220-1101 Practice Test 21 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A desktop computer will not boot. When the power button is pressed, the power LED lights up briefly and then turns off. The technician suspects a possible short circuit. Which of the following is the BEST first step to isolate the issue?

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

Accepted Answer

Remove the motherboard and test it outside the case on a non-conductive surface. The best first step because the symptom—power LED briefly lighting then shutting off—strongly suggests a short circuit, often caused by a motherboard standoff or loose screw contacting the case. Removing the motherboard and testing it on a non-conductive surface (e.g., cardboard or the motherboard box) isolates the motherboard from the case, allowing the technician to determine if the short is due to case contact or a component-level fault. This is a standard CompTIA A+ troubleshooting step for suspected shorts before replacing parts.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a known good unit

Answer

Reseat all internal power and data cables

Answer

Install a new motherboard immediately

Question 2

A desktop computer will not boot after a thunderstorm. When powered on, the fans spin and LEDs light, but there is no POST, no beep codes, and no display. The technician has already tested the power supply with a multimeter (all voltages within specification), reseated all RAM and expansion cards, and tried a different monitor. On close inspection of the motherboard, the technician notices several electrolytic capacitors near the CPU voltage regulator module are bulging at the top with a brownish substance around their bases. Which of the following should the technician replace to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Replace the motherboard.. The bulging electrolytic capacitors with brownish residue near the CPU voltage regulator module indicate physical failure, likely due to a power surge from the thunderstorm. Damaged capacitors prevent the motherboard from delivering stable voltage to the CPU, causing no POST, no beep codes, and no display even though fans and LEDs receive power. Since the power supply tested within specification and other components have been reseated, the motherboard itself is the faulty component and must be replaced.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit.

Answer

Replace the CPU with an identical or compatible model.

Answer

Replace the RAM modules with known-good units.

Question 3

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity, especially when the nearby office printer starts printing. The link light on the NIC occasionally turns off during these events. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, but the issue persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the Ethernet cable is not routed near sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).. The issue persists even after replacing the cable with a known-good Cat6 shielded cable, indicating that the problem is not the cable itself but the environment. The Ethernet cable runs near a fluorescent light fixture and a power cable, both of which are common sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI). Since the link light turns off when the printer starts, the EMI from the printer or nearby sources is likely inducing noise on the cable, disrupting the signal. The next logical step is to reroute the cable away from these EMI sources, as shielding alone may not be sufficient if the interference is strong or the shield is not properly grounded.

Answer

Move the computer to a different electrical outlet.

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC).

Answer

Update the NIC driver from the manufacturer's website.

Question 4

A technician is setting up a small office network. The ISP provides a cable modem with a single Ethernet port. The office has 15 computers that all need internet access. The technician has a router with four LAN ports and a 24-port unmanaged switch. Which of the following is the correct way to connect the devices to provide internet access to all computers?

Accepted Answer

Connect the modem to the router's WAN port, then connect the switch to one of the router's LAN ports, and connect all computers to the switch.. The router's WAN port is designed to connect to the ISP modem for public IP assignment via DHCP, while the LAN ports provide private IP addresses to internal devices. The switch connects to a LAN port to expand the number of available ports, allowing all 15 computers to access the internet through the router's NAT and routing functions.

Answer

Connect the modem to one of the router's LAN ports, then connect the switch to another LAN port, and connect all computers to the switch.

Answer

Connect the modem directly to the switch, then connect the router to the switch, and connect all computers to the router's LAN ports.

Answer

Connect the modem to one of the switch's ports, then connect the router to another switch port, and connect all computers to the router.

Question 5

A technician is assembling a desktop computer in a new case. After installing the motherboard and connecting all components, the computer powers on but immediately shuts down after a few seconds. The technician notices that the motherboard is touching the metal case in several places and that no standoffs were installed between the motherboard and the case tray. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the shutdown?

Accepted Answer

There is a short circuit between the motherboard and the case.. When the motherboard touches the metal case without standoffs, exposed solder points or traces on the back of the board can contact the conductive case, creating an unintended electrical path. This short circuit typically triggers the power supply's overcurrent protection (OCP) or short-circuit protection (SCP), causing the system to power on briefly and then immediately shut down to prevent damage.

Answer

The CPU is overheating due to improper cooler installation.

Answer

The power supply unit is underpowered for the system.

Answer

The front panel power button is incorrectly wired.

