220-1101 Practice Exam 53 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that the network printer in the office is no longer accessible from any workstation after an overnight power outage. The printer has a static IP address of 192.168.1.50. The technician checks the printer and sees it is powered on, the network cable is connected, and the link light on both the printer and the switch port is solid. The technician pings 192.168.1.50 from a workstation, but there is no reply. The technician checks the printer's network settings from its front panel and sees that the IP address is 169.254.10.25. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

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

Accepted Answer

The printer lost its static IP configuration due to the power outage.. The printer's IP address changed from the static 192.168.1.50 to an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range. This occurs when a device configured for DHCP fails to obtain a lease from a DHCP server, which can happen after a power outage if the printer's non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) lost its static IP configuration and it reverted to DHCP. Since the printer is now on a different subnet, workstations cannot reach it, explaining the failed ping.

Answer

The printer's network adapter is faulty.

Answer

The switch port is configured with the wrong VLAN.

Answer

The DNS server is not resolving the printer's hostname.

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages where the toner smudges easily and can be wiped off with a finger. The technician has already replaced the toner cartridge with a new OEM cartridge, but the problem persists. Which of the following printer components is MOST likely causing this issue?

Accepted Answer

Fuser assembly. The fuser assembly is responsible for melting toner particles into the paper fibers using heat and pressure. If the fuser is not reaching the correct temperature or is malfunctioning, the toner will not be permanently bonded to the page, causing it to smudge or wipe off easily. Since replacing the toner cartridge did not resolve the issue, the fuser is the most likely culprit.

Answer

Transfer roller

Answer

Pickup rollers

Answer

Corona wire

Question 3

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?

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 4

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 5

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 6

A technician replaces the CPU and cooler in a desktop computer. After reassembly, the computer boots but shuts down automatically after about two minutes. The technician enters the BIOS and sees the CPU temperature rapidly climbing to 100°C. The CPU cooler fan is spinning at high speed, and the heatsink is firmly attached. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The thermal paste application or protective film on the cooler.. The rapid temperature climb to 100°C with the fan spinning at high speed and the heatsink firmly attached indicates that heat is not being transferred from the CPU to the heatsink. The most likely cause is either missing thermal paste or a protective film left on the cooler's base, which acts as an insulator. Checking and reapplying thermal paste or removing the film is the correct next step.

Answer

The CPU voltage settings in the BIOS.

Answer

Whether the CPU is compatible with the motherboard.

Answer

The power supply wattage.

Question 7

A user reports that their desktop computer cannot access any network shares. Other computers on the same switch can access the shares. The technician runs ipconfig /all on the affected computer and sees the following: IPv4 Address: 169.254.13.42, Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0, Default Gateway: blank. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch port the desktop is connected to is configured for the wrong VLAN.. The 169.254.x.x address is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned when a DHCP server is unreachable. Since other computers on the same switch can access network shares, the DHCP server is functional and has available addresses. The most likely cause is that the switch port is configured for the wrong VLAN, which isolates the desktop's broadcast domain, preventing it from reaching the DHCP server while other devices on the correct VLAN can communicate normally.

Answer

The desktop's network adapter is faulty.

Answer

The DHCP server has no available IP addresses in its scope.

Answer

The desktop's firewall is blocking DHCP traffic.

Question 8

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 9

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 10

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 11

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 12

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 13

A user reports that their laptop cannot access the internet but can still access shared files on the local network. The technician runs ipconfig and sees an IP address of 169.254.15.32. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is unavailable. The IP address 169.254.15.32 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP server is unavailable and the client fails to obtain a lease. Since the laptop can still access local shared files, the local network is functional, but without a valid DHCP-assigned IP, it cannot reach external networks or the internet. This directly points to the DHCP server being unavailable.

Answer

The DNS server is not responding

Answer

The default gateway is misconfigured

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrect

Question 14

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 15

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 16

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 17

A user reports that they can access internal network resources and the internet by IP address, but cannot browse websites using domain names. Other users on the same network can browse the internet normally. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Flush the DNS cache on the user's computer. The user can access resources by IP address but not by domain name, which indicates a DNS resolution failure. Since other users on the same network can browse normally, the issue is isolated to this specific workstation. Flushing the DNS cache (ipconfig /flushdns) clears any corrupted or stale DNS entries that may be preventing successful name resolution, making it the quickest and most logical first step.

Answer

Check the DHCP server configuration

Answer

Restart the DNS service on the domain controller

Answer

Replace the network cable

Question 18

An organization plans to consolidate its physical servers by running multiple virtual machines on a single host. The administrator needs to choose a hypervisor that offers the best performance and direct access to hardware resources for the VMs. The host server will only run the hypervisor and its VMs. Which of the following hypervisor types is the BEST choice for this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Type 1 hypervisor. A Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal) runs directly on the host hardware without an underlying operating system, providing near-native performance and direct access to CPU, memory, and I/O resources. This is ideal for the scenario where the host server is dedicated solely to running the hypervisor and its VMs, as it minimizes overhead and maximizes resource efficiency.

Answer

Type 2 hypervisor

Answer

Container-based virtualization

Answer

Cloud-based hypervisor as a service

Question 19

A user's smartphone has a cracked screen that is still displaying images, but the touch input is completely unresponsive. The user needs to back up all data (contacts, photos, app data) before sending the phone for repair. Which method is the MOST reliable and complete way to back up the data in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Connect a USB mouse via an OTG cable to control the phone and perform a backup. With a cracked screen that is unresponsive to touch but still displays images, the only way to interact with the phone is through an external input device. Connecting a USB mouse via an On-The-Go (OTG) cable allows the user to navigate the phone's interface and manually initiate a full backup (e.g., to a computer or cloud service) without relying on the broken touchscreen. This method provides complete control over the backup process, ensuring all data types (contacts, photos, app data) can be selected and transferred.

Answer

Use a computer and connect the phone via USB, then use file explorer to copy data

Answer

Press the volume and power buttons to enter recovery mode and perform a backup

Answer

Rely on cloud backup if the phone is configured to auto-backup

Question 20

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