220-1201 Practice Exam 58 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A user's laptop screen flickers intermittently, but the external monitor works fine. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The display cable connecting the motherboard to the screen is loose or damaged.. The most likely cause is a loose or damaged display cable because the external monitor works fine, which rules out a GPU or driver issue. The display cable carries video signals from the motherboard to the LCD panel; intermittent flickering on the internal screen only indicates a physical connection problem at the hinge or connector. This is a common failure point in laptops due to repeated opening and closing.

Answer

The graphics driver is outdated.

Answer

The LCD panel is failing.

Answer

The inverter or backlight is failing.

Question 2

A user complains that their external monitor connected via VGA shows a slightly blurry image with faint horizontal lines. The monitor works perfectly with another computer using the same VGA cable. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

There is a ground loop between the computer and monitor. The faint horizontal lines and blurry image are classic symptoms of a ground loop, where a difference in electrical potential between the computer and monitor causes interference on the analog VGA signal. Since the monitor works perfectly with another computer using the same cable, the cable and monitor are exonerated, isolating the issue to the computer's grounding or power supply.

Answer

The monitor's resolution is set too high for VGA

Answer

The VGA port on the computer has bent pins

Answer

The graphics driver is corrupt

Question 3

A technician is installing a new video card in a desktop PC used for graphic design. The card has one HDMI port, one DisplayPort, and two DVI ports. The user wants to connect two 1920x1080 monitors. Which combination of ports and cables will provide the best image quality and support for both monitors?

Accepted Answer

Use the HDMI port for one monitor and the DisplayPort for the other. The DisplayPort and HDMI ports both support digital video and audio, and at 1920x1080 resolution, both can deliver excellent image quality. However, DisplayPort is the preferred choice for the primary monitor in a graphic design setup because it supports higher color depths and refresh rates over longer cable lengths, and it is the native interface for modern video cards. Using HDMI for one monitor and DisplayPort for the other allows both monitors to run at their native resolution without signal degradation, while DVI (especially single-link DVI) is limited to 1920x1080 at 60 Hz and lacks the bandwidth for higher color fidelity or future upgrades.

Answer

Use the HDMI port for one monitor and a DVI port for the other

Answer

Use both DVI ports for the monitors

Answer

Use a DisplayPort splitter to run both monitors from the single DisplayPort

Question 4

A user wants to upgrade their laptop from a 500GB 5400 RPM HDD to a faster storage solution without increasing power consumption. Which drive type should you recommend?

Accepted Answer

A SATA solid-state drive (SSD). This question assesses understanding of storage drive characteristics. SSDs are faster, more durable, and consume less power than HDDs, making them ideal for laptop upgrades.

Answer

Another 5400 RPM HDD with a larger cache

Answer

A 10,000 RPM HDD

Answer

An external USB flash drive

Question 5

A user reports that their 4K monitor connected via DisplayPort 1.2 only shows a 30Hz refresh rate at native resolution, causing mouse movement to feel laggy. The monitor supports 60Hz at 4K. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DisplayPort cable is only rated for DisplayPort 1.1. DisplayPort 1.2 has sufficient bandwidth (17.28 Gbps) to support 4K at 60Hz with 8-bit color. However, a cable only rated for DisplayPort 1.1 is limited to 8.64 Gbps, which cannot handle the full data rate required for 4K at 60Hz, forcing the signal to drop to 30Hz. This is the most likely cause because the cable is a physical bottleneck, even though the GPU and monitor both support the higher refresh rate.

Answer

The monitor's firmware is outdated

Answer

The graphics card does not support 4K at 60Hz

Answer

The monitor's refresh rate is set to 30Hz in the display settings

Question 6

A user's laser printer is producing pages with a repeating horizontal line defect every 3.75 inches. Which component is most likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

OPC drum. The distance between repeating defects often matches the circumference of a roller. In laser printers, the OPC drum is typically about 3.75 inches in diameter, so a defect repeating at that interval points to a damaged drum. Other components have different circumferences.

