220-1101 Practice Exam 54 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their smartphone's touchscreen is unresponsive along the left edge but works fine elsewhere. The technician has already performed a soft reset and checked for screen protectors or debris. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

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

Accepted Answer

A malfunctioning digitizer. The digitizer is the layer responsible for converting touch input into electrical signals. A partial failure along the left edge indicates a localized digitizer malfunction, as the LCD display and operating system are unaffected. Soft reset and debris checks rule out software or physical obstruction issues, isolating the hardware digitizer as the most likely cause.

Answer

A failing battery

Answer

A corrupt operating system

Answer

A damaged LCD display

Question 2

A user's Android smartphone screen is flickering intermittently and occasionally goes black for a few seconds before returning. The phone has not been dropped or exposed to moisture. The technician has performed a factory reset, but the issue persists. Which component is the MOST likely cause of the problem?

Accepted Answer

Display assembly. The display assembly includes both the LCD panel and the digitizer. Since the issue persists after a factory reset, it is hardware-related. Intermittent flickering and blackouts without physical damage or moisture point to a failing LCD panel or loose internal connection within the display assembly, not the digitizer (which handles touch input only).

Answer

Digitizer

Answer

Battery

Answer

Motherboard

Question 3

A user reports that their smartphone will not charge when plugged into a wall outlet, even though the charging cable appears undamaged and the outlet works with other devices. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

Dirt or lint is blocking the charging port.. The most likely cause is dirt or lint blocking the charging port. When debris accumulates in the port, it can prevent the charging cable from making proper electrical contact with the pins, even though the cable and outlet are functional. This is a common issue with smartphones due to pocket lint or dust, and it typically does not require a battery or system replacement.

Answer

The battery has reached the end of its life and must be replaced.

Answer

The operating system has corrupted system files preventing charging.

Answer

The user is using a charger with insufficient wattage for this phone model.

Question 4

A company runs multiple virtual machines on a single hypervisor host using a Type 2 hypervisor. The IT manager wants to migrate to a Type 1 hypervisor to improve performance and reduce overhead. Which of the following is a key advantage of using a Type 1 hypervisor in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

It runs directly on the hardware, providing more resources to VMs.. A Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal) runs directly on the host hardware without an underlying operating system, eliminating the overhead of a host OS. This direct access to physical resources (CPU, memory, I/O) allows virtual machines to achieve near-native performance and reduces resource contention, which directly addresses the company's goal of improving performance and reducing overhead.

Answer

It can run on any commodity hardware without specific requirements.

Answer

It allows running Windows and Linux on the same host.

Answer

It does not require a separate management console.

Question 5

An ISP provides a cable modem with a single Ethernet port. A technician needs to set up a small office network with 25 workstations that require internet access and must be on the same subnet. The technician has a 24-port unmanaged switch and a 48-port unmanaged switch. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate method to connect the devices?

Accepted Answer

Connect both switches to a router, and connect the modem to the router.. A router is required to perform Network Address Translation (NAT) and routing between the ISP's public IP and the private subnet. The cable modem provides only a single Ethernet port and does not route traffic between multiple devices; connecting both switches to a router allows all 25 workstations to share the internet connection while remaining on the same subnet. The router acts as the default gateway and DHCP server, enabling proper IP address assignment and traffic forwarding.

Answer

Connect the modem directly to the 48-port switch and then daisy-chain the 24-port switch from the 48-port switch.

Answer

Connect the modem to the 24-port switch, then connect the 48-port switch to the 24-port switch.

Answer

Connect the modem directly to the 48-port switch and connect the 24-port switch to the 48-port switch.

Question 6

A company plans to run multiple virtual servers on a single physical host to reduce hardware costs. The IT team wants direct hardware access for each virtual machine to maximize performance and minimize latency. Which of the following is the most appropriate hypervisor type to deploy?

Accepted Answer

Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal) installed directly on the server hardware.. A Type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal) runs directly on the physical hardware without an underlying operating system, allowing each virtual machine to have direct, low-latency access to CPU, memory, and I/O devices. This architecture minimizes overhead and maximizes performance, making it the ideal choice when the requirement is direct hardware access for each VM.

Answer

Type 2 hypervisor installed on top of a general-purpose operating system.

Answer

Container-based virtualization running on the host OS.

Answer

A virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solution.

Question 7

A user reports that their smartphone is running very slowly and the battery drains significantly faster than usual, even when the screen is off. The technician notices that the phone feels warm to the touch. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of these symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Too many apps are running in the background.. When a smartphone feels warm, runs slowly, and drains battery quickly even with the screen off, the most likely cause is excessive background app activity. Background apps consume CPU cycles and keep the processor active, generating heat and draining the battery. This is a classic symptom of runaway background processes rather than a hardware failure or simple settings issue.

Answer

The screen brightness is set too high.

Answer

The operating system needs to be updated.

Answer

The battery is failing and needs to be replaced.

