220-1101 Practice Exam 52 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A company hosts a critical database server on-premises. They want to migrate to a cloud solution that allows them to retain full administrative control over the operating system, database software, and security patches, but they do not want to manage the physical server hardware, rack space, or network cabling. Which cloud service model should they choose?

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

Accepted Answer

IaaS. IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is the correct choice because it provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, including virtual machines, storage, and networking. The customer retains full administrative control over the operating system, database software, and security patches, while the cloud provider manages the physical server hardware, rack space, and network cabling. This matches the requirement of full OS and application control without physical infrastructure management.

Answer

PaaS

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SaaS

Answer

DaaS

Question 2

A company runs a private cloud for its internal applications. During peak business hours, the IT team notices that some virtual machines (VMs) become slow due to high CPU and memory demand. The team wants the cloud infrastructure to automatically increase resources to the VMs when demand spikes and reduce them when demand drops, without manual intervention. Which cloud computing characteristic BEST describes this capability?

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. Rapid elasticity is the cloud characteristic that enables automatic, seamless scaling of resources (such as CPU and memory) up or down in response to demand spikes or drops, without manual intervention. In this scenario, the private cloud infrastructure must dynamically allocate additional compute capacity to VMs during peak hours and reduce it when demand subsides, which is the precise definition of rapid elasticity. This is typically implemented through orchestration tools like VMware vSphere DRS or OpenStack Heat, which monitor utilization metrics and trigger scaling actions via APIs.

Answer

Resource pooling

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Measured service

Answer

On-demand self-service

Question 3

A technician is setting up a small office network with a router that has integrated DHCP and a 24-port unmanaged switch. All computers are connected to the switch. Users report that they can access the internet but cannot see each other in Network Neighborhood. The technician checks and finds that all computers have IP addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range but with different subnet masks: some have 255.255.255.0, others have 255.255.0.0. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is not assigning the correct subnet mask.. The DHCP server is configured to hand out IP addresses in the 192.168.1.0/24 range, but it is assigning inconsistent subnet masks (some /24, some /16). This causes computers with different subnet masks to calculate different network portions of their IP addresses, preventing them from seeing each other in Network Neighborhood even though they can reach the internet through the router's default gateway.

Answer

The switch is not forwarding broadcasts.

Answer

The router's firewall is blocking local traffic.

Answer

The computers are using different default gateways.

Question 4

A user's Android smartphone is running hot to the touch and the battery drains significantly faster than usual, even when the phone is idle. The technician checks the battery health using a diagnostic app, which reports it as 'Good'. The user has not installed any new apps recently. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

A background application or system process is consuming excessive CPU resources.. A background application or system process consuming excessive CPU resources is the most likely cause because high CPU usage generates heat and drains the battery rapidly, even when the phone is idle. The diagnostic app reporting battery health as 'Good' rules out a failing battery, and the absence of new app installations suggests a rogue system process or an existing app misbehaving. Android's process management can allow apps to run background services that spike CPU usage without user awareness, leading to thermal and power symptoms.

Answer

The charging port is shorted, causing continuous power draw.

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The power button is stuck in the pressed position, keeping the screen on.

Answer

The device has been infected with malware that mines cryptocurrency.

Question 5

A network laser printer prints garbled pages when receiving print jobs from one specific user's computer, but prints correctly from all other computers on the same network. The printer has a static IP address and is connected via an unmanaged switch. The technician can ping the printer from the affected computer without any packet loss. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The printer driver on the affected computer is corrupted. The printer prints garbled pages only from one specific computer, while other computers on the same network print correctly. This points to a local software issue on that computer rather than a network or printer hardware problem. A corrupted printer driver can cause the print data to be encoded incorrectly, resulting in garbled output, even though network connectivity (ping) is fine.

Answer

The network cable from the affected computer to the switch is faulty

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The print spooler service on the affected computer is stopped

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The USB port on the motherboard of the affected computer is malfunctioning

Question 6

A system administrator needs to add a new virtual hard disk to a running virtual machine without powering it off. The hypervisor supports this capability. Which feature should the administrator use?

Accepted Answer

Hot plug. Hot plug (also called hot add) allows a system administrator to add a virtual hard disk to a running virtual machine without powering it off, provided the hypervisor and guest OS support it. This feature leverages the SCSI or SATA hot-plug capability, enabling the virtual controller to detect and enumerate the new disk dynamically. It is commonly used in VMware vSphere and Hyper-V environments to expand storage without downtime.

Answer

Snapshots

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Thin provisioning

Answer

Live migration

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that lost network connectivity after a lightning storm. The workstation's Ethernet link light on both the NIC and the switch port is solid, but the workstation cannot access any network resources. The technician can ping 127.0.0.1 successfully. When pinging the default gateway (192.168.1.1), the request times out. The technician connects a known-good laptop to the same switch port and cable, and the laptop accesses the network normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The lightning storm damaged the NIC, causing it to fail at the data link layer while maintaining a physical link.. The solid link light indicates a physical layer (Layer 1) connection is established, and the successful ping to 127.0.0.1 confirms the TCP/IP stack is functioning. However, the inability to ping the default gateway, combined with a known-good laptop working on the same port and cable, isolates the fault to the workstation's NIC. The most likely cause is that the lightning storm damaged the NIC at the data link layer (Layer 2), allowing link pulses (Layer 1) to pass but corrupting frame processing, which prevents successful ARP and IP communication.