Answer

Fuser roller

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Toner cartridge

Question 7

A small office uses an inkjet printer that has started leaving horizontal white lines across printed documents. The printhead cleaning cycle has been run twice without improvement. Which step should be taken next?

Accepted Answer

Perform a manual printhead cleaning using distilled water or a cleaning solution. Horizontal white lines on inkjet output indicate clogged nozzles in the printhead. If cleaning cycles fail, a more thorough cleaning using a manual method or a printhead soak may be needed. Replacing ink cartridges or the entire printer would be premature, and adjusting print settings does not address the physical clog.

Answer

Replace the ink cartridges

Answer

Adjust the print quality settings to 'Best'

Answer

Replace the printer

Question 8

A technician is setting up a new network printer for a department. The printer needs to be accessible to all users on the same subnet without a dedicated print server. Which configuration method should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Assign a static IP address to the printer. Assigning a static IP address to the printer ensures it has a permanent address on the network, allowing all users on the subnet to connect directly. DHCP could change the IP, breaking connections. A static IP is the simplest method for direct network printing without a server.

Answer

Connect the printer via USB to a user's workstation and share it

Answer

Use DHCP with a short lease time

Answer

Install a print server on a domain controller

Question 9

A customer reports that their laser printer is producing pages with faint, streaky text and occasional blank spots. The toner cartridge is new, and the printer's maintenance kit was replaced last month. Which component should be inspected next?

Accepted Answer

Imaging drum. Faint, streaky text and blank spots on a laser printer with a new toner cartridge and recent maintenance kit replacement typically point to the imaging drum. The drum transfers toner to the paper; if it is worn or damaged, it cannot hold a proper charge, causing these symptoms. The fuser assembly would cause smudging or toner not fused, the transfer roller would cause misalignment or poor transfer, and the pickup rollers would cause paper jams or misfeeds.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup rollers

Question 10

A user reports that their laser printer is producing pages with vertical black streaks. The streaks appear consistently in the same location on every page. Which printer component is most likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

Drum unit. Vertical black streaks on a laser printer page are typically caused by a scratched or damaged drum. The drum transfers toner to the paper, and any defect will repeat with each rotation. Cleaning or replacing the drum assembly usually resolves this issue.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Toner cartridge

Answer

Pickup roller

Question 11

A small office has an inkjet printer that is printing blank pages even though the ink cartridges are full and properly installed. What is the most likely cause of this problem?

Accepted Answer

The printhead is clogged. When an inkjet printer prints blank pages despite full cartridges, the printhead nozzles are often clogged. Ink can dry and block the tiny nozzles, preventing ink from reaching the paper. Running the printer's cleaning cycle or manually cleaning the printhead usually resolves the issue.

Answer

The printer driver is corrupted

Answer

The paper type setting is wrong

Answer

The USB cable is faulty

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.. This question tests knowledge of 10GbE connectivity options. The correct answer is multimode fiber with LC connectors, as SFP+ ports typically use fiber or DAC cables, and multimode fiber with LC is common for short-range 10GbE in data centers.

Answer

Cat6a cable with RJ45 connectors.

Answer

Cat7 cable with RJ45 connectors.

Answer

Single-mode fiber patch cable with SC connectors.

Question 13

A technician is building a new workstation for video editing and needs to choose a storage configuration that offers the best read performance for large media files. Which setup should they select?

Accepted Answer

Two SSDs in RAID 0 (striping). This question tests RAID level knowledge for performance. RAID 0 stripes data across multiple drives, improving read/write speeds, which is ideal for large file access in video editing.

