220-1101 Practice Test 2 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, heat sink, RAM, and power supply, the system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down. The CPU fan spins during that time. The technician has verified that the power supply connections are secure. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste application between the CPU and heat sink. The system powers on for a few seconds and then shuts down, which is a classic symptom of thermal overload protection (Tjmax) being triggered. Since the CPU fan spins, power delivery is present, but without proper thermal paste, the CPU rapidly exceeds its critical temperature threshold, causing an immediate shutdown to prevent damage.

Answer

The RAM module's compatibility with the motherboard

Answer

The CPU power connector is fully seated

Answer

The front panel power switch connection

Question 2

A technician is building a database server that requires fast random read/write performance for small data blocks. Which of the following storage devices will BEST meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive. An NVMe M.2 solid-state drive is the best choice because it connects directly via the PCIe bus, bypassing the SATA controller and its protocol overhead. This provides dramatically lower latency and higher IOPS (input/output operations per second), which is essential for fast random read/write performance on small data blocks in a database server.

Answer

A 7200 RPM hard disk drive

Answer

A SATA-based solid-state drive

Answer

An external USB 3.0 hard drive

Question 3

A small office has a network with 25 workstations connected to a managed switch. The switch is connected to a router that provides DHCP. Workstations receive IP addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range. A technician replaces a failed switch with a new managed switch of the same model. After connecting all devices, all workstations obtain IP addresses and can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1). However, workstations cannot ping each other. The technician checks the switch configuration and sees that all ports are in the default VLAN 1 with no port security. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch has Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enabled and is blocking some ports.. The most likely cause is that Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is enabled on the new managed switch and is blocking some ports to prevent loops. When a switch is replaced, STP transitions ports through listening and learning states before forwarding, which can take 30-50 seconds. If the workstations were connected before STP converged, or if the switch is still in the process of determining the root bridge and port roles, some ports may remain in a blocking state, preventing Layer 2 communication between workstations even though they can reach the router via other paths.

Answer

The switch ports are administratively disabled.

Answer

The router's firewall is blocking inter-VLAN traffic.

Answer

The switch has 802.1X authentication enabled.

Question 4

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The motherboard has integrated graphics and a discrete PCIe graphics card is installed. The monitor is connected to the discrete graphics card. When powered on, the system fans spin and the power LED lights, but there is no video output and no POST beep codes. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port on the motherboard. The correct first step is to connect the monitor to the integrated graphics port on the motherboard. Since the system powers on (fans spin, power LED lights) but shows no video and no POST beep codes, the discrete graphics card may be faulty or improperly seated. By switching to the integrated graphics, the technician can quickly determine if the discrete card is the cause of the no-display issue without replacing components. This isolates the problem efficiently, as the integrated graphics are known to work if the CPU and motherboard are functional.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules

Answer

Replace the discrete graphics card with a known-good unit

Answer

Check the CPU power connector

Question 5

A technician is building a desktop computer. After installing all components, the computer powers on. All fans spin, and the LED on the motherboard lights up, but there is no display output. The monitor and cable are known to work. The technician has already reseated the RAM and the graphics card. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the 4/8-pin CPU power connector is securely connected to the motherboard.. The 4/8-pin CPU power connector supplies dedicated 12V power to the processor. If it is loose or disconnected, the CPU will not initialize, causing the system to power on (fans spin, LEDs light) but produce no display output. Since the monitor, cable, RAM, and graphics card have been verified, the next logical step is to check this critical power connection.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit.

Answer

Reset the CMOS by removing the battery for 30 seconds.

Answer

Replace the motherboard, as it is likely defective.

Question 6

A technician is assembling a new desktop PC. The technician needs to connect the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case to the motherboard. Which of the following should the technician consult for the correct pin layout?

Accepted Answer

Motherboard manual. The motherboard manual contains the front panel header pinout diagram, which specifies the exact layout for connecting the power button, reset button, HDD LED, and power LED from the case. Each motherboard manufacturer uses a unique pin arrangement, so consulting this manual ensures correct polarity and prevents damage to the motherboard or LEDs.

Answer

Power supply manual

Answer

CPU manual

Answer

Case manual

Question 7

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, RAM, and a high-end graphics card, the system powers on but shuts down after about 10 seconds. The CPU fan spins erratically during this time. The technician has verified the CPU is supported and properly seated. The heatsink came with pre-applied thermal paste. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the CPU fan cable is connected to the CPU_FAN header. The CPU fan cable must be connected to the motherboard's CPU_FAN header, not a chassis fan header, because the system monitors the CPU_FAN header for a tachometer signal. If the fan is connected elsewhere, the motherboard detects no fan RPM on the CPU_FAN header and may shut down after a few seconds to prevent CPU overheating, even if the fan is spinning. The erratic fan behavior suggests the fan is receiving power but not being properly controlled or monitored by the CPU_FAN header.

Answer

Replace the CPU with a known-good unit

Answer

Remove and reseat the graphics card

Answer

Check the RAM modules are in the correct slots

Question 8

A small office has 18 computers that need to be connected to share files and access the internet. The ISP provides a modem with a single Ethernet port. The office router has four LAN ports. Which device should the technician add to enable all 18 computers to connect to the network?

Accepted Answer

B. A switch. A switch is the correct device because it provides multiple Ethernet ports (typically 24 or 48) and operates at Layer 2, forwarding frames based on MAC addresses. This allows all 18 computers to connect to the network, share files, and access the internet through the existing router, which only has four LAN ports.

Answer

A. A hub

Answer

C. A bridge

Answer

D. A firewall

Question 9

A network technician is installing a new fiber optic link between two switches located in different buildings. The technician uses identical SFP modules on both ends and connects them with a single fiber patch cable. After powering on, the link lights on both switches remain off. The technician verifies the SFP modules are compatible with the switches and that the cable is not damaged. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Swap the transmit and receive connections at one end of the fiber cable. The correct answer is A because fiber optic communication requires two separate strands: one for transmitting (TX) and one for receiving (RX). If a single fiber patch cable is used, it typically contains two fibers, but the connectors must be crossed at one end so that the TX of one switch connects to the RX of the other. Since the link lights are off despite compatible SFPs and an undamaged cable, the most likely issue is a polarity mismatch, where both ends are wired straight through (TX to TX, RX to RX), preventing the optical signal from being received.

Answer

Change the duplex settings on both switches to half-duplex

Answer

Update the firmware on both switches

Answer

Verify that the VLAN configuration matches on both ends

Question 10

A technician is assembling a new gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and a B550 motherboard. After installing the CPU, two DDR4-3600 RAM sticks in slots A2 and B2 (as per manual), and a dedicated GPU, the system powers on but there is no display. The motherboard's CPU debug LED remains lit. The technician has reseated the CPU and checked for bent pins (none found). The PSU is a known-good 650W unit and all fans spin. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

B. The motherboard's BIOS needs to be updated to support the Ryzen 5 5600X.. The Ryzen 5 5600X is based on the Zen 3 architecture, which requires a BIOS version that supports AGESA ComboV2 1.1.0.0 or later. B550 motherboards were originally released with BIOS versions that only supported Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000 series) CPUs. Without a BIOS update, the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU, causing the CPU debug LED to stay lit and preventing any display output, even though all other components appear powered.

Answer

A. The RAM is not on the motherboard's Qualified Vendor List (QVL).

Answer

C. The CPU cooler is mounted too tightly, causing pressure on the socket.

Answer

D. The PCIe power cable for the graphics card is not connected.