220-1101 Practice Test 33 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A company runs a Type 1 hypervisor with several production virtual machines (VMs). The physical host has 64 GB of RAM. The administrator observes that the host’s memory usage is consistently at 95%, leaving no free memory for a new VM that needs 8 GB. However, the existing VMs are only using about 50% of their allocated memory. Which hypervisor technology can the administrator use to run the new VM without adding physical RAM?

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

Accepted Answer

Memory overcommitment with ballooning. Memory overcommitment with ballooning allows the hypervisor to reclaim unused memory from running VMs by using a balloon driver that inflates inside the guest OS, forcing the guest to release memory pages back to the hypervisor. This reclaimed memory can then be allocated to the new VM without adding physical RAM. The scenario describes existing VMs using only 50% of their allocated memory, making ballooning an ideal solution to free up the needed 8 GB.

Answer

Thin provisioning

Answer

vMotion

Answer

Memory mirroring

Question 2

A user reports that they can access internal company web servers by IP address (e.g., http://10.0.1.50) but not by hostname (e.g., http://intranet). Other users on the same network can access the intranet by hostname without issue. The technician checks the computer's IP settings and sees that the DNS server address is manually set to 8.8.8.8. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The computer is using an external DNS server that cannot resolve internal hostnames. The computer has its DNS server manually set to 8.8.8.8, which is a public external DNS server operated by Google. External DNS servers like 8.8.8.8 have no records for internal private hostnames (e.g., 'intranet'), so they cannot resolve them. Since the user can access internal servers by IP address but not by hostname, and other users on the same network can resolve the hostname (likely using an internal DNS server), the issue is specifically that this computer is using an external DNS server that cannot resolve internal hostnames.

Answer

The computer's subnet mask is incorrect

Answer

The internal DNS server is unreachable

Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted

Question 3

A user reports that their iPhone is not recognized by a Windows computer when connected via USB. The user has tried three different USB cables, all of which allow the phone to charge normally. The user also tested another iPhone with the same computer and it was recognized. The iPhone's 'Trust This Computer' prompt appeared and was accepted. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The Lightning port on the iPhone has damaged data pins.. The fact that the iPhone charges normally but is not recognized by the computer indicates that the power pins in the Lightning connector are functioning, but the data pins are damaged or obstructed. Since another iPhone is recognized on the same computer, the issue is isolated to the original iPhone's Lightning port. The 'Trust This Computer' prompt appearing and being accepted confirms that the software trust relationship is not the problem, further pointing to a hardware data pin failure.

Answer

The iPhone's battery needs to be replaced.

Answer

The iPhone's operating system is corrupt.

Answer

The iPhone's display assembly is malfunctioning.

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a server that randomly shuts down after running for about 30 minutes. The server has dual power supplies and is connected to a UPS. The technician has already replaced the CPU cooler and verified that all fans are spinning. The temperature readings for the CPU and motherboard are within normal range. Which component should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The power supply voltage rails. Random shutdowns after a consistent runtime (30 minutes) often indicate a failing power supply that cannot maintain stable output under sustained load. The technician has already ruled out overheating by replacing the CPU cooler, verifying fan operation, and confirming normal temperature readings. Checking the power supply voltage rails with a multimeter or PSU tester can reveal sagging voltages or ripple that cause intermittent shutdowns, even when the system appears to run initially.

Answer

The UPS battery

Answer

The thermal paste application

Answer

The RAM modules

Question 5

A user reports that their laptop can connect to the office Wi-Fi but cannot access any websites. The technician successfully pings the default gateway (192.168.1.1) from the laptop. The technician also logs into the router and successfully pings 8.8.8.8. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's DNS settings are pointing to an invalid DNS server.. The laptop can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) and the router can ping 8.8.8.8, proving Layer 3 connectivity to the internet is working. However, the laptop cannot access websites, which typically indicates a DNS resolution failure. If the laptop's DNS settings point to an invalid or unreachable DNS server, it cannot resolve domain names to IP addresses, even though IP-based connectivity (like pinging 8.8.8.8) is fine.

Answer

The laptop is configured with a static IP address outside the DHCP scope.

Answer

The router's WAN port is disconnected.

Answer

The ISP has a service outage affecting only web traffic.

Question 6

A technician is building a gaming PC. The motherboard has a PCIe 4.0 x16 slot occupied by a PCIe 3.0 graphics card, and an M.2 slot that supports PCIe 4.0 x4. The user wants to install a high-performance NVMe SSD. Which of the following is the BEST practice for installing the NVMe SSD to maximize performance?

Accepted Answer

Install the SSD in the dedicated M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot. The M.2 slot supports PCIe 4.0 x4, which provides up to 8 GB/s bandwidth, perfectly matching a high-performance NVMe SSD. Installing the SSD in this dedicated slot avoids any bottleneck from the PCIe 3.0 graphics card or slower interfaces, ensuring maximum sequential read/write speeds.

Answer

Use a PCIe 3.0 x1 expansion card for the SSD

Answer

Connect the SSD via a SATA III cable to a SATA port

Answer

Use a PCIe 2.0 x16 slot with an adapter

Question 7

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity for a few seconds at a time. The technician observes that the link light on the NIC turns off briefly and then back on. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the switch port. The issue persists. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check for electromagnetic interference near the cable. The link light turning off indicates a physical layer issue, and since the cable and switch port have already been replaced, the next likely cause is electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby sources such as power cables, fluorescent lights, or large motors. EMI can corrupt the signal on unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling, causing the NIC to momentarily lose link. Checking for and rerouting cables away from interference sources is the appropriate next step before replacing hardware.