Answer

A single 2TB 7200 RPM HDD

Answer

Two SSDs in RAID 1 (mirroring)

Answer

A single NVMe SSD

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a network drop that was working yesterday but now shows 'No Link' on the switch port. The cable run is through a conduit in the wall. The technician tests the cable with a continuity tester and finds that pins 1, 2, 3, and 6 are good, but pins 4, 5, 7, and 8 show no continuity. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The cable is cut or crushed in the conduit, breaking the secondary pairs.. This question tests understanding of Ethernet pinout and fault isolation. The correct answer is that the cable is likely damaged or broken on the pairs used for 1000Base-T (all four pairs), but 100Base-TX only uses pairs 1-2 and 3-6. The symptom indicates a break in the cable affecting the secondary pairs.

Answer

The cable is only Cat5 and cannot support Gigabit.

Answer

The cable has a short circuit between pins 4 and 5.

Answer

The wall jack is wired for T568A but the patch panel is T568B.

Question 15

A user reports that their desktop computer connected to the network via a 10-meter Cat6 cable keeps losing connectivity when they move their chair. The cable runs under the desk and is occasionally stepped on. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The cable has been crushed or kinked from being stepped on.. This question tests basic troubleshooting for physical cable damage. The correct answer is that the cable is likely damaged from being stepped on, causing intermittent connectivity.

Answer

The cable is too long for reliable connectivity.

Answer

The cable is not shielded and picking up interference.

Answer

The network switch port is faulty.

Question 16

A technician is troubleshooting a network drop where the link light on the switch port is solid but the computer shows 'Unidentified Network'. The cable run is 80 meters and uses Cat5e. The technician tests the cable and finds that pins 1 and 2 are swapped with pins 3 and 6 at one end. What is the most likely result?

Accepted Answer

The cable is wired as a crossover, which may cause the 'Unidentified Network' if Auto-MDIX is disabled.. This question tests understanding of Ethernet wiring errors. The correct answer is that a swap of pairs 1-2 and 3-6 creates a crossover cable, which may still work with Auto-MDIX, but if not, it can cause a 'No Link' or 'Unidentified Network' error.

Answer

The cable will work at 100 Mbps but not at 1000 Mbps.

Answer

The cable will not work at all because it is a crossover cable.

Answer

The cable will cause intermittent connectivity.

Question 17

A technician is installing new cabling for a security camera system that uses PoE. The cameras are located 120 meters from the switch. The technician has Cat6 cable available. What should the technician do to ensure reliable operation?

Accepted Answer

Install a PoE extender or a switch at the 100-meter mark.. This question tests knowledge of Ethernet distance limits and solutions. The correct answer is to use a PoE extender or a switch at the midpoint, as 120 meters exceeds the 100-meter limit for Ethernet, and PoE may also have voltage drop issues.

Answer

Use a higher category cable like Cat6a to extend the distance.

Answer

Use a single-mode fiber optic cable instead.

Answer

The cable run is acceptable because Cat6 supports up to 150 meters.

Question 18

A technician is troubleshooting a network issue where a user's computer can access local resources but cannot reach the internet. The user's cable is connected to a wall jack that leads to a patch panel in the server room. The technician tests the cable and finds it is wired as a crossover cable. What is the most likely impact?

Accepted Answer

The crossover cable is not the cause of the internet issue.. This question tests understanding of crossover cables and modern networking. The correct answer is that most modern switches have Auto-MDIX, so a crossover cable may still work, but if the switch is older, it could cause connectivity issues. However, the symptom of local access but no internet suggests a different problem, so the crossover cable is likely not the issue.

Answer

The crossover cable will prevent any network connectivity.

Answer

The crossover cable will cause intermittent connectivity.

Answer

The crossover cable will only work at 100 Mbps.

Question 19

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 20

A technician is installing a new network drop in a warehouse where there is high electromagnetic interference (EMI) from machinery. Which cable type should be used to minimize signal degradation?

Accepted Answer

Cat6a STP. Cat6a STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) is the correct choice because its individual pair shielding and overall braided shield provide robust protection against high electromagnetic interference (EMI) from warehouse machinery. The shielding effectively blocks external noise, preventing signal degradation and maintaining data integrity over longer distances, unlike unshielded cables.

Answer

Cat5e UTP

Answer

Coaxial cable

Answer

Plenum-rated cable