220-1101 Practice Exam 55 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A small business owner wants to allow remote employees to access a file server on the company's internal network from the internet. The company has a single public IP address provided by the ISP and a router that performs NAT. The file server has a static private IP address of 192.168.1.100. Which of the following router configuration settings should the technician use to enable this access?

Accepted Answer

Port forwarding. Port forwarding allows the router to direct incoming traffic from the internet (on a specific port) to the internal file server at 192.168.1.100. Since the company has only one public IP and uses NAT, port forwarding is the standard method to make an internal server reachable from the internet without exposing the entire LAN.

Answer

VLAN configuration

Answer

DHCP reservation

Answer

MAC address filtering

Question 2

A technician installs a new CPU on a compatible motherboard. After applying thermal paste and installing the cooler, the system powers on but immediately shuts down after about 3 seconds. The technician verifies that the CPU fan is spinning and that the power supply is adequate. The motherboard's diagnostic LEDs show no errors before shutdown. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The CPU is not supported by the BIOS version. The system powers on but shuts down after a few seconds, which is a classic symptom of a CPU that is not supported by the installed BIOS version. Even though the motherboard's diagnostic LEDs show no errors before shutdown, the CPU may lack the required microcode, causing the motherboard to fail to initialize the CPU properly and triggering a safety shutdown. The fact that the CPU fan spins and the power supply is adequate rules out basic power or cooling issues, pointing directly to a BIOS compatibility problem.

Answer

The thermal paste was applied too liberally

Answer

The CPU fan connector is plugged into the wrong header

Answer

The power supply's ATX12V connector is loose

Question 3

A company needs to run a one-time data analysis job that requires a high-performance virtual machine with 16 vCPUs and 64 GB of RAM. The job will take approximately 3 hours to complete. After the job finishes, the company wants to release the resources and stop paying for them. The cloud provider allows the company to provision such a virtual machine through a web portal in minutes and bills only for the hours the VM is running. This scenario BEST demonstrates which cloud computing characteristic?

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. The scenario describes provisioning a high-performance VM with 16 vCPUs and 64 GB of RAM in minutes, running it for only 3 hours, and then releasing it to stop paying. This directly demonstrates rapid elasticity, which is the ability to quickly scale computing resources up or down on demand and pay only for what is used. The cloud provider's web portal and per-hour billing model enable this near-instant provisioning and de-provisioning, which is the core of rapid elasticity.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Metered service

Question 4

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 5

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After connecting all components, the system powers on and the CPU fan spins, but none of the case fans spin. The technician has verified that the case fans are connected to the motherboard's 4-pin fan headers. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the case fans not spinning?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard's fan headers are set to a PWM mode that is incompatible with the fans.. The case fans are connected to 4-pin headers, but if the motherboard's fan headers are configured for PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) mode and the fans are DC (voltage-controlled) fans, the PWM signal will not control the fan speed. Many 4-pin headers default to PWM mode, and if the fans lack a PWM control IC, they will not receive the necessary voltage modulation to start spinning. This is the most likely cause because the CPU fan spins (indicating power is present) but the case fans do not, pointing to a control signal mismatch rather than a power or hardware failure.

Answer

The power supply unit is not providing enough voltage for the fans.

Answer

The case fans are defective and need to be replaced.

Answer

The motherboard BIOS needs to be updated to support the fans.

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that cannot connect to any network resources. The IP configuration shows an APIPA address (169.254.x.x). Other workstations on the same physical network are functioning normally. What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Switch port configured for a different VLAN. An APIPA address (169.254.x.x) is assigned when a DHCP client fails to receive a lease. Since other workstations on the same physical network are working, the issue is isolated to this workstation's switch port. If the switch port is configured for a different VLAN, the workstation's DHCP broadcast will not reach the DHCP server in the correct VLAN, causing the client to self-assign an APIPA address. This is the most likely cause because the physical connectivity is intact, but Layer 2 segmentation prevents DHCP communication.

Answer

Faulty network interface card

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

Incorrect default gateway configured

Question 7

A technician installs a new VoIP desk phone for a user. The phone is connected to an existing wall jack using a Cat5e patch cable. The switch port on the other end shows a solid link light, but the phone does not power on. The technician verifies that the wall jack is wired correctly and the cable passes a continuity test. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason the phone is not receiving power?

Accepted Answer

The network switch does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE). The phone is not powering on despite a solid link light and a correctly wired, continuity-tested cable. This indicates the switch is providing a data link but not delivering power. The most likely cause is that the network switch does not support Power over Ethernet (PoE), which is required to supply DC power over the same Cat5e cable to the VoIP phone.