Answer

The workstation's IP address is statically configured with an incorrect subnet mask.

Answer

The switch port is configured with the incorrect VLAN, but the link light remains on because the switch port is up.

Answer

The workstation's network cable is faulty and only passes link pulses but not data frames.

Question 8

A technician is installing additional RAM into a desktop computer. After installation, the computer powers on but emits a series of long beeps and does not display any video. The technician verifies that the new RAM module is the correct type (DDR4) for the motherboard and that it is listed on the motherboard's QVL. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the beep code?

Accepted Answer

The RAM module is not fully seated in the DIMM slot. The series of long beeps is a standard BIOS POST (Power-On Self-Test) code indicating a memory error. The most common cause after installing RAM is that the module is not fully seated in the DIMM slot, causing poor electrical contact. Even if the RAM is the correct type and on the QVL, an incomplete insertion will prevent the system from initializing memory and displaying video.

Answer

The RAM frequency is too high for the CPU's memory controller

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The RAM module is installed in the wrong memory channel

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The RAM voltage is set too low in the BIOS

Question 9

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD into a desktop computer. The system boots into Windows, and the SSD is detected in the BIOS/UEFI. However, the drive does not appear in File Explorer. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Initialize the disk in Disk Management. The SSD is detected in the BIOS/UEFI, which confirms the hardware is recognized and the M.2 slot is enabled. The drive does not appear in File Explorer because Windows requires the disk to be initialized (with a partition table like GPT or MBR) and have a volume created before it can be assigned a drive letter and appear in File Explorer. The first step is to open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) and initialize the disk, which writes a protective partition table and makes the disk available for partitioning and formatting.

Answer

Enable the M.2 slot in the BIOS settings

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Update the chipset drivers

Answer

Format the drive using the command prompt

Question 10

A technician is upgrading a workstation used for graphic design. The user wants to improve application load times and file transfer speeds for large design files. The current system has a single 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive. The motherboard has an available M.2 slot that supports PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA modes, and two available SATA III ports. Which upgrade will provide the MOST noticeable performance improvement?

Accepted Answer

Add a 500 GB M.2 NVMe SSD and migrate the OS and applications to it. The M.2 NVMe SSD uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, which provides significantly higher sequential read/write speeds (up to 3,500 MB/s) compared to a SATA III SSD (up to 550 MB/s) or a 7200 RPM HDD (around 160 MB/s). By migrating the OS and applications to the NVMe drive, the technician directly reduces application load times and accelerates file transfer operations for large design files, offering the most noticeable performance improvement.

Answer

Replace the hard drive with a 2 TB 7200 RPM hard drive

Answer

Add a second 1 TB hard drive and configure RAID 0

Answer

Add a 1 TB SATA SSD and keep the existing hard drive for storage

Question 11

A user reports that their desktop computer is experiencing very slow network performance. The technician runs a speed test and gets only 10 Mbps download speed, while other devices on the same network achieve 500 Mbps. The technician checks the network adapter settings in the operating system and sees that 'Speed & Duplex' is manually set to '10 Mbps Half Duplex'. Which of the following should the technician do to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Change the Speed & Duplex setting to 'Auto-Negotiation'. The issue is that the network adapter is manually locked to '10 Mbps Half Duplex', which forces a 10 Mbps connection even though the network infrastructure supports much higher speeds. Changing the setting to 'Auto-Negotiation' allows the adapter to automatically negotiate the highest mutually supported speed and duplex mode with the switch or router, restoring the expected 500 Mbps throughput.

Answer

Replace the Ethernet cable with a Cat5e cable

Answer

Update the network adapter driver

Answer

Disable and re-enable the network adapter

Question 12

A user notices that the back cover of their Android smartphone is slightly bulging and the screen is lifting from the frame. The phone still turns on and functions normally. Which of the following actions should the technician recommend FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Power off the phone and replace the battery. The bulging back cover and screen lifting indicate a swollen lithium-ion battery, which is a critical safety hazard. The correct first action is to power off the phone immediately to prevent electrical short circuits or thermal runaway, and then replace the battery to eliminate the risk of fire or explosion.

Answer

Place the phone in a freezer to reduce swelling

Answer

Continue using the phone but monitor the swelling daily

Answer

Use a clamp to press the screen back into place

Question 13

A technician replaced the power supply unit (PSU) in a desktop PC. After installation, the system does not power on at all—no fans spin and no LEDs light up. The technician confirms that the PSU is plugged into a known-good wall outlet and the PSU's power switch is in the 'ON' position. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the front panel power button connector is properly attached to the motherboard header. The most likely cause of a completely dead system after a PSU replacement is a loose or incorrectly connected front panel power button header. The power button connector bridges two pins on the motherboard header to signal the power-on event; if it is not seated properly, the system will not respond to the button press, even with a functional PSU. Since the PSU is plugged into a known-good outlet and its switch is on, the next logical step is to verify this low-voltage signal path before testing the PSU itself.

