220-1101 Practice Test 25 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that has a solid link light on its NIC and on the switch port, but the workstation fails to obtain an IP address via DHCP. The technician manually assigns a static IP and can ping other devices, but experiences slow transfers and packet loss. Checking the switch's port statistics reveals a high number of CRC errors and runts. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

A duplex mismatch between the NIC and the switch port.. A duplex mismatch causes the NIC and switch port to use different methods for collision detection (half-duplex vs. full-duplex). This leads to CRC errors and runts because frames are corrupted when both sides transmit simultaneously (collisions) or when the half-duplex side misinterprets full-duplex traffic. The solid link light and successful static IP ping confirm Layer 1 and basic Layer 3 connectivity, but the high error counts point directly to a Layer 2 duplex negotiation failure.

Answer

The cable is too long (exceeds 100 meters).

Answer

The switch port is in a different VLAN.

Answer

The workstation's NIC driver is corrupted.

Question 2

A technician is building a custom gaming PC. After installing the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and a dedicated graphics card, the technician connects all power supply cables. The system powers on (fans spin, lights come on) but there is no display on the monitor, and no POST beeps are heard. The technician verifies that the monitor is functional and correctly connected to the graphics card's display port. The motherboard's diagnostic LEDs show a solid red CPU LED. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The 8-pin CPU power connector is not plugged into the motherboard. The solid red CPU LED on the motherboard indicates a CPU-related fault. Since the system powers on (fans spin, lights on) but fails to POST, the most common cause is that the 8-pin EPS12V CPU power connector is not connected. Without this dedicated power, the CPU cannot initialize, halting the POST process before any display output or beep codes occur.

Answer

The CPU is not properly seated in the socket

Answer

The RAM modules are not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The BIOS version does not support the installed CPU

Question 3

A user reports that their Android smartphone's screen is cracked in the lower-left corner. The touch input in that area is unresponsive, but the display works correctly and the rest of the touchscreen functions normally. Which of the following is the BEST repair option?

Accepted Answer

C. Replace the entire screen assembly (LCD and digitizer combined). In modern smartphones, the digitizer (touch layer) and LCD panel are fused together into a single screen assembly. When the glass is cracked and touch input is lost in a specific area, the digitizer is damaged, but separating it from the LCD is impractical and risks further damage. Replacing the entire screen assembly ensures both the display and touch functionality are restored reliably.

Answer

A. Replace only the digitizer (touch layer)

Answer

B. Replace only the LCD panel

Answer

D. Apply a tempered glass screen protector

Question 4

A technician is setting up a new workstation. After connecting the Ethernet cable, the link light on the NIC and the switch port are solid green. The technician runs ipconfig and sees an IP address of 169.254.3.45 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation cannot ping the default gateway or any other network devices. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is unavailable or unreachable. The 169.254.x.x address with a /16 subnet mask is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned by Windows when a DHCP server is unreachable. The solid link lights confirm Layer 1 connectivity is good, so the issue is that the workstation cannot obtain a valid IP from a DHCP server, preventing communication with the default gateway.

Answer

The Ethernet cable is faulty

Answer

The workstation's subnet mask is incorrect

Answer

The NIC driver is corrupted

Question 5

A technician is assembling a new workstation. The motherboard supports DDR4 memory and has four DIMM slots: A1, A2, B1, B2. The technician installs two 16 GB DDR4-3200 modules. After powering on, the system detects 32 GB of RAM but reports a speed of 2133 MHz. The technician confirms the modules are rated for 3200 MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the lower speed?

Accepted Answer

The BIOS memory profile is not set to XMP/DOCP. The motherboard detects the RAM capacity correctly but runs at the JEDEC default speed of 2133 MHz because the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) or DOCP (Direct Overclock Profile) has not been enabled in the BIOS. DDR4-3200 modules require an overclocking profile to operate at their rated speed; without it, the system defaults to the standard 2133 MHz speed.