Answer

The switch port is administratively disabled

Answer

The patch cable is a crossover cable

Answer

The wall jack is wired with T568A instead of T568B

Question 8

A technician configures a new managed switch in a small network. After connecting the switch to the existing switch via a single Ethernet cable, the link LED on the uplink port is solid amber. Devices on the new switch cannot communicate with devices on the existing network. The existing network has no loops and uses a single switch. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is blocking the uplink port. The solid amber link LED on the uplink port indicates that the port is administratively up but being blocked by Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). When a new switch is connected to an existing network, STP transitions the port through listening and learning states before forwarding, but if a loop is detected or the port remains in a blocking state, the amber LED confirms STP is preventing traffic. Since the existing network has no loops, STP is likely blocking the port due to a misconfiguration or because it is still in the process of convergence, which prevents communication between devices on the new switch and the existing network.

Answer

The new switch has an IP address conflict

Answer

The new switch is in a different VLAN

Answer

The cable connecting the switches is faulty

Question 9

A user reports that their iPhone does not charge when plugged into the USB port of a Windows laptop, but it charges normally with the included wall adapter. The laptop recognizes other USB devices such as a mouse and a flash drive. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's USB port does not provide enough power to charge the iPhone. The iPhone charges normally with the wall adapter, which provides higher current (typically 5V/1A or more), but fails when connected to the laptop's USB port. Standard USB 2.0/3.0 ports on laptops typically supply only 0.5A (USB 2.0) or 0.9A (USB 3.0), which may be insufficient to charge an iPhone, especially if the device is in use or the port is shared among multiple internal components. The laptop recognizing other low-power devices (mouse, flash drive) confirms the port is functional but likely cannot deliver the required charging current.

Answer

The Lightning cable is damaged and cannot carry enough power

Answer

The iPhone battery has reached the end of its lifespan and cannot hold a charge

Answer

The laptop's USB driver is outdated or corrupted

Question 10

A technician is assembling a workstation. After installing the motherboard, CPU, CPU cooler, RAM, and connecting all necessary power cables, the system does not power on when the front panel power button is pressed. The technician verified the power supply works in another system. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The front panel header wiring. The front panel header wiring is the most likely cause because the power button connects to the motherboard through this header. If the wires are misaligned or not fully seated, pressing the button will not complete the circuit to signal the power supply to turn on. Since the PSU works in another system, the issue is almost certainly at the motherboard connection, making the front panel header the first logical check.

Answer

The 4/8-pin CPU power connector

Answer

The CMOS battery voltage

Answer

The BIOS version compatibility

Question 11

A user reports that their desktop computer will not turn on. The technician presses the power button, but no fans spin, no LEDs light up. The power supply unit (PSU) fan is not spinning. The technician verifies that the power cord is securely connected to the PSU and wall outlet, and that the outlet is functional (tested with a lamp). The PSU has a voltage selector switch set to 115V (correct for the region). Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Test the power supply unit using the paperclip test with a multimeter.. The correct next step is to test the PSU using the paperclip test with a multimeter. Since the system shows no signs of power (no fans, no LEDs) and the wall outlet is verified functional, the PSU is the primary suspect. The paperclip test (jumpering the green PS_ON# pin to any ground pin on the 24-pin connector) allows you to force the PSU to turn on independently of the motherboard, and a multimeter can then measure the voltage rails (e.g., +3.3V, +5V, +12V) to confirm if the PSU is dead or just failing to start under load.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Reseat the 24-pin motherboard connector.

Answer

Replace the CMOS battery.

Question 12

A technician is building a desktop PC. After installing the motherboard, CPU, and RAM, the technician attempts to power on the system. The fans spin for a second and then stop. The motherboard's power LED does not light up. The technician has confirmed the power supply is functional by testing with a multimeter. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The 4/8-pin CPU power connector is not connected.. The most likely cause is that the 4/8-pin CPU power connector is not connected. Without this dedicated power supply to the CPU, the motherboard may briefly attempt to start (fans spin for a second) but then immediately shut down because the CPU cannot initialize. The power supply is confirmed functional, and the motherboard's power LED not lighting up further indicates a missing critical power rail, not a dead CMOS or incorrect front panel wiring.

Answer

The CMOS battery is dead.

Answer

The RAM is installed in the wrong slots.

Answer

The front panel power switch headers are incorrectly connected.

Question 13

A user reports that their Android smartphone will not send picture messages (MMS). Text messages (SMS) send and receive normally. The user has mobile data enabled and is within a strong signal area. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify the APN settings. MMS relies on specific APN settings to route multimedia content through the carrier's data network. Since SMS (which uses the signaling channel) works fine but MMS fails, the most likely cause is incorrect or missing APN parameters such as the MMSC URL, MMS proxy, or MMS port. Verifying and correcting the APN settings is the first logical step before more disruptive troubleshooting.

Answer

Disable and re-enable mobile data

Answer

Check the carrier's data limit

Answer

Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth settings

Question 14

A technician is building a new gaming PC. After installing the motherboard, CPU, RAM, and power supply, the technician connects the case front panel connectors (power switch, reset switch, HDD LED, power LED) to the motherboard header. When the power button is pressed, the system powers on for a split second and then immediately shuts down. The CPU fan twitches briefly. The technician has verified that the motherboard is properly seated on standoffs and that the 24-pin and 8-pin CPU power connectors are firmly connected. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The motherboard is shorting on an extra case standoff.. The system powers on for a split second and then immediately shuts down, with the CPU fan twitching briefly. This is a classic symptom of a short circuit, and the most likely cause is an extra case standoff making contact with the motherboard's solder points or traces, triggering the power supply's overcurrent protection (OCP) or short-circuit protection (SCP). The technician already verified proper motherboard seating and power connections, making an extra standoff the prime suspect.

