220-1201 Practice Exam 66 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A user complains that their desktop computer cannot connect to any network shares, but they can access the internet. The technician pings the file server by IP address successfully, but pinging by hostname fails. Which network configuration issue is most likely causing this problem?

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

Accepted Answer

The DNS server is not resolving local hostnames.. The user can access the internet (which relies on external DNS resolution) and can ping the file server by IP address, but cannot ping by hostname. This indicates that the local DNS server is failing to resolve the file server's hostname to its IP address. Since the user can reach the internet, the default gateway and subnet mask are likely correct, and the file server's firewall is not blocking ICMP because the IP-based ping succeeds.

Answer

The DHCP server is not assigning a default gateway.

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The file server has a firewall blocking ICMP.

Question 2

A technician is configuring a kiosk tablet that must connect to a wired Ethernet network for security reasons. The tablet only has a USB-C port. The network drop provides an RJ45 connection. Which of the following should the technician use to achieve a wired connection?

Accepted Answer

USB-C to Ethernet adapter. The tablet has a USB-C port and needs to connect to an RJ45 Ethernet network. A USB-C to Ethernet adapter directly converts the USB-C signal to a standard RJ45 Ethernet connection, providing a wired network interface without additional adapters or protocol conversions. This is the simplest and most reliable solution for achieving a wired Ethernet connection from a USB-C-only device.

Answer

USB-C to HDMI adapter

Answer

USB-C to USB-A adapter with a USB Ethernet dongle

Answer

USB-C to DisplayPort adapter

Question 3

A technician is configuring a new workstation for video editing. After installing a high-end GPU and additional RAM, the system powers on but the screen is blank. The motherboard has diagnostic LEDs; the VGA LED is lit. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

Loose GPU power cables. A lit VGA diagnostic LED indicates the motherboard is not detecting the GPU. This is common when the GPU is not fully seated in the PCIe slot or when additional power cables are not connected. The technician should reseat the GPU and ensure all power connectors are attached.

Answer

Incompatible RAM

Answer

Faulty CPU

Answer

Monitor set to wrong input

Question 4

A user complains that their VoIP phone intermittently loses connectivity. The phone is connected to a switch via a 50-meter run of solid-core Cat6 cable. You suspect interference from nearby fluorescent lights. Which cabling characteristic is most relevant to this issue?

Accepted Answer

The cable is not shielded (STP).. Fluorescent lights generate electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can disrupt data transmission over unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling. Shielded twisted-pair (STP) cable includes a conductive shield that protects against EMI, making it the relevant characteristic for this issue. The user's intermittent connectivity is likely caused by EMI coupling onto the UTP cable, and using STP would mitigate this.

Answer

The cable is not properly terminated with RJ45 connectors.

Answer

The cable length exceeds the maximum for Cat6.

Answer

The cable is a crossover cable.

Question 5

A large conference center needs to provide Wi-Fi for 500 attendees. The IT team installs multiple 802.11ax access points. During the event, attendees report slow speeds and frequent reconnections. Analysis shows many clients are on the same channel despite multiple APs. Which advanced feature should be configured to distribute clients more evenly?

Accepted Answer

Configure all APs to use the same SSID and enable band steering and load balancing.. Band steering and load balancing are advanced features designed to distribute clients evenly across access points and frequency bands. Band steering encourages dual-band clients to use the less congested 5 GHz band, while load balancing monitors AP utilization and steers new clients to less loaded APs. This directly addresses the problem of many clients clustering on the same channel despite multiple APs being available.

Answer

Enable WPA3-Enterprise for all SSIDs.

Answer

Set each AP to a different SSID and instruct users to connect to the least crowded one.

Answer

Reduce the beacon interval on all APs to 50 ms.

Question 6

A user complains that their external monitor shows a 'No Signal' message when connected to their laptop via HDMI. The laptop display works fine. You test the monitor with another computer and it works. What should you check first?

Accepted Answer

Press the function key to switch display modes. The most common cause of an external monitor showing 'No Signal' when the laptop display works fine is that the laptop is not sending video output to the external port. Pressing the function key (e.g., Fn+F4, Fn+F8, or a dedicated display toggle key) cycles through display modes (e.g., PC screen only, Duplicate, Extend, Second screen only). This is the first and simplest troubleshooting step because it directly addresses the output routing without introducing hardware or driver changes.

