220-1101 Practice Exam 51 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A technician installs a new high-end graphics card into a desktop computer. The card requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The existing power supply unit (PSU) has two 6+2-pin PCIe cables, both of which are connected properly. After installation, the computer powers on, all fans spin (including the GPU fans), but the monitor shows a 'No Signal' message. The technician has verified that the card is seated fully in the PCIe x16 slot, the monitor is connected to the GPU's display output, and the monitor works with another computer. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

The power supply unit (PSU) does not have enough total wattage to power the GPU. The GPU requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, each capable of delivering up to 150W. The 6+2-pin cables are physically compatible and properly connected, but the PSU may lack sufficient total wattage or adequate amperage on the +12V rail to meet the GPU's peak power demands. When the GPU attempts to draw more power than the PSU can supply, it may fail to initialize properly, resulting in a 'No Signal' output even though fans spin (low-power components still receive enough power).

Answer

The motherboard's PCIe slot is disabled in BIOS

Answer

The graphics card is defective

Answer

The display driver is not installed

Question 2

A company runs a critical database application on a virtual machine (VM) hosted on a Type 1 hypervisor. During peak business hours, other VMs on the same host consume large amounts of CPU and memory, causing the database VM to experience performance degradation. The administrator wants to ensure the database VM always receives at least 4 GB of RAM and 2 vCPUs of processing power, even when other VMs are competing for resources. Which virtualization feature should the administrator configure?

Accepted Answer

Resource reservation. Resource reservation guarantees that a specific VM always receives a minimum amount of CPU and memory resources, even when other VMs on the same host compete for those resources. In this scenario, setting a reservation of 4 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs ensures the database VM never falls below that threshold, preventing performance degradation during peak usage.

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

High availability

Answer

Elasticity

Question 3

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the CPU, RAM, motherboard, and power supply, the system powers on for approximately 3 seconds and then shuts off completely. The CPU fan begins to spin and then stops along with the system. The technician rechecks all connections and they appear secure. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU power connector (EPS12V) is not fully inserted. The EPS12V connector supplies dedicated power to the CPU. If it is not fully inserted, the CPU will not receive power, causing the system to start briefly (as other components power up) and then shut down when the CPU fails to initialize. This matches the symptom of the CPU fan spinning and then stopping with the system.

Answer

The CPU is not compatible with the motherboard BIOS version

Answer

The motherboard is not properly grounded to the case

Answer

The power supply unit (PSU) has insufficient wattage

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that powers on. The case fans and power supply fan spin, but the monitor displays 'No Signal' and the keyboard and mouse do not light up. No beep codes are heard. Which component is MOST likely causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

Failed RAM. The absence of beep codes, combined with spinning fans but no POST (Power-On Self-Test) progression, indicates that the CPU is receiving power and the motherboard is powered on, but the system is halting before it can initialize the keyboard, mouse, or video output. RAM is the most common cause of a 'no POST' scenario because the motherboard's firmware cannot complete memory training or integrity checks without functional RAM, causing it to hang silently with no beep codes if the speaker is not connected or the board lacks a built-in speaker.

Answer

Failed CPU

Answer

Failed graphics card

Answer

Faulty power supply

Question 5

A company is migrating its on-premises web servers to the cloud. They want to maintain full control over the operating system, web server software, and security configurations, but they do not want to manage the underlying physical hardware, storage, or network infrastructure. Which cloud service model best meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, allowing the company to deploy and manage their own operating systems, web server software, and security configurations while the cloud provider handles the underlying physical hardware, storage, and network infrastructure. This matches the requirement for full control over the OS and software stack without managing physical components.

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 6

A user reports that their desktop monitor displays 'No Signal' after the user moved the desk. The technician observes that the monitor's power LED is on, the computer's fans are spinning, and the power light on the PC case is lit. The video cable (HDMI) is securely connected at both ends. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the monitor's input source setting. The monitor's power LED is on and the HDMI cable is securely connected, but the screen shows 'No Signal'. This indicates the monitor is receiving power but not detecting a video input. The most likely cause after moving the desk is that the monitor's input source setting changed (e.g., from HDMI to DisplayPort or VGA) due to accidental button presses during the move. Checking and correcting the input source is the quickest, non-invasive step before replacing hardware.

Answer

Replace the video card

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules

Answer

Test the HDMI cable with a known-good device

Question 7

A company runs a web application on a virtual machine (VM) in a public cloud. The application experiences a sudden spike in traffic lasting about 45 minutes every day at lunchtime. The VM currently has 4 vCPUs and 8 GB of RAM, which is sufficient for normal traffic but causes slow response times during the spike. The company wants to ensure the application performs well during spikes without permanently upgrading the VM to larger resources. Which cloud characteristic should the administrator use to meet this requirement?