Answer

The power supply unit is insufficient wattage for the components.

Answer

The power button header is connected to the wrong pins on the motherboard.

Answer

The CPU is overheating due to insufficient or improperly applied thermal paste.

Question 15

A technician is rebuilding a desktop PC after a motherboard failure. The technician installs a new motherboard that supports DDR4-3200, an Intel Core i5-11400 CPU, and 2x8GB of DDR4-3200 RAM. The system powers on for about 10 seconds, then shuts down and immediately restarts, repeating this cycle indefinitely. The technician has verified that the CPU cooler is properly mounted with thermal paste and that the RAM is fully seated in the correct slots (A2 and B2). Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

CPU power connector is not fully seated. The most likely cause is that the CPU power connector (typically the 4+4 pin 12V EPS connector) is not fully seated. Without proper power delivery to the CPU, the system will attempt to start, fail the Power-On Self-Test (POST) due to a CPU initialization error, and then automatically reboot in a continuous loop. The technician has already verified RAM seating and cooler installation, making an incomplete CPU power connection the primary suspect.

Answer

RAM modules are not installed in the correct slots

Answer

The motherboard BIOS does not support the Intel Core i5-11400 CPU

Answer

Power supply wattage is insufficient for the new components

Question 16

A technician is building a new gaming PC. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and has four DIMM slots (A1, A2, B1, B2). The technician installs two 8GB DDR4-3200 memory modules into slots A1 and A2 (both on the same channel). The system boots and the BIOS reports 16GB of RAM, but the memory speed shows 2133 MHz instead of the rated 3200 MHz. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The XMP profile needs to be enabled. The motherboard supports dual-channel memory and the RAM is rated for DDR4-3200, but the system defaults to the JEDEC standard speed of 2133 MHz (or 2400 MHz) for stability. To achieve the rated 3200 MHz, the XMP (Extreme Memory Profile) must be enabled in the BIOS, which applies the manufacturer's overclocking timings and voltage. Since the technician installed the modules in slots A1 and A2 (same channel), dual-channel mode is not active, but this does not affect the speed; the speed issue is solely due to the lack of XMP activation.

Answer

The RAM is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

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

Answer

The CPU does not support 3200 MHz memory

Question 17

A company implements a private cloud where multiple departments share the same physical hardware. The cloud platform ensures that each department's virtual machines are isolated from each other and that resources are dynamically allocated based on demand. Which cloud characteristic BEST describes this arrangement?

Accepted Answer

Resource pooling. Resource pooling is the correct answer because the scenario describes multiple departments sharing the same physical hardware while their virtual machines are isolated from each other. This is the defining characteristic of resource pooling in cloud computing, where computing resources (compute, storage, network) are aggregated to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. The isolation between departments is achieved through hypervisor-level virtualization (e.g., VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V) which enforces strict separation of virtual machines on shared hardware.

Answer

Rapid elasticity

Answer

Measured service

Answer

On-demand self-service

Question 18

A user reports that their Android smartphone's battery drains much faster than usual after a recent system update. The phone is two years old and has been working normally until now. The user has already restarted the device. Which of the following should the technician recommend FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Check for updates to installed apps. After a system update, app compatibility issues or background processes can cause excessive battery drain. Checking for app updates ensures that apps are optimized for the new OS version, as outdated apps may use more CPU or keep the device awake unnecessarily. This is the least invasive and most logical first step before considering hardware replacement or disabling core features.

Answer

Perform a factory reset

Answer

Replace the battery

Answer

Disable location services

Question 19

A company wants to migrate its on-premises infrastructure to the cloud. The security team requires that the company retains full control over network configuration, firewall rules, and security policies, but they do not want to manage physical servers, storage, or the underlying hypervisor. 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 manage and control the network configuration, firewall rules, and security policies while the cloud provider handles the physical servers, storage, and hypervisor. This model gives the customer full control over the operating system, storage, and deployed applications, meeting the requirement of not managing the underlying physical infrastructure.

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Question 20

A company develops a web application that relies on a custom library available only for a specific Linux distribution. They want to deploy the application in the cloud with minimal administrative overhead, but they need full control over the software stack, including the ability to install the custom library and configure the web server. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). IaaS provides virtualized computing resources (e.g., virtual machines) over the internet, giving the company full control over the operating system, software stack, and configuration. This allows them to install the custom library specific to a Linux distribution and configure the web server as needed, while the cloud provider handles the underlying physical infrastructure, minimizing administrative overhead. SaaS, PaaS, and FaaS abstract away the underlying OS and runtime, preventing the installation of distribution-specific libraries or custom server configuration.

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Function as a Service (FaaS)