220-1101 Exam Simulation 1 — 100 Questions

Question 1

A small e-commerce company hosts its website on a public cloud IaaS platform. During a promotional sale, traffic increases dramatically. The cloud platform automatically provisions additional virtual machines within minutes to handle the load. The company only pays for the additional resources used during that time. Which essential cloud characteristic does this scenario BEST demonstrate?

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

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. The scenario describes the cloud platform automatically provisioning additional virtual machines within minutes to handle a sudden traffic spike, and the company only paying for the extra resources used during that time. This directly demonstrates rapid elasticity, which is the ability to scale resources up or down automatically and quickly in response to demand. The key is the automatic scaling and the pay-per-use model for the additional capacity, which are hallmarks of elasticity in cloud computing.

Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

Measured service

Answer

Resource pooling

Question 2

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing a SATA SSD, the system powers on but the drive does not appear in the BIOS. The SATA data cable is securely connected to both the drive and the motherboard. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the SATA power cable is connected. The SATA SSD requires both a data cable and a power cable to function. Since the data cable is confirmed secure, the most likely cause is that the SATA power cable from the power supply is not connected to the drive, which would prevent the drive from powering on and being detected in the BIOS. This is the simplest and most common oversight when building a new system.

Answer

Replace the SATA data cable

Answer

Change the SATA port in the BIOS from AHCI to IDE

Answer

Format the drive using another computer

Question 3

A technician is setting up a small office network with a wireless router serving as the DHCP server and an unmanaged 24-port switch. All desktop computers are connected to the switch via Ethernet cables. The computers can access the internet without any issues, but they cannot see each other in the network discovery list or ping each other by IP address. The technician checks the IP configuration on one computer and finds it has an IP address of 192.168.1.10 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. The technician can ping the router (192.168.1.1). Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The Windows firewall on each computer is blocking inbound connections.. The computers can access the internet and ping the router, confirming that the DHCP server is correctly assigning IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways, and that the switch is forwarding traffic properly. The inability to ping each other by IP address or see each other in network discovery strongly indicates that the Windows firewall on each computer is blocking inbound ICMP and NetBIOS/LLMNR traffic, which are required for ping responses and network discovery. This is a common default behavior of Windows Firewall in certain network profiles (e.g., Public), which blocks inbound connections unless explicitly allowed.

Answer

The DHCP server is not assigning the correct default gateway.

Answer

The switch is not properly forwarding broadcast traffic between ports.

Answer

The computers are receiving IP addresses from different VLANs.

Question 4

A user's Android tablet is running low on internal storage. A microSD card has been inserted and formatted as portable storage. The user wants to move some applications to the microSD card to free up space, but the 'Move to SD card' option is grayed out for many apps. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for this?

Accepted Answer

B. The apps are pre-installed system apps.. Pre-installed system apps are typically stored in a protected system partition that cannot be moved to external storage. Android restricts moving these apps to ensure system stability and security, as they are integral to the device's operation. The grayed-out 'Move to SD card' option indicates that the app's manifest or Android's policy prevents relocation.

Answer

A. The microSD card is not a Class 10 speed card.

Answer

C. The tablet requires a factory reset to enable app moving.

Answer

D. The microSD card is configured as internal storage.

Question 5

A user reports that their Android smartphone can make and receive phone calls, but cannot send or receive text messages (SMS/MMS) after a recent operating system update. The user has verified that the mobile data connection is working, and the messaging app is not blocked. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The SMS center number settings are incorrect.. The SMS center number (SMSC) is a critical parameter stored on the SIM card that routes outgoing text messages through the carrier's SMSC server. After an OS update, this setting can be reset or corrupted, preventing SMS/MMS transmission while voice calls and mobile data remain functional because those services use separate network paths. Correcting the SMSC number restores SMS functionality without affecting other services.

Answer

The SIM card is not properly inserted.

Answer

The phone is not connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Answer

The messaging app is corrupted.