Answer

The modules are not installed in the correct slots for dual-channel mode

Answer

The CPU does not support 3200 MHz

Answer

The power supply is insufficient

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a user's wired desktop that intermittently loses network connectivity for short periods (1-2 minutes) several times a day. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains lit and continuous. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The switch port is configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the network driver settings for duplex mismatch.. The symptoms—intermittent connectivity with the link light remaining lit—strongly suggest a duplex mismatch. When one side is set to full duplex and the other to half duplex (or auto-negotiation fails), the half-duplex side detects collisions and triggers retransmissions, causing 1–2 minute outages. Since the cable and NIC have been replaced, the next logical step is to check the NIC driver settings for a forced duplex or speed setting that conflicts with the switch port's auto-negotiation.

Answer

Verify the switch port is configured for the correct VLAN.

Answer

Check the DNS server configuration on the computer.

Answer

Disable the firewall to rule out a security issue.

Question 7

A user reports that their smartphone does not vibrate even though the vibrate mode is enabled in settings. The phone was accidentally dropped onto a hard floor two days ago. The screen is not cracked, and the phone still rings and displays notifications. The user has already tried restarting the phone and toggling the vibrate setting. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The vibrate motor is loose or disconnected. The most likely cause is that the vibrate motor is loose or disconnected. The smartphone was dropped, and the vibrate motor is a physical component that can become dislodged or have its electrical connection disrupted by impact. Since the phone still rings and displays notifications, the audio and display subsystems are functional, isolating the issue to the vibration mechanism.

Answer

The operating system has a software bug that disables vibration after a drop

Answer

The loudspeaker is damaged

Answer

The vibration setting is controlled by a third-party app that was corrupted

Question 8

A technician is setting up a small office network. The router is connected to the ISP modem and has a public IP address on its WAN interface. The router's LAN is configured with DHCP on the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet. A workstation obtains an IP address of 192.168.1.10, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, and default gateway 192.168.1.1 from the router. The workstation can ping the gateway and other workstations on the same subnet, but it cannot access websites by IP address or domain name. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Network Address Translation (NAT) is not enabled on the router.. The workstation can ping the gateway and local devices, indicating Layer 2/3 connectivity within the LAN is functional. However, it cannot reach external websites by IP or domain name, which points to a failure in translating private IP addresses to the public IP on the WAN interface. Network Address Translation (NAT) is required on the router to map the private 192.168.1.0/24 subnet to the public IP; without it, packets from the workstation have no routable source address on the internet, so responses cannot return.

Answer

The workstation's DNS server is not configured correctly.

Answer

The workstation's subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The default gateway is incorrect.

Question 9

A technician installs a new CPU in a desktop computer. The motherboard supports both 8th and 9th generation Intel Core processors. After assembly, the system powers on, all fans spin, but the monitor displays 'No Signal' and the motherboard's diagnostic LEDs cycle through and then stay lit on the CPU indicator. The technician has already reseated the CPU and inspected the socket for bent pins, finding none. The RAM and GPU are known to work from another system. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to a version that supports the 9th generation CPU. The motherboard's diagnostic LED staying lit on the CPU indicates a CPU initialization failure. Since the motherboard supports both 8th and 9th generation CPUs but may require a BIOS update to add microcode for 9th generation support, the most likely cause is an incompatible BIOS version. Updating the BIOS to a version that includes support for the 9th generation CPU will resolve the issue.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit with one of higher wattage

Answer

Replace the CPU with a different unit of the same model

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the battery

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a network printer issue. The printer is connected via Ethernet to a managed switch. Users on some workstations can print without problems, but users on other workstations cannot. On a problematic workstation, the technician can ping the printer's IP address successfully and can access the printer's built-in web interface. When attempting to print a test page, the job appears in the local print queue on the workstation but never reaches the printer. The printer's event log shows no errors or rejected jobs. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The printer driver on the workstation is incorrect or corrupt.. The printer is reachable via ping and web interface, confirming Layer 3 connectivity is fine. The job appears in the local print queue but never reaches the printer, and the printer logs show no errors, which points to a local issue on the workstation. An incorrect or corrupt printer driver can cause the print job to be spooled locally but fail to render or transmit properly to the printer, even though network connectivity is intact.

