220-1101 Practice Test 34 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with vertical white streaks running down the page. The toner cartridge has been replaced with a new OEM cartridge, and the imaging drum assembly is clean and appears undamaged. The technician prints a test page from the printer's control panel, and the white streaks are still present. Which of the following components is MOST likely causing this issue?

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

Accepted Answer

Laser scanner unit. Vertical white streaks on a laser printer page typically indicate a laser scanner unit issue. Since the toner cartridge and imaging drum are confirmed good, the laser scanner's optical path (e.g., a dirty lens, misaligned mirror, or failing laser diode) is the most likely cause, as it fails to write the image uniformly across the drum, leaving unexposed vertical bands that appear as white streaks.

Answer

Fuser assembly

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup roller

Question 2

A technician is building a new gaming PC. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and has four DIMM slots (A1, A2, B1, B2). The technician installs two 8GB DDR4-3200 memory modules into slots A1 and A2 (both on the same channel). The system boots and the BIOS reports 16GB of RAM, but the memory speed shows 2133 MHz instead of the rated 3200 MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The XMP profile needs to be enabled. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and the RAM is rated for DDR4-3200, but the system defaults to the JEDEC standard speed of 2133 MHz (or 2400 MHz) for stability. To achieve the rated 3200 MHz, the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) must be enabled in the BIOS, which applies the manufacturer's overclocking timings and voltage. Since the technician installed the modules in slots A1 and A2 (same channel), dual-channel mode is not active, but this does not affect the speed; the speed issue is solely due to the lack of XMP activation.

Answer

The RAM is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The RAM is installed in the wrong slots for dual-channel operation

Answer

The CPU does not support 3200 MHz memory

Question 3

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 4

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 5

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 6

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 7

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 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

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)

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity for several minutes at a time. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains on and flickers. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The computer is connected to a managed switch port configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The switch port for a duplex mismatch with the NIC. The link light remaining on and flickering during an outage indicates Layer 1 (physical) and Layer 2 (data link) connectivity are present, but the issue is likely a duplex mismatch. When one side of a link is set to full-duplex and the other to half-duplex (often due to failed auto-negotiation), collisions and frame errors cause intermittent connectivity loss lasting minutes. Since the cable and NIC have already been replaced, the next logical step is to check the switch port's duplex setting against the NIC's negotiated duplex.

Answer

The computer's IP address for a static conflict

Answer

The operating system's firewall settings

Answer

The network driver version for compatibility

Question 15

A technician is building a new desktop computer for a graphic designer who works with large files. The motherboard has an M.2 slot that supports PCIe 3.0 x4. Which of the following storage devices will provide the BEST performance for this user?

Accepted Answer

1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD. The M.2 slot supports PCIe 3.0 x4, which provides up to 4 GB/s bandwidth. An M.2 NVMe SSD uses the NVMe protocol over PCIe lanes, delivering significantly higher sequential read/write speeds (typically 3,500 MB/s) compared to SATA-based drives (max ~550 MB/s). This makes it the best choice for a graphic designer working with large files, as it minimizes load and save times.

Answer

1 TB 7200 RPM SATA hard disk drive

Answer

500 GB M.2 SATA SSD

Answer

2.5-inch 1 TB SATA SSD