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that randomly reboots under heavy CPU load. The technician has verified the CPU cooler is properly seated with thermal paste, run memory diagnostics (no errors), replaced the power supply, and updated all drivers. Running a CPU stress test causes the system to reboot after approximately 10 minutes. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the CPU voltage settings in BIOS. The technician has already ruled out overheating (cooler seated with paste), memory errors, power supply issues, and driver conflicts. Under heavy CPU load, the system reboots after a consistent 10 minutes, which strongly suggests the CPU is not receiving stable voltage under load. Checking and adjusting the CPU voltage settings in BIOS is the next logical step because incorrect or insufficient vCore can cause the CPU to crash or trigger a thermal/voltage protection reboot when the CPU draws high current during a stress test.

Answer

Replace the CPU

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS

Answer

Replace the motherboard

Question 9

A user reports that their laptop can see the company's Wi-Fi SSID but cannot connect to the network. Other users in the same area can connect without issues. The technician verifies that the laptop's wireless adapter is enabled and that the wireless security key is correct. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

MAC filtering settings on the wireless router. Since other users can connect to the same SSID, the DHCP server and wireless channel are not the issue. The laptop can see the SSID and the security key is correct, so authentication is passing, but association is failing. MAC filtering blocks the laptop's MAC address at Layer 2, preventing it from obtaining an IP address even with correct credentials.

Answer

The DHCP server to ensure IP addresses are available

Answer

The DNS server configuration on the laptop

Answer

Wireless channel interference from other devices

Question 10

A technician connects a workstation to a switch port configured for VLAN 30. The network uses DHCP servers located on VLAN 10. After connecting, the workstation receives an APIPA address (169.254.x.x). The technician verifies that the Ethernet cable is functional and the switch port link light is solid. Other workstations on the same switch, connected to ports in VLAN 10, obtain valid IP addresses. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation is not receiving a DHCP offer because it is on a different VLAN than the DHCP server. The workstation is on VLAN 30, but the DHCP server resides on VLAN 10. By default, DHCP broadcasts (using UDP port 67/68) are not forwarded across VLANs unless a DHCP relay agent (IP helper-address) is configured on the VLAN 30 interface. Without that relay, the workstation never receives a DHCP offer, so it falls back to an APIPA address (169.254.x.x per RFC 3927).

Answer

The switch port is configured as a trunk port

Answer

The network cable is faulty

Answer

The workstation's NIC driver is outdated

Question 11

A small business has a single router with four built-in LAN ports. They need to connect 12 workstations to the network. The technician adds a 24-port unmanaged switch and connects it to one of the router's LAN ports. After connecting all workstations, some users report intermittent network connectivity. The technician checks the switch and notices the collision LED is flashing rapidly. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The network is experiencing excessive collisions due to a duplex mismatch. The rapid flashing of the collision LED on the switch indicates that the network is experiencing an abnormally high number of collisions. In a modern switched network, collisions should be virtually nonexistent because each switch port creates its own collision domain. The most common cause of excessive collisions in this scenario is a duplex mismatch, where one device (likely the router's LAN port) is operating at half-duplex while the switch port is set to auto-negotiate or is forced to full-duplex. Half-duplex requires collision detection (CSMA/CD), and when a full-duplex device transmits simultaneously, the half-duplex device interprets the resulting frame corruption as a collision, leading to repeated retransmissions and the observed LED behavior.

Answer

The switch is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced

Answer

The router's LAN port is not configured for the correct speed

Answer

The switch is not receiving enough power from the router

Question 12

A user reports that their Android smartphone can send and receive SMS messages and browse the internet using mobile data, but cannot send or receive MMS (picture messages). The technician has confirmed that mobile data is enabled and the signal is strong. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The APN settings for MMS proxy and port. MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) requires specific APN (Access Point Name) settings, including an MMS proxy and port, to route multimedia content through the carrier's MMS gateway. Since SMS and mobile data work, the issue is isolated to MMS configuration, making APN settings the logical first check. The technician should verify the MMS proxy, port, MMSC URL, and MMS protocol fields in the device's APN configuration.

Answer

The SMS center number

Answer

The phone's storage space

Answer

The messaging app's permissions

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that cannot connect to the network. The link light on the network interface card (NIC) is solid, and the technician can successfully ping the loopback address (127.0.0.1). Running ipconfig shows an IP address of 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the connectivity issue?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is unavailable or not responding. The IP address 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, which Windows assigns when a DHCP discovery broadcast fails to receive a response. Since the link light is solid and loopback ping succeeds, the NIC and TCP/IP stack are functional, pointing to a DHCP server that is unavailable or not responding as the root cause.