Question 6

A technician is building a custom workstation for 3D rendering. The components include an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X CPU, a B550 motherboard (box states 'AMD Ryzen 3000 desktop ready'), two 16GB DDR4-3600 modules (on the QVL), and a dedicated GPU. The system powers on, case fans spin, and the CPU fan spins, but the motherboard’s CPU debug LED remains lit and there is no display. The technician has reseated the CPU and found no bent pins. The RAM and GPU have been verified working in another system. The PSU is a known-good 750W unit. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Upgrade the motherboard BIOS using the BIOS flashback feature. The B550 motherboard is labeled 'AMD Ryzen 3000 desktop ready,' meaning its factory BIOS supports Ryzen 3000 CPUs but not Ryzen 5000 (Vermeer) CPUs like the Ryzen 7 5800X. The CPU debug LED staying lit indicates the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU, which is a classic symptom of an incompatible BIOS version. Using the BIOS flashback feature allows the technician to update the BIOS without a compatible CPU installed, enabling support for the Ryzen 5000 series.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher-wattage unit

Answer

Test the system with a known-working Ryzen 3000 CPU

Answer

Replace the motherboard with a newer model that officially supports Ryzen 5000

Question 7

A company hosts a web application on a single virtual machine in a public cloud IaaS environment. The application experiences intermittent slowdowns. The administrator checks the VM's performance metrics and notices that CPU and memory usage are low, but disk I/O latency spikes during the slowdowns. The cloud provider uses a shared storage system with multiple tenants. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Storage performance variability due to the noisy neighbor effect. The scenario describes a shared storage system with multiple tenants, and the symptoms (low CPU/memory but high disk I/O latency spikes) point directly to the 'noisy neighbor' effect. In a multi-tenant IaaS environment, one tenant's heavy storage workload can saturate the shared storage controller or network, causing unpredictable latency for other tenants. This matches the intermittent slowdowns without local resource exhaustion.

Answer

VM throttling due to burstable CPU

Answer

Insufficient virtual RAM allocation

Answer

Network bandwidth contention

Question 8

A user accidentally drops their smartphone into a saltwater pool. They retrieve it within seconds and wipe the exterior dry. The phone is still powered on, but the screen is flickering and the touchscreen is unresponsive. Which of the following should the user do FIRST to maximize the chance of successful recovery?

Accepted Answer

Power off the phone immediately. Powering off the phone immediately (B) is the correct first step because saltwater is highly conductive and corrosive. Even after wiping the exterior, residual moisture and salt ions inside the device can cause short circuits and electrochemical corrosion that rapidly damage internal components. Cutting power stops the flow of current through the wet circuits, minimizing the risk of permanent damage and giving the user the best chance of successful recovery through proper drying.

Answer

Place the phone in a bag of uncooked rice to absorb moisture

Answer

Connect the phone to a charger to see if it will respond

Answer

Use a hair dryer on high heat to dry the phone quickly

Question 9

A network technician is configuring a router for a small office. The office has two subnets: 192.168.1.0/24 for staff and 192.168.2.0/24 for guests. Staff can access the internet, but guests cannot. The technician confirms that both subnets have a default route to the router's WAN IP. The router has an ACL applied to the guest VLAN interface that denies all traffic to the WAN interface. What should the technician change to allow guests internet access?

Accepted Answer

Configure NAT for the guest subnet. The ACL on the guest VLAN interface blocks traffic to the WAN interface, but without NAT (Network Address Translation), the router would not translate the private guest IP addresses (192.168.2.0/24) to a public IP for internet access. Even if the ACL were removed or modified, the router would still drop packets from the guest subnet destined for the internet because it lacks a NAT rule to translate the source address. Therefore, configuring NAT for the guest subnet enables outbound internet access by translating private addresses to the router's WAN IP.

Answer

Remove the ACL from the guest VLAN interface

Answer

Add a permit statement for the guest subnet to the ACL

Answer

Change the guest subnet to 192.168.1.0/24

Question 10

A technician is building a new gaming PC with an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and a B550 motherboard. The technician installs two 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM modules into the two blue slots (A1 and A2) as labeled on the motherboard. The system powers on, case fans spin, and the CPU fan spins, but there is no display and the motherboard's DRAM_LED remains lit. The technician has previously verified that the RAM modules are compatible with the motherboard. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Reseat the RAM modules into slots A2 and B2 as recommended by the motherboard manual.. The B550 motherboard manual typically specifies that for dual-channel memory configuration with two modules, the modules should be installed in slots A2 and B2 (the second and fourth slots from the CPU). Installing both modules in the same channel (A1 and A2) forces single-channel mode and can cause the system to fail to POST, as the memory controller may not recognize the configuration. Reseating the RAM into the correct slots (A2 and B2) is the first logical step before attempting more invasive troubleshooting like BIOS updates or component replacement.