Question 6

A small office network uses a single router connected to a managed switch. The technician has configured two VLANs on the switch: VLAN 10 for Sales and VLAN 20 for Engineering. Both VLANs can access the internet, but devices in Sales cannot reach devices in Engineering. The router has one physical interface connected to the switch. The technician configured a subinterface on the router for each VLAN with appropriate IP addresses. However, devices on VLAN 20 cannot access the internet, while VLAN 10 works fine. Which of the following is the MOST likely missing configuration?

Accepted Answer

The switch port connecting to the router is not configured as a trunk port. The router uses subinterfaces for VLAN routing, which requires the switch port connecting to the router to be configured as a trunk port (802.1Q trunking). Without trunking, the switch port will only carry traffic from a single VLAN (likely VLAN 1 or the native VLAN), so VLAN 20 frames are dropped at the switch-to-router link. This explains why VLAN 10 works (if it matches the access VLAN on that port) and VLAN 20 fails to reach the internet.

Answer

The router's DHCP server is not configured for VLAN 20

Answer

The firewall on the router is blocking all traffic from VLAN 20

Answer

The VLAN 20 subinterface is not assigned a gateway IP address

Question 7

A business uses a cloud service that automatically increases the number of virtual servers during peak traffic hours and decreases them during low usage, all without manual intervention. The policy is predefined in the cloud management console. This scenario best exemplifies which characteristic of cloud computing?

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. Rapid elasticity is the correct characteristic because the cloud service automatically scales virtual server resources up and down based on predefined policies, matching demand without manual intervention. This dynamic scaling—adding instances during peak traffic and removing them during low usage—is the core definition of rapid elasticity in cloud computing, as it allows resources to expand and contract elastically to meet workload changes.

Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Measured service

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, all fans spin, and the keyboard lights flash, but the monitor displays 'No Signal'. The monitor and video cable are known to work with another computer. The technician has already reseated the RAM and tested with known-good RAM. The motherboard has no diagnostic LEDs or speaker. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Reseat the CPU. The symptoms—power on, fans spinning, keyboard lights flashing, but no display—indicate that the motherboard is receiving power and the CPU is likely initializing, but the system is failing to complete POST. Since the RAM has been reseated and tested with known-good modules, the next most probable cause is a loose or improperly seated CPU. Reseating the CPU ensures proper contact with the socket pins, which is critical for the CPU to communicate with the chipset and memory controller. This step follows the logical troubleshooting flow of checking the CPU before moving to the power supply or other components.

Answer

Reseat the CPU power connector

Answer

Test the monitor with a different cable

Answer

Replace the power supply

Question 9

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on (fans spin, lights turn on) but the monitor displays 'No Signal'. The technician has already verified that the monitor works on another computer and has reseated the RAM and the discrete GPU. The motherboard has integrated graphics. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Remove the discrete GPU and connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port.. Since the monitor works on another computer and the RAM/GPU have been reseated, the next logical step is to isolate whether the discrete GPU is faulty. By removing the discrete GPU and connecting the monitor to the integrated graphics port, the technician can test if the system boots with the CPU's built-in graphics. If it does, the discrete GPU is likely the problem; if not, the issue lies elsewhere (e.g., motherboard or CPU).

Answer

Replace the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-working unit.

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the onboard battery for 30 seconds.

Answer

Replace the RAM modules with known-working ones.

Question 10

A technician notices a constant high-pitched whine coming from the power supply area of a desktop computer. The computer boots and operates normally under all workloads. The technician has already checked that all fans are free of obstructions and that no cables are touching the fan blades. Which of the following components is most likely causing the noise?

Accepted Answer

Power supply coil whine due to electrical resonance. A constant high-pitched whine from the power supply area, especially when the system operates normally under all workloads, is characteristic of coil whine. This occurs when electrical current passes through an inductor (coil) in the power supply, causing the coil's windings to vibrate at a frequency within the audible range due to electrical resonance. Since the noise is not mechanical (fans are clear) and the system functions correctly, coil whine is the most likely cause.

