220-1101 Practice Test 38 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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. Option C is correct because 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 2

A network administrator sets up a new file server with a static IP address of 192.168.1.100. The server is connected to the company's main switch. For the first few hours, all clients can reach the server without issues. The next day, clients report they cannot connect to the server. The administrator finds that the server's IP address has been reassigned to a different device. The DHCP server is configured with a scope from 192.168.1.50 to 192.168.1.150. Which of the following is the BEST permanent solution to prevent this issue?

Accepted Answer

Change the server's static IP address to one outside the DHCP scope, such as 192.168.1.200. Option B is correct because moving the server's static IP to 192.168.1.200 places it outside the DHCP scope (192.168.1.50–150), eliminating the possibility of an IP address conflict with DHCP-assigned clients. This is a permanent solution that does not require changing the server's network configuration method or disabling DHCP for other devices.

Answer

Configure a DHCP reservation for the server's MAC address and set the server to obtain an IP automatically

Answer

Disable the DHCP server entirely and configure all devices with static IPs

Answer

Leave the static IP at 192.168.1.100 and instruct the DHCP server to ignore that address

Question 3

A network administrator recently installed a new firewall to replace an older router. After the installation, users can access the internet but cannot reach internal web servers by hostname (e.g., http://intranet). They can, however, access those servers by IP address. The administrator verifies that the DNS server is functioning and other traffic between the LAN and the internal server VLAN is allowed. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The firewall is blocking DNS traffic (UDP/TCP port 53) between the LAN and the internal DNS server. The firewall is blocking DNS traffic (UDP/TCP port 53) between the LAN and the internal DNS server. Since users can access the internet (external DNS queries likely go through a different path or the firewall allows outbound DNS), but internal hostname resolution fails, the most likely cause is that the firewall's rules are blocking DNS queries to the internal DNS server. This explains why IP-based access works (no DNS needed) while hostname-based access fails.

Answer

The VLAN configuration on the switch is preventing hostname resolution

Answer

The DHCP server is not assigning the correct DNS server address

Answer

The default gateway address has been misconfigured on the firewall

Question 4

A network printer is set to a static IP address. Users report that print jobs spool on their workstations but never print. The technician confirms the printer is powered on, the network cable is connected, and the printer's self-test page prints successfully. The technician can ping the printer's IP address from a workstation. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The printer's print queue is paused or the printer is in an 'Offline' state on the print server. The printer is reachable (ping succeeds) and its self-test page prints, confirming basic network connectivity and hardware functionality. The fact that print jobs spool locally but never print indicates the print server is not forwarding jobs to the printer, which is classic behavior when the printer queue is paused or the printer is marked offline on the print server. This prevents the spooler from sending data to the printer even though the network path is intact.

Answer

The printer driver on the workstations is incorrect

Answer

The printer's static IP address conflicts with another device on the network

Answer

The network cable is faulty

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that cannot connect to the network. The technician sees that the Ethernet cable used is a crossover cable. The workstation's network adapter supports Auto-MDI/X. The switch port does not have any link light. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the lack of connectivity?

Accepted Answer

The switch does not support Auto-MDI/X. The switch port has no link light, indicating a physical layer issue. Since the workstation's NIC supports Auto-MDI/X, it can automatically correct for a crossover cable, but if the switch does not support Auto-MDI/X, the crossover cable will cause a transmit/receive mismatch, preventing link. This is the most likely reason because the cable type is known and the NIC can compensate, leaving the switch's lack of Auto-MDI/X as the culprit.

Answer

The crossover cable is faulty

Answer

The NIC driver is out of date

Answer

The cable length exceeds 100 meters

Question 6

A company uses a private cloud with 10 virtual servers running on a single hypervisor host. The VMs are configured with dynamic memory allocation. Recently, performance has degraded, and the hypervisor shows 90% memory utilization. The IT team wants to add two more VMs without purchasing additional hardware. Which of the following is the most likely limiting factor?

Accepted Answer

The total physical RAM installed in the host. The hypervisor shows 90% memory utilization, and dynamic memory allocation allows VMs to share physical RAM. Adding two more VMs without increasing physical memory will likely exhaust the host's RAM, causing excessive swapping or out-of-memory conditions. This makes total physical RAM the most likely limiting factor.

Answer

The hypervisor's CPU core count

Answer

The storage I/O bandwidth

Answer

The network interface card speed

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that intermittently loses network connectivity. The technician has replaced the network cable with a known-good cable and verified that the switch port link light is solid. The issue still occurs. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Update or reinstall the network adapter driver. Since the cable and switch port link light are verified good, the issue is likely software or driver-related. Updating or reinstalling the network adapter driver can resolve intermittent connectivity caused by driver corruption, power management conflicts, or incompatibility with the network stack. This is the next logical step after ruling out physical layer problems.

Answer

Check for an IP address conflict on the network

Answer

Change the DNS server settings on the PC

Answer

Adjust the firewall settings on the PC

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a laptop that will not display an image on its built-in screen. When the power button is pressed, the power LED turns on, the fan spins, and the technician can hear the Windows startup sound. Connecting an external monitor via HDMI shows the desktop correctly. The technician has already tried adjusting the screen brightness using the function keys, but there is no change. The laptop was working normally yesterday and was not dropped. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

The LCD cable connecting the motherboard to the display. The LCD cable (eDP or LVDS ribbon) connects the motherboard to the built-in display panel. Since the external monitor works perfectly via HDMI, the GPU is fully functional and generating video output. The fact that the power LED, fan, and Windows startup sound are all normal confirms the system boots successfully, isolating the fault to the internal display path — most commonly the LCD cable, which can fail due to flexing, pin damage, or a loose connection even without physical trauma.

