220-1101 Practice Test 5 — 25 Questions

Question 1

A company runs a cluster of hosts running a Type 1 hypervisor. The virtual machines (VMs) are configured to ensure that if a physical host fails, the VMs running on that host will be automatically restarted on another host in the cluster. Which feature provides this capability?

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

Accepted Answer

High Availability (HA). High Availability (HA) is the correct feature because it is designed to automatically restart virtual machines on alternate hosts within a cluster when a physical host fails. HA uses heartbeat monitoring between hosts and the management server to detect failures, then triggers the restart of affected VMs on surviving hosts, ensuring minimal downtime without requiring manual intervention.

Answer

vMotion

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Fault Tolerance (FT)

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Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)

Question 2

A systems administrator is planning to virtualize several servers on a single physical host. The host has 64 GB of RAM and a 4-core CPU with hyper-threading (8 logical processors). The administrator needs to run four virtual machines (VMs), each requiring 2 vCPUs and 8 GB of RAM. The VMs will host a web server and a database server. Which virtualization technology benefit is being MOST directly utilized in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Resource pooling. Resource pooling is the virtualization technology that allows the hypervisor to aggregate the physical host's 64 GB of RAM and 8 logical processors into a shared pool, then allocate 8 GB and 2 vCPUs to each of the four VMs. This enables multiple VMs to run on a single host by dynamically distributing physical resources among them, which is exactly what the administrator is doing by virtualizing several servers on one physical host.

Answer

High availability

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Snapshots

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Live migration

Question 3

A company runs multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single hypervisor host for development and testing. Users report that the VMs are performing poorly. The administrator checks the host and sees that CPU utilization is at 40% and memory utilization is at 50%, but disk I/O latency is extremely high. The host has a single SATA SSD that stores all VM disk files. Which of the following actions would MOST likely improve performance?

Accepted Answer

Use a separate SSD for each VM to distribute I/O load.. The host has a single SATA SSD storing all VM disk files, and disk I/O latency is extremely high despite low CPU and memory utilization. This indicates a storage bottleneck where all VMs contend for the same disk. Using a separate SSD for each VM distributes the I/O load across multiple physical drives, reducing contention and improving performance.

Answer

Add more RAM to the hypervisor host.

Answer

Add additional CPU cores to the hypervisor host.

Answer

Enable memory overcommitment on the hypervisor.

Question 4

A user reports that they can access internal company servers by IP address but cannot access the internet. The user can ping the default gateway successfully. Other users on the same subnet have full internet access. The technician checks the user's IP configuration and sees that the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway are correct. The DNS server address is set to the company's internal DNS server (10.0.1.10). Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The user's computer has a stale DNS cache. The user can access internal servers by IP and ping the default gateway, confirming that Layer 3 connectivity is intact. Since other users on the same subnet have full internet access, the issue is isolated to this specific computer. A stale DNS cache can prevent name resolution for external domains while leaving internal IP-based access unaffected, which matches the symptom exactly.

Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted and the user received an APIPA address

Answer

The user has an incorrect default gateway configured

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The user's subnet mask is incorrect

Question 5

A technician installed a used SATA SSD from another computer into a desktop workstation. The BIOS correctly detects the SSD, but Windows does not show any new drive in File Explorer. The technician opens Disk Management and sees no uninitialized disks listed. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Change the SATA controller mode in BIOS from RAID to AHCI. When a SATA SSD is detected in BIOS but not in Windows Disk Management, and no uninitialized disks appear, the most likely cause is that the SATA controller mode is set to RAID or Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) in BIOS, which prevents Windows from recognizing the drive as a standard AHCI device. Changing the mode to AHCI allows the OS to properly enumerate and initialize the SSD, as AHCI is the native driver interface for SATA devices in Windows.

Answer

Check the SATA cable power connection and ensure the drive is receiving power

Answer

Run the format command from a command prompt with administrative privileges

Answer

Update the chipset drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website

Question 6

A user's smartphone will not charge when plugged into a cable. The technician inspects the charging port and finds it is clean and the cable appears undamaged. The phone was working normally earlier and was not dropped. The technician tests the cable with another device and it charges normally. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to diagnose the issue?