Accepted Answer

Elasticity. Elasticity is the correct cloud characteristic because it allows the VM to automatically scale resources up during the 45-minute lunchtime traffic spike and scale back down afterward, matching demand without manual intervention. This ensures performance during the spike while avoiding the cost of a permanent upgrade, as the VM can dynamically adjust vCPUs and RAM based on predefined policies or metrics like CPU utilization.

Answer

Scalability

Answer

Metered service

Answer

High availability

Question 8

A small business wants to deploy a customer relationship management (CRM) application for its sales team. The company wants to avoid managing servers, operating systems, or application patches. The sales team needs to access the CRM through a web browser from any device. The company prefers a monthly subscription model based on the number of users. Which cloud service model BEST fits these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS). The company wants to avoid managing servers, operating systems, or application patches, and needs browser-based access with a monthly subscription per user. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers a fully managed application over the internet, where the provider handles all infrastructure, platform, and software maintenance, exactly matching these requirements.

Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 9

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer with a new CPU. The motherboard uses an LGA1700 socket, and the technician installs an Intel Core i7-12700K CPU correctly, lowering the retention arm without force. The system powers on, the fans spin, but the monitor remains black and there are no POST beeps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A. The CPU is not supported by the current motherboard BIOS version. The Intel Core i7-12700K (Alder Lake) requires a motherboard with an LGA1700 socket and a BIOS that supports 12th-gen CPUs. If the motherboard's BIOS was manufactured before the CPU's release, it may lack the microcode needed to initialize the processor, resulting in a black screen and no POST beeps despite power and fan activity.

Answer

B. The CPU cooler is not installed

Answer

C. The RAM is incompatible with the new CPU

Answer

D. The power supply is insufficient

Question 10

A user reports that their iPhone cannot send iMessages to another iPhone user. Text messages (SMS) to the same contact work normally. The user has a strong cellular data connection and iMessage is enabled in Settings. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

The recipient's phone number is registered with Apple's iMessage service. iMessage relies on Apple's push notification service (APNs) and requires the recipient's phone number to be registered with Apple's iMessage servers. If the recipient's number is not registered, the iPhone will fall back to SMS for that contact, but since SMS works normally, the issue is specifically that the recipient's number is not associated with iMessage. The strong cellular data connection confirms that the network path to Apple's servers is functional, so the first logical check is the recipient's iMessage registration status.

Answer

The user's iPhone has Do Not Disturb enabled

Answer

The user's iPhone is updated to the latest iOS version

Answer

The network operator's MMS settings (APN) are correctly configured

Question 11

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 12

A user reports that their smartphone's touchscreen is unresponsive in a small area near the bottom-left corner after dropping the device. The screen is not cracked, and the display still shows images correctly in that area. The technician has already performed a soft reset and verified that no screen protector is interfering. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

A. The digitizer layer is damaged. The digitizer layer is the component responsible for detecting touch input. When a smartphone is dropped, the digitizer can sustain localized damage—such as a cracked or delaminated sensor grid—even if the display (LCD/OLED) remains intact and shows images correctly. The unresponsive area in the bottom-left corner, combined with normal image display, points directly to a damaged digitizer rather than the LCD panel.

Answer

B. The LCD panel is cracked internally

Answer

C. The battery is swollen and pressing against the screen

Answer

D. The screen resolution settings are incorrect

Question 13

A workstation has an APIPA address beginning with 169.254 after being moved to a new office. Other users in the office can access the network. What is the most likely issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation did not receive an address from DHCP. The APIPA address (169.254.x.x) is automatically assigned by the operating system when a DHCP server is unreachable. Since other users in the office can access the network, the DHCP server is functioning, so the issue is specific to this workstation's inability to obtain a DHCP lease—likely due to a faulty cable, port, or NIC configuration.

Answer

The printer driver is missing

Answer

The monitor refresh rate is unsupported

Answer

DNS resolution is working normally

Question 14

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that has intermittent network connectivity. The link light on the NIC is blinking, but the workstation frequently loses connection for several seconds at a time. The technician notices the patch cable runs along the ceiling near a fluorescent light fixture. The cable is an unshielded Cat5e cable. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the intermittent issue?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the fluorescent light is corrupting the signal on the unshielded cable.. The blinking link light indicates the NIC is detecting a carrier signal, but intermittent connectivity points to signal corruption. Unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) Cat5e cable lacks a metallic shield, making it susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Fluorescent light fixtures generate significant EMI, which can corrupt the differential signaling on the cable, causing packet loss and brief disconnections.

Answer

The cable is terminated incorrectly, causing intermittent shorts.