Answer

Faulty CPU fan bearing

Answer

Defective power supply capacitor

Answer

Loose mounting screw vibrating

Question 11

A technician is upgrading a desktop PC with a new high-end graphics card. The card requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The power supply unit (PSU) has two 6+2 pin PCIe cables. After installing the card and connecting both cables, the system powers on, all fans spin, but there is no display output from the graphics card. The technician has verified the card is fully seated in the PCIe slot, the monitor is connected to the card's output, and the monitor works with another computer. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The 6+2 pin PCIe connectors are not fully inserted into the graphics card.. The 6+2 pin PCIe connectors are designed to be used as 8-pin connectors by clipping the 2-pin section alongside the 6-pin section. If the 2-pin portion is not fully latched or the combined connector is not pushed in completely, the graphics card will not receive proper power delivery on all pins. This can cause the card to power its fans but fail to initialize the GPU core, resulting in no display output despite the system appearing to power on normally.

Answer

The PSU wattage is insufficient to power the new graphics card.

Answer

The motherboard's PCIe slot is configured for Gen 3, but the card requires Gen 4.

Answer

The graphics card drivers have not been installed yet.

Question 12

A user reports that their iPhone 12 is not receiving incoming phone calls from unknown numbers. When an unknown number calls, it goes straight to voicemail after one ring. Known contacts in the user's address book ring normally. The user confirms Do Not Disturb is off. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The phone has 'Silence Unknown Callers' enabled.. iOS includes a feature called 'Silence Unknown Callers' that automatically sends calls from unknown numbers to voicemail without ringing. This feature is separate from Do Not Disturb and is designed to reduce spam calls. It also affects legitimate unknown callers. Checking this setting is the first step.

Answer

The phone's SIM card is faulty.

Answer

The phone is in Low Power Mode.

Answer

The phone's software needs to be updated.

Question 13

A user reports that their iPhone does not charge when plugged into the USB port of a Windows laptop, but it charges normally with the included wall adapter. The laptop recognizes other USB devices such as a mouse and a flash drive. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's USB port does not provide enough power to charge the iPhone. The iPhone charges normally with the wall adapter, which provides higher current (typically 5V/1A or more), but fails when connected to the laptop's USB port. Standard USB 2.0/3.0 ports on laptops typically supply only 0.5A (USB 2.0) or 0.9A (USB 3.0), which may be insufficient to charge an iPhone, especially if the device is in use or the port is shared among multiple internal components. The laptop recognizing other low-power devices (mouse, flash drive) confirms the port is functional but likely cannot deliver the required charging current.

Answer

The Lightning cable is damaged and cannot carry enough power

Answer

The iPhone battery has reached the end of its lifespan and cannot hold a charge

Answer

The laptop's USB driver is outdated or corrupted

Question 14

A technician is replacing a CPU on a desktop motherboard. After carefully installing the new CPU and reattaching the heatsink, the technician powers on the system. After a few minutes, the system shuts down due to overheating. The technician verifies that the CPU fan is spinning and the heatsink is firmly attached. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the overheating?

Accepted Answer

No thermal paste was applied between the CPU and heatsink. The most likely cause is that no thermal paste was applied between the CPU and heatsink. Thermal paste fills microscopic air gaps between the CPU's integrated heat spreader (IHS) and the heatsink base, ensuring efficient heat transfer. Without it, air acts as an insulator, causing the CPU to rapidly overheat and trigger thermal shutdown, even if the fan spins and the heatsink is firmly attached.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard socket

Answer

The CPU fan is connected to the wrong motherboard header

Answer

The heatsink is installed upside down

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that randomly reboots under heavy CPU load. The technician has verified the CPU cooler is properly seated with thermal paste, run memory diagnostics (no errors), replaced the power supply, and updated all drivers. Running a CPU stress test causes the system to reboot after approximately 10 minutes. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU voltage settings in BIOS. The technician has already ruled out overheating (cooler seated with paste), memory errors, power supply issues, and driver conflicts. Under heavy CPU load, the system reboots after a consistent 10 minutes, which strongly suggests the CPU is not receiving stable voltage under load. Checking and adjusting the CPU voltage settings in BIOS is the next logical step because incorrect or insufficient vCore can cause the CPU to crash or trigger a thermal/voltage protection reboot when the CPU draws high current during a stress test.