Answer

Replace the HDMI cable

Answer

Update the laptop's BIOS

Answer

Reinstall the graphics driver

Question 7

A technician is migrating a database from an on-premises server to a cloud platform. The database contains sensitive customer information. The company requires that data be encrypted both at rest and in transit. Which combination of technologies should the technician implement?

Accepted Answer

TLS for in transit and AES-256 for at rest. For data in transit, TLS/SSL encrypts communication between the application and the database. For data at rest, the cloud provider's encryption feature (e.g., AWS EBS encryption or Azure SQL TDE) encrypts the stored data. AES-256 is a common encryption standard for at-rest data, but it must be implemented by the provider's service.

Answer

SSL for at rest and IPsec for in transit

Answer

VPN for in transit and hashing for at rest

Answer

SSH tunneling for at rest and TLS for in transit

Question 8

A technician is configuring a dual-monitor setup for a stock trader. The primary monitor is a 27-inch 1440p display connected via DisplayPort, and the secondary is a 24-inch 1080p display connected via HDMI. The user notices that windows dragged to the secondary monitor appear stretched. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The secondary monitor's resolution is set to 1440p instead of 1080p. When a 1080p monitor is configured to run at 1440p, the graphics card scales the image to fit the physical panel, but the pixel density mismatch causes stretching and blurriness. The secondary monitor's native resolution is 1920x1080, so setting it to 2560x1440 forces non-native scaling, distorting the image. This is the most common cause of stretched windows in a multi-monitor setup with different native resolutions.

Answer

The HDMI cable is not version 2.0 or higher

Answer

The graphics card cannot support two different resolutions

Answer

The secondary monitor is set to extend mode instead of duplicate

Question 9

A customer reports that their network printer is not accessible from any computer on the network. The printer is connected to a switch via Ethernet, and the switch port LED is blinking green. The technician pings the printer's IP address from a computer and gets no reply. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The printer has an IP address conflict with another device.. The blinking green LED on the switch port indicates a good physical connection and active link, ruling out a faulty cable or administratively down port. Since the printer is not responding to pings from any computer, the most likely cause is an IP address conflict, where another device on the network is using the same IP address, causing the printer to be unreachable. This conflict can occur due to static IP misconfiguration or a DHCP server assigning the same address to multiple devices.

Answer

The printer's Ethernet cable is faulty.

Answer

The switch port is administratively down.

Answer

The printer's print spooler service is stopped.

Question 10

A technician is replacing a faulty motherboard in a workstation. After installing the new board, the system powers on but there is no display output from the integrated graphics port. The CPU does not have integrated graphics. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Install a dedicated GPU into a PCIe slot. If the CPU lacks integrated graphics, the motherboard's video output ports will not function. A dedicated GPU must be installed. This is a common oversight when switching from a CPU with integrated graphics to one without.

Answer

Clear the CMOS to reset BIOS settings

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS

Answer

Check the monitor cable connection

Question 11

A customer complains that their web browser cannot load any HTTPS websites, but HTTP sites work fine. The firewall is configured to allow common ports. Which port is most likely being blocked?

Accepted Answer

443. HTTPS uses TCP port 443 for encrypted communication via TLS/SSL. If HTTP (port 80) works but HTTPS fails, the firewall is likely blocking outbound or inbound traffic on port 443, even though it allows common ports. This prevents the browser from establishing the secure connection required for HTTPS websites.

Answer

80

Answer

22

Answer

53

Question 12

A company's web server is accessible from the internal network but not from the internet. The server has a static IP of 192.168.1.10. The firewall is configured to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic. What is the most likely missing configuration?

Accepted Answer

Port forwarding rules are not configured on the firewall. The server has a private IP (192.168.1.10), so for internet clients to reach it, the firewall must translate the public destination IP to the private server IP using port forwarding (a form of Destination NAT). Without port forwarding rules, the firewall will receive HTTP/HTTPS traffic on its public interface but not know which internal server to send it to, even though the firewall's ACL allows the traffic. Option C correctly identifies this missing configuration.