Answer

The cable run exceeds the maximum length for Cat5e (100 meters).

Answer

The workstation's NIC is failing and needs to be replaced.

Question 15

A technician is building a new PC using an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X CPU and an Asus TUF GAMING B550-PLUS motherboard. After installing all components, the system powers on, the CPU and GPU fans spin, but the monitor remains black and there are no POST beeps. The technician has already reseated the RAM and GPU, and verified that the 8-pin EPS12V power connector is connected. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard BIOS needs to be updated to support the Ryzen 5 5600X. The Ryzen 5 5600X is based on the Zen 3 architecture, which requires a BIOS version that supports AGESA ComboV2 1.1.0.0 or later. The Asus TUF GAMING B550-PLUS motherboard may ship with an older BIOS that only supports Zen 2 (Ryzen 3000 series) CPUs. Without the updated BIOS, the motherboard cannot initialize the CPU, resulting in a black screen and no POST beeps despite fans spinning.

Answer

The power supply unit wattage is insufficient for the CPU and GPU

Answer

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

Answer

The CPU cooler is not making proper contact with the CPU

Question 16

A company hosts its e-commerce application on a public cloud provider. The architecture includes identical virtual server instances in two geographically separate data centers. A global load balancer monitors the health of each data center. If an entire data center becomes unavailable due to a natural disaster, the load balancer automatically redirects all traffic to the remaining healthy data center. The application continues to run without any manual intervention. This capability is BEST described by which cloud characteristic?

Accepted Answer

High availability. High availability (HA) is the correct answer because the architecture uses redundant virtual server instances across two geographically separate data centers with a global load balancer that automatically redirects traffic when an entire data center fails. This design ensures the application remains accessible without manual intervention, which is the defining characteristic of high availability — minimizing downtime through redundancy and automated failover.

Answer

Rapid elasticity

Answer

Measured service

Answer

Resource pooling

Question 17

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that randomly powers off. The event log shows a critical error: Kernel-Power 41. The power supply unit (PSU) fan is spinning, and the CPU cooler fan is also spinning. All cables appear connected. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check for a faulty power supply using a multimeter. The Kernel-Power 41 error indicates an unexpected shutdown, often caused by a failing power supply. Even though the PSU fan spins, it may not deliver stable voltages under load. Using a multimeter to check the PSU's output voltages (e.g., +3.3V, +5V, +12V) is the correct next step to isolate the issue before replacing components.

Answer

Replace the CPU

Answer

Reinstall the operating system

Answer

Update the BIOS firmware

Question 18

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer with a new dedicated graphics card. After installation, the computer powers on, the GPU fans spin, but the monitor displays a 'No Signal' message. The monitor is known to be working, and the technician has confirmed the card is properly seated in the PCIe x16 slot and the PCIe power connectors are securely attached. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify the display cable is connected to the GPU and not the motherboard. The most common reason for a 'No Signal' message after installing a dedicated GPU is that the display cable is still connected to the motherboard's integrated graphics port instead of the new GPU's output ports. The motherboard's video outputs are typically disabled when a discrete GPU is detected, so the monitor receives no signal from that source. Since the GPU fans spin and power connections are secure, the next logical step is to verify the physical display connection.

Answer

Replace the GPU in a different PCIe slot

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher wattage unit

Question 19

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop workstation that can successfully ping other local devices and the default gateway by IP address, but cannot access any websites when browsing with a web browser. The workstation obtains its IP configuration automatically via DHCP. The technician confirms that the DHCP server is providing a valid DNS server address and that other workstations on the same network can browse the internet normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation is configured to use a proxy server that is not available. The workstation can ping local devices and the default gateway by IP address, confirming that Layer 2/3 connectivity (ARP, IP routing) is functional. However, it cannot browse websites, which requires DNS resolution (UDP/TCP port 53) and HTTP/HTTPS traffic (TCP ports 80/443). Since other workstations on the same network browse normally, the issue is isolated to this workstation. A misconfigured proxy server (e.g., set in browser or system proxy settings) can intercept or block web traffic, preventing access to websites even when DNS and IP connectivity are working.

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

Incorrect subnet mask configured by DHCP

Answer

The workstation's DNS client cache is corrupted

Question 20

A user's workstation is unable to access the internet. The technician runs ipconfig and sees an IP address of 169.254.1.15 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is not responding.. The IP address 169.254.1.15 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP client fails to receive an IP lease from a DHCP server. This indicates that the DHCP server is not responding to the client's DHCP Discover messages, causing the client to self-assign an APIPA address and lose internet connectivity.

Answer

The default gateway is unreachable.

Answer

The DNS server is misconfigured.

Answer

The IP address is statically assigned.