Accepted Answer

Test the phone with a different, known-good charger and cable. Since the cable works with another device and the charging port is clean, the issue is isolated to the phone's charging circuit or battery management system. Testing with a known-good charger and cable eliminates variables and confirms whether the phone itself is rejecting power, which is the standard next step in CompTIA A+ troubleshooting methodology.

Answer

Replace the battery with a new one

Answer

Perform a factory reset of the smartphone

Answer

Replace the charging port assembly

Question 7

A network technician is troubleshooting a network laser printer that is intermittently dropping off the network. The printer has a static IP address of 192.168.1.50. The technician can sometimes ping the printer, but often the ping times out. The printer's network configuration page shows it is connected at 100 Mbps, half-duplex. The switch port to which the printer is connected supports up to 1000 Mbps and is set to auto-negotiate. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

The duplex settings are mismatched between the printer and the switch port.. The printer is manually set to half-duplex while the switch port is set to auto-negotiate. When a device is set to a fixed duplex (half) and the other end is set to auto-negotiate, the auto-negotiation process fails, causing the switch to default to half-duplex as well. However, because the printer is already hard-coded to half-duplex, the link may come up but with a duplex mismatch, leading to frequent collisions, retransmissions, and intermittent connectivity — explaining why pings sometimes succeed and sometimes time out.

Answer

The printer's network interface card (NIC) is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Answer

The switch port is configured for 1000 Mbps, but the printer only supports 100 Mbps, causing a speed mismatch.

Answer

The printer is configured with a static IP that conflicts with another device on the network.

Question 8

A technician installs a new M.2 SATA SSD into a desktop motherboard. The SSD is not detected in the BIOS. The technician has verified that the SSD is compatible with the motherboard and that it is fully seated. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot shares bandwidth with a SATA port that is in use. The most likely cause is that the M.2 SATA SSD shares bandwidth with a specific SATA port on the motherboard. When an M.2 SATA SSD is installed, it often disables one or more SATA ports (commonly SATA port 5 or 6) because the M.2 slot and those SATA ports share the same PCIe/SATA lanes from the chipset. If a hard drive or optical drive is already connected to that shared SATA port, the M.2 SSD will not be detected in the BIOS, even though it is compatible and properly seated.

Answer

The SSD needs to be formatted

Answer

The BIOS does not support SATA SSDs

Answer

The motherboard requires a firmware update

Question 9

A technician is setting up a small network for a home office. The ISP modem provides a public IP address via DHCP. The technician connects a wireless router's WAN port to the modem and configures the router to use DHCP on the WAN interface. The router's LAN network is 192.168.1.0/24. A user connects a laptop via Ethernet to one of the router's LAN ports and can access the internet. However, the user's network printer, which has a static IP address, was previously connected directly to the modem and now cannot be reached from the laptop. The printer is powered on and its Ethernet link light is on. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

B. The printer's static IP address is on a different subnet from the router's LAN. The printer's static IP address is likely on a different subnet from the router's LAN (192.168.1.0/24). Since the printer was previously connected directly to the modem, it probably had a public or different private IP address (e.g., 192.168.0.x or 10.0.0.x). The laptop cannot reach the printer because the router will not forward traffic destined for an IP outside its LAN subnet without a route, and the printer's static IP is not in the same broadcast domain.

Answer

A. The printer's firewall is blocking ICMP

Answer

C. The printer needs to be connected to the WAN port of the router

Answer

D. The router's DHCP server is conflicting with the printer's static IP

Question 10

A user can access local network resources but cannot browse the internet. Other users on the same network have no issues. The technician checks the workstation's IP configuration: IP 192.168.1.100, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS server 192.168.1.1. The workstation successfully pings the default gateway (192.168.1.1). The technician then tries to ping 8.8.8.8 and the ping fails. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The routing table on the router. Since the workstation can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) but cannot ping 8.8.8.8, the issue is beyond the local subnet. This indicates a routing problem, not a local connectivity or DNS issue. The technician should check the router's routing table to ensure there is a default route (0.0.0.0/0) pointing to the ISP or upstream gateway, as the router may not be forwarding traffic to external networks.