Answer

The printer's IP address is in a different subnet from the workstation.

Answer

The workstation's firewall is blocking the printer traffic.

Answer

The switch port for the printer is assigned to a different VLAN than the workstation.

Question 11

A startup is developing a new web application. They want to write code and deploy it without worrying about the underlying operating system, web server, or scaling. Which cloud service model should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS). Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides a managed environment where developers can write and deploy code without managing the underlying OS, web server, or scaling. The cloud provider handles the runtime, middleware, and infrastructure, allowing the startup to focus solely on application code. This aligns with the requirement to avoid worrying about the operating system, web server, or scaling.

Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 12

A user reports that their desktop workstation loses network connectivity intermittently, often occurring when the user bumps the desk or moves the Ethernet cable. The link light on the NIC sometimes flickers and occasionally turns off for a few seconds during these events. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable with a known-good one and tested a different port on the same switch; the problem persists. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The NIC port on the workstation has damaged or loose pins causing intermittent connection. The symptom of losing connectivity when the desk is bumped or the cable is moved, combined with the link light flickering or turning off, points to a physical layer issue at the NIC port. Since the cable and switch port have already been replaced and the problem persists, the most likely cause is a damaged or loose pin inside the RJ45 jack on the workstation's NIC. This creates an intermittent electrical contact that breaks under vibration or movement.

Answer

The switch port is failing intermittently

Answer

The workstation has a duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

The DNS server settings are incorrect

Question 13

A user reports that their smartphone will not power on. When they plug it into a charger, the LED indicator flashes red but the screen remains black. The phone was working normally earlier in the day and was not dropped or exposed to water. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Faulty battery. The LED indicator flashing red when the charger is connected, combined with a black screen and no prior physical damage or water exposure, strongly points to a battery that has entered a deep discharge state or has failed. In this scenario, the battery cannot hold enough charge to power the phone's boot sequence, but the charging circuit can still detect the charger and attempt to charge, causing the red LED. A faulty battery is the most common cause of a device that was working normally and then suddenly will not power on, especially when the screen remains black but the LED responds.

Answer

Damaged screen

Answer

Failed CPU

Answer

Corrupted firmware

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a small office network where users are reporting slow internet speeds. The network consists of a router connected to an unmanaged switch, and several workstations and printers connected to the switch. The technician notices that the cable connecting the router to the switch is a crossover cable. Both the router and the switch support Auto-MDI/X. Which of the following BEST describes the impact of using a crossover cable in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

The crossover cable is not causing the issue; Auto-MDI/X will handle the connection properly. Both the router and the switch support Auto-MDI/X (Automatic Medium-Dependent Interface Crossover), which allows them to automatically detect and correct the signal pairing for either a straight-through or crossover cable. Therefore, the crossover cable does not cause connectivity or speed issues; the slow internet problem must be investigated elsewhere (e.g., bandwidth saturation, duplex mismatch, or faulty hardware).

Answer

The crossover cable will prevent the devices from communicating because crossover cables are only used for connecting two similar devices directly

Answer

The crossover cable is faulty and should be replaced with a straight-through cable

Answer

The crossover cable should be replaced with a straight-through cable to achieve maximum throughput

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on but displays nothing on the screen. The technician hears two short beeps from the motherboard speaker and then silence. The CPU fan spins, and the power LED is on. Based on the beep code (two short beeps) typical of AMI/BIOS, which component is most likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Memory (RAM). Two short beeps from an AMI BIOS typically indicate a memory (RAM) error. The system powers on (CPU fan spins, power LED on) but fails POST due to faulty or improperly seated RAM, halting before video initialization. This makes RAM the most likely faulty component.

Answer

Power supply

Answer

Graphics card

Answer

CPU