Answer

Replace the CPU

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Question 16

A user can access the internet and browse websites normally, but when they try to access a shared network drive by its hostname (\fileserver\share) the connection fails. Other users on the same network can access the drive using the hostname without issue. The technician can successfully ping the fileserver's IP address from the affected computer. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server configuration on the computer. The user can browse the internet and ping the fileserver by IP, indicating basic IP connectivity and DNS resolution for external names are working. However, accessing the share by hostname fails while other users succeed, which isolates the issue to the local NetBIOS or LLMNR name resolution on the affected computer. Checking the DNS client configuration (including the primary DNS suffix and connection-specific suffixes) is the next logical step because the computer may not be appending the correct domain suffix to resolve the single-label hostname 'fileserver' to an IP address.

Answer

The firewall on the fileserver

Answer

The file and printer sharing service on the computer

Answer

The network cable connection

Question 17

A technician is building a new gaming PC. After installing all components, the system powers on but there is no display output. The motherboard has no onboard video, and the dedicated GPU fans spin. The monitor is connected to the GPU and is known to work. What should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the GPU power cables are connected. The GPU fans spinning indicates the card is receiving power through the PCIe slot, but the dedicated 6- or 8-pin PCIe power cables from the PSU may be missing or loose. Without these supplementary cables, the GPU cannot deliver enough power to initialize the display output, even though the fans spin due to minimal power from the slot. This is the most common oversight when building a gaming PC, so verifying the GPU power cables is the logical first step.

Answer

Replace the GPU

Answer

Reseat the CPU

Answer

Update the BIOS

Question 18

A company uses a private cloud with 10 virtual servers running on a single hypervisor host. The VMs are configured with dynamic memory allocation. Recently, performance has degraded, and the hypervisor shows 90% memory utilization. The IT team wants to add two more VMs without purchasing additional hardware. Which of the following is the most likely limiting factor?

Accepted Answer

The total physical RAM installed in the host. The hypervisor shows 90% memory utilization, and dynamic memory allocation allows VMs to share physical RAM. Adding two more VMs without increasing physical memory will likely exhaust the host's RAM, causing excessive swapping or out-of-memory conditions. This makes total physical RAM the most likely limiting factor.

Answer

The hypervisor's CPU core count

Answer

The storage I/O bandwidth

Answer

The network interface card speed

Question 19

An ISP provides a cable modem with a single Ethernet port. A technician needs to set up a small office network with 25 workstations that require internet access and must be on the same subnet. The technician has a 24-port unmanaged switch and a 48-port unmanaged switch. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate method to connect the devices?

Accepted Answer

Connect both switches to a router, and connect the modem to the router.. A router is required to perform Network Address Translation (NAT) and routing between the ISP's public IP and the private subnet. The cable modem provides only a single Ethernet port and does not route traffic between multiple devices; connecting both switches to a router allows all 25 workstations to share the internet connection while remaining on the same subnet. The router acts as the default gateway and DHCP server, enabling proper IP address assignment and traffic forwarding.

Answer

Connect the modem directly to the 48-port switch and then daisy-chain the 24-port switch from the 48-port switch.

Answer

Connect the modem to the 24-port switch, then connect the 48-port switch to the 24-port switch.

Answer

Connect the modem directly to the 48-port switch and connect the 24-port switch to the 48-port switch.

Question 20

A system administrator is configuring a virtual machine (VM) on a VMware ESXi host. The VM runs a critical database application that requires a guaranteed minimum amount of memory to perform well. The host has memory overcommitment enabled. Which setting should the administrator configure to ensure the VM always has at least 4 GB of physical memory available?

Accepted Answer

Memory reservation. A memory reservation guarantees that the ESXi host will allocate at least the specified amount of physical memory to the VM, even when memory overcommitment is enabled. This ensures the critical database application always has a minimum of 4 GB of physical RAM available, preventing performance degradation due to contention.

Answer

Memory limit

Answer

Memory ballooning

Answer

Swap file size