Answer

Test the PSU with a multimeter to ensure the voltages are correct

Answer

Swap the PSU for a different unit to rule out a defective power supply

Answer

Check the motherboard CPU power connector (EPS12V) for proper seating

Question 14

A technician is installing a new power supply unit (PSU) into a desktop computer. The PSU has a 4+4 pin CPU power connector, but the motherboard only has a 4-pin CPU power header. Which of the following steps should the technician take to properly connect the CPU power?

Accepted Answer

Separate the connector into two 4-pin sections and connect one section to the motherboard. The 4+4 pin CPU power connector is designed to be split into two 4-pin sections for compatibility with motherboards that have either a 4-pin or an 8-pin CPU power header. Since the motherboard only has a 4-pin header, the technician should separate the connector and connect one 4-pin section to the header, ensuring proper power delivery to the CPU without overloading or damaging the connector.

Answer

Connect the full 8-pin connector to the 4-pin header

Answer

Use a 24-pin to 4-pin adapter

Answer

Leave the CPU power unconnected because the motherboard can draw power from the 24-pin connector

Question 15

A technician is upgrading a gaming desktop with a new high-end graphics card that requires additional power. After installing the card and connecting the PCIe power cables from the 500W power supply, the system powers on but there is no display output when the monitor is connected to the graphics card. However, when the monitor is connected to the motherboard's integrated graphics port, the system boots normally. The technician has verified that the graphics card is properly seated and the PCIe power connectors are fully inserted. What is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The power supply does not provide enough wattage for the graphics card. The most likely cause is that the 500W power supply does not provide enough wattage for the new high-end graphics card. High-end GPUs often have a high peak power draw that can exceed the total capacity of a 500W PSU, especially when the rest of the system (CPU, drives, fans) is also drawing power. When the GPU does not receive sufficient power, it may fail to initialize and output a display signal, even though the system powers on and the integrated graphics work fine.

Answer

The graphics card is not fully seated in the PCIe slot

Answer

The monitor cable is faulty

Answer

The motherboard PCIe slot is damaged

Question 16

A cloud administrator can log into a web portal at any time, day or night, and immediately provision a new virtual server with the desired resources without having to contact the cloud provider's support team or wait for approval. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario BEST describe?

Accepted Answer

On-demand self-service. The scenario describes on-demand self-service because the cloud administrator can provision a virtual server instantly via a web portal without human interaction. This characteristic, defined by NIST SP 800-145, allows users to automatically configure computing resources as needed, eliminating the need for manual approval or support tickets.

Answer

Broad network access

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Measured service

Question 17

A user's smartphone has a cracked screen. The touch display still works partially, but there are areas where touch is unresponsive. The phone's LCD is intact, with no dead pixels or discoloration. Which component most likely needs to be replaced?

Accepted Answer

The digitizer. The digitizer is the touch-sensitive layer that registers touch input. Since the LCD is intact and displays correctly, the unresponsive touch areas indicate a damaged digitizer, not the display panel. Replacing the digitizer restores full touch functionality.

Answer

The battery

Answer

The LCD panel

Answer

The front-facing camera

Question 18

A user reports that their smartphone's touch screen is unresponsive. The technician observes that the screen is cracked and has visible black spots. The phone still powers on and the physical buttons work. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Digitizer. The digitizer is the layer responsible for converting touch input into electrical signals. A cracked screen with visible black spots indicates physical damage to the digitizer layer, which directly causes unresponsiveness to touch. The LCD display may still function (showing an image) even when the digitizer is broken, which matches the symptom of the phone powering on and physical buttons working.

Answer

LCD display

Answer

Battery

Answer

Motherboard

Question 19

A user reports that their Android smartphone displays 'No SIM card - Emergency calls only' even though the SIM is properly inserted. The technician removes the SIM and inserts it into another compatible phone, where it works perfectly. The technician then inserts a known-working SIM from another phone into the original device, which still shows 'No SIM card.' Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The SIM slot contacts are damaged or dirty. Since the known-working SIM also fails in the original device, the fault is isolated to the device's SIM interface. Damaged or dirty SIM slot contacts can prevent the electrical connection needed for the phone to detect the SIM, even though the SIM itself is functional. This is the most likely cause because the SIM works in another phone and the original phone fails with any SIM.

Answer

The SIM card tray is upside down

Answer

The IMEI number is corrupted in software

Answer

The phone's baseband firmware needs to be updated

Question 20

A user reports that their Android smartphone's battery drains very quickly during normal use and the phone feels unusually warm, especially near the back panel. The technician has already tested the charging cable and power adapter with another device and they work correctly. Which of the following components is MOST likely faulty?

Accepted Answer

Battery. The battery is the most likely faulty component because rapid drainage and excessive heat generation, particularly near the back panel where the battery is typically located, are classic symptoms of a degraded or internally shorted lithium-ion battery. A failing battery can have increased internal resistance, causing it to discharge quickly and convert electrical energy into heat rather than storing it properly.

Answer

Charging port/board

Answer

Screen

Answer

CPU/SoC