Answer

The switch port configuration

Answer

The DNS server settings

Answer

The DHCP lease expiration

Question 11

A user reports that their smartphone's battery drains very quickly even when the phone is idle. The technician checks battery health in settings and it shows 'Normal.' No single app reports excessive power consumption. The phone also feels warm to the touch while not in use. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The phone is infected with malware. The phone feels warm while idle and drains battery quickly despite no single app showing high usage, which strongly suggests background activity from malware. Malware can run hidden processes, keep the CPU active, and maintain network connections, generating heat and draining power without appearing in standard battery usage lists. The battery health being 'Normal' rules out a faulty battery as the primary cause.

Answer

The battery is faulty and needs replacement

Answer

The operating system requires an update

Answer

The phone's charging port is damaged

Question 12

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that consistently shuts down after approximately 30 minutes of normal operation. The technician has already replaced the power supply unit and cleaned the CPU heatsink of dust. The CPU temperatures in the BIOS are normal (35°C idle). After the shutdown, the event log shows a 'Kernel-Power 41' critical error. The technician reseated all power cables and checked for loose connections. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's capacitors for signs of bulging or leaking.. The Kernel-Power 41 error indicates an unexpected loss of power or system instability, not a software crash. Since the PSU has been replaced and the CPU temperatures are normal, the most likely hardware cause is failing motherboard capacitors, which can cause intermittent shutdowns under load as they lose their ability to filter voltage ripple. Bulging or leaking capacitors are a common failure point on aging motherboards and should be visually inspected next.

Answer

The RAM modules for errors using a diagnostic tool.

Answer

The hard drive for bad sectors.

Answer

The power button for sticking.

Question 13

A company runs its customer relationship management (CRM) application on a single virtual machine (VM) in a public cloud IaaS environment. During the workday, the application's response time becomes highly variable and often slow, even though the VM's CPU and memory utilization rarely exceed 50%. The cloud provider states that the physical host is a shared multi-tenant server. Which cloud computing concept is MOST likely causing this performance degradation?

Accepted Answer

Resource pooling leading to the 'noisy neighbor' effect. The performance degradation is most likely due to resource pooling in a multi-tenant IaaS environment, where the 'noisy neighbor' effect occurs. Even though the VM's own CPU and memory utilization are low, another VM on the same physical host may be consuming shared resources like disk I/O or network bandwidth, causing contention. This is a classic symptom of a shared hypervisor where one tenant's workload starves others of critical I/O resources.

Answer

Rapid elasticity causing the VM to be moved between hosts

Answer

Measured service billing that throttles the VM

Answer

Lack of scalability in the application design

Question 14

A company uses a cloud provider to host a legacy application that requires a specific hardware serial number (e.g., the BIOS UUID of the physical server) for licensing. The licensing software checks this identifier at startup and will not run on hardware with a different serial number. The company wants to maintain control over the underlying hardware and ensure the serial number remains constant. Which cloud deployment model would BEST meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Private cloud. A private cloud is the correct choice because it allows the company to maintain exclusive control over the underlying physical hardware. In a private cloud, the organization owns or leases the servers and can ensure the BIOS UUID remains constant, satisfying the legacy application's licensing requirement. Public, hybrid, and community clouds typically abstract or share hardware, making it impossible to guarantee a fixed hardware serial number.

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Hybrid cloud

Answer

Community cloud

Question 15

A technician is building a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, RAM, and power supply, the system powers on and fans spin, but the monitor displays 'No Signal'. The technician has verified the monitor and cable work with another computer. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the CPU power connector is plugged in. The CPU power connector (typically a 4+4 pin 12V EPS connector) provides dedicated power to the CPU. Without it, the CPU cannot initialize, so the system may power on and spin fans but fail to POST, resulting in a 'No Signal' display. Since the monitor and cable are verified working, the most logical first check is this power connection.