Answer

The default gateway is misconfigured

Answer

The DNS server is not resolving domain names

Answer

The NIC driver is faulty

Question 14

A user reports that their Android smartphone displays 'Emergency calls only' at the top of the screen and cannot make or receive regular calls. The device still connects to Wi-Fi and can use messaging apps over Wi-Fi. The technician removes the SIM card, inspects it for damage, and reinserts it. The problem persists. The technician then takes a known-working SIM card from another phone and inserts it into the user's phone; the phone immediately connects to the cellular network. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The SIM card is defective or has been deactivated by the carrier.. The technician's swap test with a known-working SIM card immediately restored cellular connectivity, isolating the issue to the original SIM card. Since the phone could still use Wi-Fi and messaging apps, the radio hardware and software stack for cellular were functional, but the SIM card itself was either physically defective or deactivated by the carrier, preventing network registration.

Answer

The phone's cellular antenna is disconnected or damaged.

Answer

The phone is in airplane mode but Wi-Fi is manually re-enabled.

Answer

The mobile network APN settings are incorrectly configured.

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that does not power on. The computer was working earlier that day. The technician verifies that the power cord is firmly connected to both the computer and the wall outlet. The power outlet is functional. When the power button is pressed, no fans spin and no LEDs light up. The technician opens the case and sees that the power supply unit's fan is not spinning. Using a multimeter, the technician measures the voltage on the 24-pin motherboard connector and finds that the +5V and +12V rails are within normal range. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test the power button by shorting the two pins on the motherboard.. The power supply is outputting correct voltages on the +5V and +12V rails, so it is likely functional. The fact that no fans spin and no LEDs light up when the power button is pressed suggests the power-on signal from the front panel switch is not reaching the motherboard. Shorting the two power button pins on the motherboard header bypasses the physical switch, confirming whether the switch itself is faulty or the motherboard's power-on circuit is intact.

Answer

Replace the power supply.

Answer

Replace the motherboard.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules.

Question 16

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that periodically loses network connectivity for about one minute at a time. The link light on the NIC remains lit during the outage. The technician has replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC with known-good parts, but the issue persists. The computer is connected to a managed switch. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The Power Management settings for the network adapter. The periodic one-minute loss of connectivity with the link light still lit strongly indicates the network adapter is entering a low-power state. Windows Power Management settings allow the OS to turn off the NIC to save power, and when the adapter wakes from this state, it can take up to a minute to re-establish the link. Since the cable and NIC have already been replaced, checking and disabling the 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power' option in the NIC's Power Management tab is the logical next step.

Answer

The device drivers for the network adapter

Answer

The switch port configuration for VLAN assignment

Answer

The network hub for electrical interference

Question 17

A company hosts a web application on a virtual machine in a public cloud. During lunch hours, traffic increases dramatically, and the cloud provider automatically provisions additional compute resources to handle the load. When traffic subsides, the extra resources are automatically released. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario BEST describe?

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. The scenario describes automatic scaling up and down of compute resources in response to demand, which is the defining behavior of rapid elasticity. This characteristic allows cloud resources to be provisioned and released quickly, often automatically, to match workload fluctuations. The key here is the dynamic, automated scaling triggered by traffic changes, not just the ability to request resources manually.

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Measured service

Answer

On-demand self-service

Question 18

A user drops their smartphone onto a concrete floor. The screen displays images and colors correctly, but the touch input is completely unresponsive in all areas. The user has rebooted the phone and cleaned the screen. Which of the following hardware components is MOST likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Digitizer. The digitizer is the touch-sensitive layer that registers touch input. Since the display shows images and colors correctly but touch is completely unresponsive, the LCD panel and backlight are functioning, isolating the fault to the digitizer. Reboot and cleaning rule out software or surface debris, confirming a hardware digitizer failure.

Answer

LCD panel

Answer

Backlight inverter

Answer

Battery connector

Question 19

A user dropped their smartphone onto a tile floor. The screen is not cracked and displays images and colors perfectly, but the touch input is completely unresponsive in all areas. The user has rebooted the phone and cleaned the screen. Which of the following hardware components is MOST likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Digitizer. The digitizer is the layer responsible for converting touch input into electrical signals. Since the display (LCD panel) shows perfect images and colors, the LCD is intact, but the complete lack of touch response indicates the digitizer has been damaged by the drop, likely a cracked or delaminated sensor layer or broken traces.

Answer

LCD panel

Answer

Battery

Answer

Motherboard

Question 20

A user reports that their laptop's external monitor connected via HDMI is not detected. The technician tested the external monitor with another laptop and it works. The laptop's built-in display functions normally. Which of the following should the technician try NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Press the function key (e.g., Fn+F4) to toggle display output. The external monitor works with another laptop, so the monitor and HDMI cable are functional. The laptop's built-in display works, indicating the graphics hardware is operational. Pressing the function key (e.g., Fn+F4) toggles the display output mode (e.g., extend, duplicate, external only) and is the quickest way to resolve a display detection issue caused by the laptop's display mode being set to internal-only.

Answer

Update the graphics driver

Answer

Replace the HDMI cable

Answer

Reinstall the operating system