Answer

Replace the RAM modules with a known-good set of DDR4-3600 modules.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version.

Answer

Test each RAM module individually in slot A1 only.

Question 11

A user's iPhone is stuck on the Apple logo during startup and will not complete the boot process. The user has already performed a force restart (press and release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Side button) multiple times without success. Which of the following should the user do NEXT to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Restore the device using iTunes or Finder. A force restart bypasses a temporary software hang, but if the iPhone remains stuck on the Apple logo, the boot process is failing due to a corrupted operating system or critical system file. Restoring the device via iTunes or Finder (or the Finder equivalent on macOS Catalina and later) reflashes the iOS firmware, replacing the damaged system partition and allowing the device to boot cleanly. This is the standard next step after a force restart fails to resolve a boot loop or startup freeze.

Answer

Replace the battery

Answer

Update the carrier settings

Answer

Perform a hard reset by holding the Home button and the Power button simultaneously

Question 12

A technician upgrades a workstation's RAM from 8GB to 16GB by installing two matching 8GB DDR4-3200 modules in the correct dual-channel slots (A2 and B2) on the motherboard. The system boots, but the POST beep code indicates a memory error. The technician tests each module individually in slot A2 and both modules work fine. When both modules are installed in A2 and B2, the error returns. The technician has confirmed the motherboard supports 32GB total and the modules are on the manufacturer's Qualified Vendor List (QVL). Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

One of the DIMM slots is defective. The technician tested each module individually in slot A2 and both worked, but the error occurs only when both slots A2 and B2 are populated. This isolates the problem to slot B2, indicating it is defective. A faulty DIMM slot prevents the dual-channel memory configuration from initializing correctly, triggering the POST memory error.

Answer

The memory controller is faulty

Answer

The BIOS needs an update to support the new RAM

Answer

The power supply is insufficient for the additional RAM

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that loses network connectivity intermittently, specifically when the user runs CPU-intensive applications like video rendering. The link light on the network interface card (NIC) turns off during these episodes. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good cable and switched the workstation to a different port on the same switch, but the problem persists. The same port and cable work fine when tested with a laptop. The workstation has a recently installed high-end graphics card and a 400W power supply that came with the case. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Insufficient power supply wattage. The intermittent loss of network connectivity specifically during CPU-intensive tasks like video rendering points to a power supply issue. The 400W power supply is likely insufficient to handle the combined load of the high-end graphics card and the rest of the system, causing voltage drops that starve the NIC of power, making its link light turn off. Replacing the cable and switch port with no effect, while the same port works with a laptop, isolates the problem to the workstation's internal power delivery.

Answer

Faulty network card

Answer

Outdated network driver

Answer

Electromagnetic interference from the GPU

Question 14

A company hosts a web application on a public cloud. The application experiences unpredictable traffic spikes. The cloud provider automatically provisions additional virtual servers to handle increased load and decommissions them when traffic subsides. The company is billed only for the compute time actually consumed. Which cloud computing characteristic does this scenario BEST describe?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. Elasticity is the correct answer because the scenario describes the ability to automatically provision and decommission virtual servers in response to unpredictable traffic spikes, with billing only for actual compute time consumed. This matches the cloud computing characteristic of elasticity, which specifically refers to dynamic scaling of resources up or down on demand, as opposed to scalability which is the capacity to handle growth over time.

Answer

Scalability

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance

Question 15

A company runs a critical web application on a virtual machine in a public cloud IaaS environment. The application experiences predictable spikes in traffic every weekday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. During the spike, the single VM (4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM) becomes slow. The company wants to ensure consistent performance during the spike without permanently increasing the VM's resources. Which of the following cloud characteristics should the administrator configure to meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. Elasticity is the cloud characteristic that allows resources to automatically scale up during predictable traffic spikes and scale down afterward, ensuring consistent performance without permanently increasing VM resources. In this scenario, the administrator can configure auto-scaling rules to add additional VM instances or CPU/RAM during the 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM window, then remove them when demand subsides.

Answer

Scalability

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance