220-1101 Practice Questions 2 — 50 Questions

Question 1

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that shuts down unexpectedly when the user runs a 3D rendering application. The technician has already replaced the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-good unit of the same wattage, verified that all cooling fans are working, and checked that CPU and GPU temperatures remain within normal limits during the rendering process. The RAM passes a memory test. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Check the voltage output from the wall outlet. The technician has already replaced the PSU with a known-good unit of the same wattage, but the issue persists. This suggests that the problem may not be the PSU itself, but rather insufficient or unstable input power from the wall outlet. A voltage drop or brownout condition under load can cause the system to shut down unexpectedly, even if all components are functioning correctly. Checking the voltage output from the wall outlet with a multimeter is the logical next step to rule out an external power quality issue.

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Answer

Update the BIOS firmware

Answer

Replace the graphics card

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that shuts down unexpectedly when the user runs a 3D rendering application. The technician has already replaced the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-good unit of the same wattage, verified that all cooling fans are working, and checked that CPU and GPU temperatures remain within normal limits during the rendering process. The RAM passes a memory test. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

Use a fiber optic Ethernet cable and media converters. The large electric motor generates strong electromagnetic interference (EMI) when started. Shielded Cat6a cable reduces but does not eliminate EMI, and moving to a different circuit does not address radiated interference. Fiber optic cable is completely immune to EMI because it uses light pulses instead of electrical signals, making it the definitive solution for this environment.

Answer

Replace the network interface card with one that supports a higher level of error correction

Answer

Install a ferrite core on the Ethernet cable near the computer

Answer

Replace the power supply unit (PSU) of the computer with a model that has better electrical noise filtering

Question 3

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that cannot connect to the network. The link light on the network interface card is blinking amber, and the switch port shows no link light. The Ethernet cable run from the workstation to the patch panel is approximately 125 meters. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the connectivity issue?

Accepted Answer

The cable exceeds the maximum segment length for Ethernet.. The Ethernet cable run is 125 meters, which exceeds the IEEE 802.3 maximum segment length of 100 meters for twisted-pair copper cabling (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6). This distance causes signal attenuation and timing issues, preventing the switch port from establishing a link, as indicated by the absence of a link light on the switch and the amber blinking link light on the NIC (which often signals a physical-layer problem).

Answer

The cable is damaged near the connector.

Answer

The network switch is not providing PoE.

Answer

The workstation's NIC is set to a static IP address.

Question 4

A technician is installing network cabling for a new office. The office has a server room in the basement, and the technician needs to connect workstations on the 2nd floor, which is approximately 120 meters (394 feet) away. The required bandwidth is 1 Gbps. Which cabling type should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Multi-mode fiber. Multi-mode fiber, because the distance requirement of 120 meters exceeds the maximum segment length for twisted-pair copper cabling (Cat5e and Cat6), which is 100 meters for 1 Gbps. Multi-mode fiber supports distances up to 550 meters at 1 Gbps using 1000BASE-SX, making it the only viable option among the choices.

Answer

Cat5e

Answer

Cat6

Answer

Coaxial

Question 5

A technician is upgrading a desktop PC by adding two additional 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM sticks to an existing pair of 8GB DDR4-3200 sticks. After installation, the system powers on but does not POST; the fans spin and the power LED is on, but no display appears. The technician has reseated all four sticks and verified they are fully clicked into place. The original two sticks alone allow the system to boot normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The memory controller cannot handle the combined load of four dual-rank modules, causing memory training failure during POST.. The most likely cause is that the memory controller cannot handle the combined load of four dual-rank modules, leading to memory training failure during POST. With four dual-rank sticks, the electrical load on the memory bus increases significantly, which can prevent the system from completing the initial memory training sequence. This is a common issue on consumer platforms where the memory controller is optimized for two modules or single-rank configurations, and the original two sticks alone boot normally because they present a lighter load.

Answer

The new RAM sticks are of a different DDR generation (e.g., DDR3) and are not compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The motherboard does not support running four memory modules simultaneously; it only supports two modules in dual-channel mode.

Answer

The new RAM sticks are defective, as they do not match the speed of the original sticks.

Question 6

A company runs a critical application on a virtual machine (VM) in a public cloud. The application requires a static private IP address and persistent block storage that must be retained if the VM is replaced. Due to performance issues, the IT team needs to migrate the application to a new VM with more vCPUs and RAM. Which of the following actions will achieve this with minimal downtime while preserving the static IP and data?

Accepted Answer

C) Detach the persistent storage volume from the old VM, create a new VM with the desired resources, attach the volume, and assign the static IP to the new VM. It directly addresses the requirements: detaching the persistent block storage (e.g., a cloud volume like an EBS or persistent disk) preserves the data independently of the VM lifecycle, and assigning the static private IP to the new VM maintains network identity. This approach minimizes downtime by avoiding data transfer over the network and allows the new VM to be provisioned with the desired vCPUs and RAM while the old VM remains running until the cutover.

Answer

A) Create a new VM with the desired resources, then manually copy the application data over the network

Answer

B) Migrate the existing VM to a different physical host within the same cloud region

Answer

D) Take a snapshot of the current VM and deploy a new VM instance from that snapshot, then reconfigure the IP

Question 7

A user reports that their workstation cannot access the internet. The technician runs ipconfig and sees that the workstation has an IP address of 169.254.23.45 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The technician checks the network cable and link lights; they are normal. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is not responding. The IP address 169.254.23.45 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP server cannot be reached. Since the link lights are normal and the cable is not faulty, the most likely cause is that the DHCP server is not responding, preventing the workstation from obtaining a valid IP address.

Answer

The Ethernet cable is faulty

Answer

The DNS server is misconfigured

Answer

The default gateway is incorrect

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on, but the system emits three long beeps and does not display anything on the monitor. The technician has already reseated the RAM modules in their original slots. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test each RAM module individually, or swap with known good modules. Three long beeps during POST typically indicate a memory (RAM) failure. Since reseating the RAM in the original slots did not resolve the issue, the next logical step is to isolate the fault by testing each module individually or swapping with known good modules. This follows the standard troubleshooting methodology of component isolation before moving to more invasive steps.

Answer

Replace the power supply with a known good unit

Answer

Reseat the CPU and reapply thermal paste

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the battery

Question 9

A systems administrator manages a virtualized environment with a hypervisor hosting multiple virtual machines (VMs). A critical database VM experiences performance degradation during peak hours because other VMs consume a large amount of CPU resources. The administrator wants to ensure that the database VM always receives at least 2 vCPUs worth of processing power, regardless of the demand from other VMs. Which virtualization feature should the administrator configure?

Accepted Answer

Resource reservation. Resource reservation guarantees a minimum amount of CPU capacity (in MHz or vCPUs) to a specific VM, ensuring the database VM always has at least 2 vCPUs worth of processing power even when other VMs are highly active. This feature is configured on the hypervisor (e.g., VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V) and prevents resource starvation by reserving physical CPU cycles for that VM.

Answer

Load balancing

Answer

CPU affinity

Answer

Dynamic memory allocation

Question 10

A user reports that their smartphone emits no sound from the bottom speaker (used for speakerphone and media playback). The earpiece works during phone calls, and audio through wired headphones is normal. The volume is turned up and the phone is not in silent mode. The technician has verified that the software audio settings are correct. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Bottom speaker. The bottom speaker is the dedicated transducer for speakerphone and media playback audio. Since the earpiece (top speaker) and wired headphone output both work correctly, the audio codec and signal path are intact up to the bottom speaker's amplifier or voice coil. A failure of the bottom speaker itself—such as an open voice coil, torn diaphragm, or corroded contacts—would selectively silence only that output while leaving all other audio paths functional.

Answer

Audio codec chip

Answer

Battery

Answer

Proximity sensor

Question 11

A user reports that their desktop computer intermittently freezes and emits a series of beeps (one long, three short) during the boot process. The technician opens the case and notes that the CPU fan spins, but the system does not POST. The technician swaps the RAM modules with known-good modules from another identical system, but the issue persists. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Graphics card (GPU). The beep code of one long followed by three short beeps is a standard AMI BIOS POST code indicating a video card or memory error. Since the RAM has already been swapped with known-good modules and the issue persists, the most likely faulty component is the graphics card (GPU). The CPU fan spinning confirms power is reaching the motherboard, but the system failing to POST points to a critical component failure, and the GPU is the next logical suspect after eliminating RAM.

Answer

Motherboard

Answer

CPU

Answer

CMOS battery

Question 12

A user reports that the touchscreen on their smartphone is unresponsive in a vertical strip approximately one inch wide, running from the top to the bottom of the screen. All other areas of the screen respond correctly to touch. The user has cleaned the screen and removed the screen protector. The phone has not been dropped or exposed to liquid. Which of the following components is MOST likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

Digitizer failure. The digitizer is the layer responsible for detecting touch input. A vertical strip of unresponsiveness, without any impact or liquid damage, indicates a localized failure of the digitizer's grid of electrodes, often caused by a manufacturing defect or internal crack in the digitizer layer itself. The LCD panel remains functional because the display still shows images correctly in that area.

Answer

LCD panel failure

Answer

Software glitch

Answer

Battery swelling

Question 13

A technician is upgrading the RAM in a desktop computer. After installing two new identical DDR4 modules into the appropriate slots, the computer powers on but does not display any video and emits a series of short beeps. The technician verifies that the modules are compatible with the motherboard and are firmly seated. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test the modules one at a time. The series of short beeps indicates a memory-related POST failure. Since the modules are compatible and seated correctly, the most likely issue is a defective module or a slot problem. Testing each module individually in a known-good slot isolates the faulty component without introducing unnecessary variables.

Answer

Replace the power supply

Answer

Replace the CPU

Answer

Update the BIOS

Question 14

A company hosts its e-commerce website on a public cloud platform. During a marketing campaign, the website experiences a sudden, unplanned spike in traffic. The cloud environment automatically provisions additional virtual servers to handle the load and later decommissions them when traffic returns to normal. This capability is BEST described by which cloud computing characteristic?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. Elasticity is the cloud computing characteristic that enables automatic scaling of resources up or down based on demand. In this scenario, the cloud platform provisions additional virtual servers during a traffic spike and decommissions them when traffic normalizes, which is the precise definition of elasticity. This differs from high availability, which focuses on uptime through redundancy, not dynamic scaling.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Fault tolerance

Answer

Disaster recovery

Question 15

A small office has a network with a router providing DHCP. A user's computer can access the internet but cannot print to a network printer by its IP address. Other computers on the same network can print to the printer. The technician pings the printer's IP from the affected computer and gets a response. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Printer's port configuration on the computer (e.g., RAW vs LPR). Since the ping succeeds, Layer 3 connectivity to the printer is confirmed, ruling out network cabling and basic IP issues. The problem is specific to the print service on the affected computer, and the most common cause is an incorrect port configuration (e.g., using RAW port 9100 when the printer expects LPR on port 515, or vice versa). This mismatch prevents the print job from being accepted even though the printer is reachable.

Answer

Printer driver installation

Answer

Windows Firewall on the computer

Answer

Network cable between switch and printer

Question 16

A user reports that their wired desktop computer intermittently loses network connectivity. The technician checks the Ethernet cable and observes that it is not securely clicked into the NIC port. The cable appears undamaged and the connector is intact. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Loose cable connection. The technician observed that the Ethernet cable is not securely clicked into the NIC port. A loose physical connection at the RJ45 connector can cause intermittent link drops because the electrical contacts may momentarily lose continuity, triggering a link flap. This is the most direct cause given the cable and connector appear undamaged.

Answer

Faulty switch port

Answer

Incorrect IP address

Answer

DHCP server issue

Question 17

A user's Android smartphone was dropped, causing the glass to shatter. The display still shows images correctly, and touch input works in most areas except for a small region near the top-left corner. The user wants to back up all internal data before taking the phone to a repair shop. Which of the following is the BEST method for the technician to back up the device's data immediately?

Accepted Answer

Use a USB-OTG adapter to connect a mouse. A USB-OTG (On-The-Go) adapter allows the technician to connect a physical mouse to the Android device, providing an alternative input method to navigate the partially broken touchscreen. This enables the user to unlock the phone, access settings, and initiate a backup (e.g., to cloud storage or a connected USB drive) without needing the damaged touch area. It is the fastest and most reliable method when the display is still functional but touch input is compromised in a small region.

Answer

The device cannot be backed up until the screen is replaced

Answer

Use ADB from a computer, assuming USB debugging is already enabled

Answer

Remove the microSD card and copy data via a card reader

Question 18

A user in a small office reports that their laptop cannot connect to the corporate Wi-Fi network. Other devices in the same area connect without issue. The laptop can connect to the internet when plugged into the wired Ethernet port. The technician checks the wireless adapter status and sees it is enabled and shows available networks, but the corporate SSID is not listed. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The wireless network is configured for 5 GHz only, and the laptop only supports 2.4 GHz.. The corporate SSID is not listed on the laptop, but other devices connect fine, indicating the network exists and is reachable. If the network is configured for 5 GHz only and the laptop only supports 2.4 GHz, the laptop will not see the SSID because it cannot tune to the 5 GHz frequency band during passive or active scanning. This matches the symptom of a missing SSID while the adapter is otherwise functional.

Answer

The laptop's MAC address is not allowed on the wireless network.

Answer

The wireless router is not broadcasting the SSID.

Answer

The laptop's Wi-Fi antenna is disconnected inside the case.

Question 19

A user reports that their Android smartphone will not charge when connected to a USB-C cable. The user has tried multiple chargers and cables, all of which work fine with other devices. The phone's battery is nearly empty. The technician inspects the phone's USB-C port and sees no visible damage. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Gently clean the USB-C port with a toothpick or non-conductive tool. The most common cause of a device not charging despite functional cables and chargers is debris or lint compacted inside the USB-C port. Gently cleaning with a non-conductive tool (like a toothpick or plastic pick) can remove the obstruction without damaging the delicate pins, restoring electrical contact. This is a quick, non-invasive first step before any hardware replacement.

Answer

Perform a factory reset on the phone

Answer

Replace the battery

Answer

Replace the USB-C charging port assembly

Question 20

A user reports that their Android smartphone's battery drains very quickly even when the phone is not being used. The technician checks the battery usage statistics and sees that the screen is consuming a high percentage of power, but the screen is off during most of the idle time. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

A rogue app preventing the phone from sleeping. When the screen is off but still consuming high power in battery statistics, it indicates the device is not entering a proper deep sleep state. A rogue app can hold a partial wake lock (e.g., via Android's PowerManager.WakeLock API) preventing the CPU from suspending, causing the screen subsystem to remain active or the display to be falsely reported as the power consumer. This is the most likely cause because the battery drain occurs during idle periods with the screen physically off.

Answer

A faulty battery

Answer

The screen brightness set too high

Answer

Malware infected the phone