Answer

The graphics processing unit (GPU) on the motherboard

Answer

The DC jack or power adapter

Answer

The hard drive or SSD

Question 9

A network technician is tasked with providing secure remote access for employees who work from home. The solution must encrypt all traffic between the remote devices and the corporate network and must allow the remote devices to access internal resources (e.g., file servers, intranet) as if they were directly connected to the office LAN. Which of the following technologies should the technician implement?

Accepted Answer

VPN. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the correct technology because it creates an encrypted tunnel (using protocols like IPSec, OpenVPN, or WireGuard) between the remote device and the corporate network. This ensures all traffic is encrypted in transit and the remote device receives a virtual IP on the corporate LAN, allowing seamless access to internal resources such as file servers and intranets as if directly connected.

Answer

VLAN

Answer

DMZ

Answer

Port forwarding

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a user's desktop computer that intermittently loses network connectivity. The issue occurs only when the building's central air conditioning (HVAC) system turns on. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable, the NIC (network interface card), and the switch port. The computer is connected to a surge protector and the power cabling is properly routed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the HVAC motor. The HVAC motor generates a strong electromagnetic field when it starts, which can induce current in nearby unshielded Ethernet cables, corrupting the data signal and causing intermittent connectivity. This is a classic example of electromagnetic interference (EMI), and the fact that the issue correlates precisely with the HVAC system turning on, combined with the replacement of the cable, NIC, and switch port, points directly to an external interference source.

Answer

IP address conflict due to DHCP lease expiration

Answer

Faulty switch port

Answer

DNS server unavailability

Question 11

A network administrator configures a small office with a router providing DHCP. A user's computer gets an IP address of 169.254.1.5. The user cannot access the internet. The technician checks the network cable and sees link lights. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is unreachable.. The IP address 169.254.1.5 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP discovery broadcast fails to receive a response. Since the router is configured to provide DHCP but the client ended up with an APIPA address, the DHCP server is unreachable — likely due to a misconfigured DHCP relay, a disabled DHCP service on the router, or a VLAN mismatch blocking the broadcast. The link lights confirm Layer 1 connectivity, so the issue is at Layer 3 or above.

Answer

Incorrect subnet mask.

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network.

Answer

DNS server misconfiguration.

Question 12

A network laser printer displays 'Replace imaging drum' on its control panel. The technician installs a new imaging drum, but the next day the message reappears and users report faded prints. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The drum was not reset after installation. The 'Replace imaging drum' message persists and prints are faded because the printer's maintenance counter for the drum unit was not reset after installing the new drum. Most laser printers track drum life via a page count or a rotation counter; replacing the physical drum without resetting this counter leaves the printer believing the old, worn drum is still installed, causing it to continue displaying the warning and potentially reducing toner transfer efficiency, leading to faded output.

Answer

The printer firmware is out of date

Answer

The toner cartridge is low

Answer

The main logic board is failing

Question 13

A network printer shows 'Offline' in the print queue on a user's Windows computer. The printer is powered on, has a link light on its network port, and other users on the same network can print to it without issues. The technician has already verified that the printer is online from its control panel. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Restart the Print Spooler service on the affected computer.. The Print Spooler service manages print jobs on a Windows computer. When a printer shows 'Offline' in the print queue despite being powered on, having a link light, and being accessible by other users, the issue is likely a local spooler hang or communication glitch. Restarting the Print Spooler service (via `net stop spooler` and `net start spooler` or the Services console) clears the spooler cache and re-establishes the connection to the printer, which is the simplest and least disruptive first step.

Answer

Change the printer’s IP address to a different static address.

Answer

Reinstall the network printer driver on the affected computer.

Answer

Replace the Ethernet cable connecting the printer to the switch.

Question 14

A small business has a 24-port PoE+ switch powering 12 IP cameras (each requiring 15W) and 8 VoIP phones (each requiring 6W). The switch has a PoE budget of 240W. A technician installs two additional IP cameras (each 15W) but they do not power on. The existing cameras and phones continue to work normally. The technician has verified the Ethernet cables are good and the ports are enabled. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch's PoE budget is exceeded by the additional cameras.. The switch has a PoE budget of 240W. The existing load is 12 cameras × 15W + 8 phones × 6W = 180W + 48W = 228W. Adding two more 15W cameras would require an additional 30W, totaling 258W, which exceeds the 240W budget. PoE switches use a power management algorithm to prioritize existing powered devices (PDs) and deny power to new ones when the budget is exceeded, which explains why the existing devices continue working while the new cameras do not power on.

Answer

The new cameras are connected with crossover cables instead of straight-through cables.

Answer

The new cameras are on a different VLAN that is not configured on the switch.

Answer

The DHCP server has run out of IP addresses in the scope.

Question 15

A network technician is troubleshooting a connectivity issue in a small office. A user's computer obtains an IP address starting with 169.254.x.x. The network uses DHCP from a router with IP 192.168.1.1. The technician checks the cable and sees the link light is on. The computer was working yesterday. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server has exhausted its IP pool. The 169.254.x.x address is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned by Windows when DHCP fails. Since the computer worked yesterday and the link light is on, the most likely cause is that the DHCP server's IP pool is exhausted, preventing new leases. This is a common scenario in small offices with limited IP ranges.

Answer

The DHCP server's IP address changed

Answer

The network cable is a crossover cable

Answer

The computer's network adapter is faulty