata that defines the stripe configuration is unreadable.

Answer

One of the SSDs has failed completely.

Answer

The RAID controller has failed.

Answer

The SATA cables are swapped.

Question 15

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.. When a monitor intermittently blanks at high refresh rates, the most common cause is that the DisplayPort cable (or its version) cannot sustain the required bandwidth for the chosen resolution and refresh rate. Older DP 1.1/1.2 cables or low-quality cables often fail to carry 144Hz at higher resolutions, causing signal dropouts that manifest as brief black screens. Upgrading to a certified DP 1.4 (or higher) cable typically resolves the issue.

Answer

The graphics card is overheating.

Answer

The power supply unit is insufficient.

Answer

The monitor's firmware is outdated.

Question 16

A customer says their laptop battery no longer charges. The laptop works when plugged into AC power, but the battery icon shows '0% available (plugged in)'. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Defective battery. The laptop works on AC power but the battery shows 0% and does not charge, which strongly indicates the battery itself has failed or reached end of life. A defective battery cannot hold a charge, so the system runs only on AC.

Answer

Faulty AC adapter

Answer

Dead CMOS battery

Answer

Corrupted battery driver

Question 17

You are troubleshooting a workstation that randomly reboots when running 3D rendering software. The CPU and GPU temperatures are normal. You have already replaced the RAM and tested the hard drive. What component is most likely the root cause?

Accepted Answer

The power supply is unable to deliver consistent power under load. Random reboots under heavy 3D rendering load — with normal CPU/GPU temperatures and already-replaced RAM and tested storage — point to the power supply. 3D rendering drives both CPU and GPU to high power draw simultaneously, and a failing or underrated PSU cannot sustain stable voltage under that combined load, causing spontaneous reboots or shutdowns. This is a classic load-dependent power fault.

Answer

The CPU is overheating despite normal readings

Answer

The GPU driver is corrupted

Answer

The motherboard has a short circuit

Question 18

A technician is installing a new network switch in a server room. The switch has 48 ports and needs to connect to the existing network backbone via fiber optic cable. The technician has a 10GBASE-SR SFP+ module. Which type of fiber optic cable should be used to ensure compatibility?

Accepted Answer

Multimode fiber (OM3). 10GBASE-SR is a fiber optic standard that uses short-range multimode fiber, specifically designed for OM3 (or OM4) multimode cable with a maximum distance of 300 meters on OM3. The 'SR' designation stands for short reach, which is optimized for multimode fiber. Therefore, OM3 multimode fiber is the correct cable type for compatibility.

Answer

Single-mode fiber (OS2)

Answer

Cat6a twisted pair

Answer

Coaxial cable

Question 19

A technician is building a new workstation for a graphic designer. The user needs fast single-threaded performance for Adobe Photoshop. Which CPU characteristic should the technician prioritize?

Accepted Answer

Higher clock speed (GHz). Adobe Photoshop is largely single-threaded for many operations, so higher clock speed (GHz) directly improves performance on the primary thread. Prioritizing clock speed over core count gives the graphic designer faster responsiveness for the workloads that matter most.

Answer

Maximum number of cores

Answer

Larger L3 cache size

Answer

Lower TDP

Question 20

A small office uses an inkjet printer that has started leaving horizontal white streaks across printed documents. The user has already run the printer's cleaning cycle twice with no improvement. What should the technician do next to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Manually clean the printhead or replace it.. Horizontal white streaks on an inkjet printout that persist after two cleaning cycles typically indicate clogged or damaged printhead nozzles that the automated cleaning cycle cannot clear. Manually cleaning the printhead (using the printer's maintenance utility or physically cleaning with a lint-free swab and distilled water) or replacing the printhead assembly is the correct next step. Ink cartridge replacement is unlikely to help if the cartridge is not empty, and the fuser is a laser-printer component.

Answer

Replace the printer's fuser unit.

Answer

Replace the ink cartridges with new ones.

Answer

Adjust the paper type setting in the driver to 'photo paper'.