Answer

Update the NIC driver

Answer

Replace the network interface card (NIC)

Answer

Configure the NIC to use a static IP address

Question 8

A user's iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi and has an active cellular data plan. The user can send and receive regular SMS text messages, but cannot send iMessages. The recipient's device supports iMessage and other users can message that recipient without issues. The technician has already confirmed that the user's Apple ID is signed in correctly. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the date and time settings and ensure they are set automatically. iMessage relies on Apple's push notification service and requires accurate date and time settings to establish a secure TLS connection with Apple's servers. If the date and time are incorrect, the SSL/TLS certificate validation fails, preventing iMessage from activating or sending messages even though SMS (which uses the cellular network's SS7 signaling) works fine. Since the Apple ID is confirmed correct and the recipient's device supports iMessage, the next logical step is to check and set the date and time to automatic.

Answer

Verify that Do Not Disturb is not enabled

Answer

Inspect the blocked contacts list in the Messages app

Answer

Update the APN settings for the cellular data connection

Question 9

A user reports that their smartphone's camera app crashes whenever they attempt to take a photo with the flash enabled. The camera works normally without flash, and the flashlight app functions correctly. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Camera module. The camera module is the most likely faulty component because it contains the flash LED driver circuitry that synchronizes the flash with the camera sensor. When the flash is enabled, the camera module must coordinate the LED pulse with the image capture; a failure in this integrated circuit causes the app to crash, even though the standalone flashlight app works by bypassing the camera's synchronization logic.

Answer

Flash LED

Answer

Motherboard

Answer

Battery

Question 10

An online retailer's website experiences periodic spikes in traffic during flash sales. The cloud platform automatically spins up additional virtual server instances to handle the increased load and then terminates them when the traffic subsides. This capability is an example of which characteristic of cloud computing?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. Elasticity refers to the ability of a cloud system to automatically scale resources up or down based on demand. In this scenario, the platform spins up additional virtual server instances during flash sales and terminates them when traffic subsides, which is the defining behavior of elasticity. This contrasts with high availability, which focuses on uptime, not dynamic scaling.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance

Answer

Measured service

Question 11

A technician is repairing a smartphone that has a cracked screen. The glass is shattered but the LCD and digitizer underneath are functional except for unresponsive touch in some areas. The user wants all data preserved. After disconnecting the battery, which tool is MOST critical for safely lifting the cracked glass to access the internal components?

Accepted Answer

Suction cup. The suction cup is the most critical tool for safely lifting the shattered glass because it provides a controlled, even pulling force to separate the glass from the frame without further damaging the underlying LCD and digitizer. Since the glass is cracked but the LCD and digitizer are still functional, using a suction cup minimizes the risk of applying uneven pressure that could crack the LCD or tear the digitizer flex cables. This tool is essential for preserving data by avoiding additional damage to the display assembly during disassembly.

Answer

Screwdriver set

Answer

Spudger

Answer

Magnifying glass

Question 12

A user reports that they cannot access the internet, but they can access internal network resources by IP address. The technician runs ipconfig and sees IP address 192.168.1.12, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS server 192.168.1.1. The user can ping 192.168.1.1 and 8.8.8.8 successfully. However, they cannot ping www.google.com. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server is not resolving hostnames.. The user can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) and an external IP (8.8.8.8) successfully, which confirms that the network layer (IP routing) is working and the internet connection is functional. However, the inability to ping www.google.com by name while being able to ping by IP indicates that the DNS server (192.168.1.1) is failing to resolve the hostname to an IP address. Since the DNS server is the same as the default gateway, it is likely that the gateway device is not configured to perform DNS resolution or the DNS service is not running.

Answer

The default gateway is unreachable.

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The NIC is faulty.

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with faint text and a gray background. The toner cartridge has already been replaced with a new one, but the issue persists. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Clean the corona wire. Faint text with a gray background on a laser printer typically indicates a problem with the primary corona wire (or charge roller) failing to apply a uniform negative charge to the photosensitive drum. Even with a new toner cartridge, if the corona wire is dirty or damaged, the drum will not be properly charged, causing toner to be attracted to non-image areas (gray background) and insufficient toner to be deposited for the image (faint text). Cleaning the corona wire restores the correct electrostatic charge distribution, resolving both symptoms.

Answer

Replace the fuser assembly

Answer

Check the transfer roller

Answer

Run the printer's self-cleaning cycle

Question 14

A user reports that their smartphone is not vibrating when receiving calls or notifications, even though the vibrate settings are enabled in the sound menu. The ringtone and speaker work normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The vibration motor is defective or disconnected. The vibration motor is a dedicated hardware component that physically oscillates to create the vibration sensation. If the phone's ringtone and speaker work normally but vibration fails despite the vibrate settings being enabled, the most likely cause is that the vibration motor itself is defective or has become disconnected from the motherboard. Software settings cannot override a failed hardware component.

Answer

Do Not Disturb mode is enabled

Answer

The phone is in silent mode

Answer

A recent software update caused a configuration error

Question 15

A company maintains a private cloud for processing sensitive financial data. To handle occasional spikes in demand, they establish a VPN connection to a public cloud provider. When the on-premises infrastructure reaches 80% CPU utilization, an automation script provisions additional virtual servers in the public cloud, processes the workload, and then terminates them. Once the load returns to normal, only the private cloud resources are used. This architecture is an example of which cloud deployment model?

Accepted Answer

Hybrid cloud. This architecture combines a private cloud (on-premises infrastructure for sensitive financial data) with a public cloud (virtual servers provisioned via VPN during demand spikes), orchestrated by automation to burst capacity. The key is the integration of both environments through a VPN connection, which is the defining characteristic of a hybrid cloud model. The private cloud handles steady-state workloads, while the public cloud provides elastic overflow, ensuring sensitive data remains on-premises under normal conditions.

Answer

Community cloud

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Virtual private cloud (VPC)