Answer

The server's default gateway is set to the firewall's LAN IP

Answer

The firewall's NAT is disabled

Answer

The server has a public IP address assigned

Question 13

A customer reports that their Bluetooth keyboard intermittently disconnects from their tablet while typing. The tablet and keyboard are less than a meter apart, and no other Bluetooth devices are nearby. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the disconnection?

Accepted Answer

The user's body is blocking the Bluetooth signal when typing.. The most likely cause is that the user's body is blocking the Bluetooth signal. Bluetooth operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM band, which is heavily absorbed by water in the human body. When typing, the user's hands and torso can create a significant attenuation path between the keyboard and tablet, especially if the tablet is placed behind the user or at an angle that places the body in the direct line of sight. This intermittent physical obstruction explains the disconnection pattern without any other devices nearby.

Answer

The tablet's Bluetooth adapter is defective.

Answer

The keyboard's battery is low.

Answer

There is interference from a nearby Wi-Fi network.

Question 14

A user reports that their smartphone battery drains quickly and the device feels warm to the touch, especially when using wireless charging. They are using a third-party wireless charger. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The wireless charger is not properly matched to the device's charging standard, causing inefficient power transfer.. Third-party wireless chargers may not fully comply with the Qi standard or may lack proper Foreign Object Detection (FOD). When the charger and device are mismatched, power transfer becomes inefficient, generating excess heat as wasted energy. This heat causes the battery to drain faster (due to thermal runaway in charging circuits) and makes the device feel warm.

Answer

The smartphone battery is defective and needs replacement.

Answer

The device's operating system needs an update to support wireless charging.

Answer

The user is using a case that is too thick for wireless charging.

Question 15

A customer reports that their new SSD is not detected by the BIOS. The drive is properly connected to the SATA port and power supply. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The SATA cable is faulty.. For a new SSD not detected by the BIOS despite proper connections, the most likely cause is a faulty SATA cable. The BIOS must detect the drive before the OS can see it; initialization in Disk Management is an OS-level step that requires the drive to already be recognized by the BIOS.

Answer

The SSD needs to be initialized in Disk Management.

Answer

The power supply unit is insufficient.

Answer

The SSD is incompatible with the motherboard.

Question 16

A customer reports that their external monitor connected via HDMI flickers intermittently. They have tried a different HDMI cable and a different monitor, but the issue persists. The laptop display works fine. Which component is most likely causing the problem?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's HDMI port. Since the issue persists after swapping both the HDMI cable and the external monitor, the problem is isolated to the laptop's HDMI port. A faulty or damaged HDMI port can cause intermittent signal loss due to poor physical contact, bent pins, or internal solder fractures, leading to flickering. The laptop's internal display works fine, ruling out the graphics driver as the primary cause.

Answer

The laptop's graphics driver

Answer

The HDMI cable

Answer

The external monitor

Question 17

A technician is replacing the battery in a slim laptop where the battery is glued inside the chassis. After removing the bottom cover, the technician sees the battery is firmly attached with adhesive. What is the safest method to remove the battery without damaging the laptop?

Accepted Answer

Apply isopropyl alcohol around the battery edges to weaken the adhesive, then gently pry with a plastic spudger.. Isopropyl alcohol (90% or higher) safely weakens the adhesive bond without damaging the battery or surrounding components. Using a plastic spudger to gently pry after applying alcohol minimizes the risk of puncturing the lithium-ion battery, which could cause a fire or chemical leak. This method is the industry-recommended approach for glued-in batteries in slim laptops.

Answer

Use a flathead screwdriver to pry the battery out forcefully.

Answer

Heat the battery with a heat gun to soften the adhesive.

Answer

Use a suction cup to pull the battery straight up.

Question 18

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 19

A technician is installing a new network in a school and must run cables through air handling plenums. What type of cable jacket is required for this installation?

Accepted Answer

Plenum-rated jacket. Plenum-rated jackets are required for cables installed in air handling plenums because they are made of low-smoke, low-flame materials (such as FEP or PFA) that do not emit toxic fumes or support combustion in the event of a fire. This complies with fire safety codes like the National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 725 and ensures that the air circulation system does not spread smoke or flames throughout the building.

Answer

PVC jacket

Answer

Shielded jacket

Answer

Riser-rated jacket

Question 20

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