Answer

Replace the RAM with known good modules

Answer

Reseat the GPU in its slot

Answer

Check the BIOS settings for video output

Question 16

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that shuts down unexpectedly after about 10 minutes of playing a graphics-intensive game. The technician checks the CPU temperature, which stays at 45°C at idle but reaches 95°C under load just before shutdown. The heatsink and fan are clean and spinning properly. The power supply is a 650W unit, and the graphics card is a high-end model that draws up to 350W. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the shutdowns?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has degraded. The CPU temperature reaching 95°C under load just before shutdown indicates a thermal throttling or thermal protection shutdown. Since the heatsink and fan are clean and spinning properly, the most likely cause is degraded thermal paste, which reduces heat transfer efficiency from the CPU to the heatsink, causing the CPU to overheat despite adequate cooling hardware.

Answer

The power supply is insufficient for the graphics card

Answer

The CPU fan is not spinning fast enough

Answer

The graphics card is overheating

Question 17

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that shuts down randomly after running for 20-30 minutes. The technician has reseated the RAM modules, confirmed the power supply voltages are within specification using a multimeter, and verified that all case fans are spinning. The system has a dedicated graphics card. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT to diagnose the issue?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU cooler for proper contact and reapply thermal paste. The random shutdown after 20-30 minutes strongly indicates thermal throttling or overheating. Since the technician has already verified power supply voltages and case fan operation, the most likely cause is inadequate CPU cooling due to poor contact between the CPU cooler and the processor or dried-out thermal paste. Reseating the RAM and checking fans would not address a CPU thermal issue, so checking the CPU cooler and reapplying thermal paste is the correct next step.

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Answer

Update the GPU driver

Answer

Disable the onboard network interface card (NIC)

Question 18

A technician builds a new desktop computer. When powered on, all fans spin and LEDs light up, but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The monitor is known to work. The motherboard has no onboard video output. The GPU fans spin. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the GPU power cables are fully seated.. The GPU fans spinning indicates the card is receiving power from the PCIe slot, but the monitor showing 'No Signal' suggests the GPU may not be receiving sufficient supplemental power. The most common cause is a loose or unseated PCIe power cable from the PSU to the GPU. Checking and reseating these cables is the quickest, least invasive step before attempting reseating or replacement.

Answer

Reseat the GPU in its PCIe slot.

Answer

Connect the monitor to the motherboard's video output.

Answer

Replace the GPU with a known-working unit.

Question 19

A technician builds a new desktop computer and installs a high-end dedicated graphics card. The system boots into Windows, but the display resolution is locked at 800x600 and the option to change it is grayed out. In Device Manager, the graphics card is listed under 'Other devices' with a yellow exclamation mark. Which of the following steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Install the latest graphics driver from the manufacturer's website.. The yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager under 'Other devices' indicates that Windows has not loaded a proper driver for the graphics card, which is why the display is stuck at the generic VGA resolution of 800x600. Installing the latest driver from the manufacturer's website is the correct first step because the operating system cannot utilize the dedicated GPU's capabilities without the correct driver, and this is the most common cause of the described symptoms.

Answer

Enable the device in the system BIOS.

Answer

Reseat the graphics card in the PCIe slot.

Answer

Disable the integrated graphics in the BIOS.

Question 20

A technician builds a new PC. When powering on, all fans spin and LEDs light, but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The motherboard has a CPU diagnostic LED that remains lit. The technician has already reseated the RAM and GPU, and verified the monitor and cable are functional. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Reseat the CPU and check for bent pins.. The CPU diagnostic LED remaining lit indicates a CPU-related fault. Since the technician has already reseated RAM and GPU and verified the monitor and cable, the next logical step is to reseat the CPU and inspect the CPU socket for bent pins. Bent pins can prevent proper contact between the CPU and motherboard, causing the CPU diagnostic LED to stay on and the system to fail POST.

Answer

Replace the power supply.

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS.

Answer

Test the RAM in another system.