220-1101 Practice Exam 56 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A company hosts a virtualized application on a public cloud. The application uses a persistent block storage volume for its database. The IT team needs to move the virtual machine to a different availability zone to improve disaster recovery. Which of the following cloud characteristics allows the team to detach the block storage volume from the current VM and attach it to a new VM in the target availability zone without data loss?

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

Accepted Answer

Persistent block storage. Persistent block storage, such as Amazon EBS or similar services, is designed to be detached from one virtual machine and reattached to another without data loss because the storage volume exists independently of the VM's lifecycle. This allows the IT team to move the volume to a new VM in a different availability zone while preserving the database contents, as the data persists on the block device itself rather than being tied to the VM's ephemeral storage.

Answer

Elasticity

Answer

High availability

Answer

Resource pooling

Question 2

A user connects a laptop to a hotel's wired Ethernet port. The laptop obtains an IP address of 169.254.15.32 and cannot access the internet. Other guests' laptops on the same hotel network work without issue. The technician has verified that the laptop's network adapter is enabled, the driver is up to date, and that the Ethernet cable is securely connected. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The switch port is configured with MAC address filtering. The IP address 169.254.15.32 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned when a DHCP server is not reached. Since other guests' laptops work fine, the hotel's DHCP server is operational, ruling out a server-side issue. MAC address filtering on the switch port would block the laptop's DHCP request, causing it to fail to obtain a valid IP and fall back to APIPA, while other devices with allowed MAC addresses work normally.

Answer

The hotel's DHCP server is down

Answer

The DNS server address is unreachable

Answer

The Ethernet cable is faulty

Question 3

A company has a router with four Ethernet ports. They need to connect 12 wired devices in the same LAN segment. All devices must receive IP addresses from the same DHCP server running on the router. Which device should the technician add?

Accepted Answer

Switch. A switch is the correct device because it operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model, forwarding Ethernet frames based on MAC addresses, and can connect multiple devices while keeping them in the same broadcast domain. With four router ports already in use, adding a switch allows the 12 wired devices to share a single LAN segment and receive IP addresses from the router's DHCP server, as the switch transparently forwards DHCP broadcast traffic.

Answer

Hub

Answer

Access point

Answer

Modem

Question 4

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)

Question 5

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 6

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 7

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 8

A company runs a customer-facing web application on a single virtual machine in a public cloud. After migrating to the cloud, users report that the application's response time varies significantly during the day, even though the VM's CPU and memory utilization stay below 50%. The cloud provider states that no resource limits are imposed on the VM. Which of the following cloud characteristics is MOST likely causing the performance variability?

Accepted Answer

Resource pooling. Resource pooling allows the cloud provider to dynamically allocate and reallocate physical resources (CPU, RAM, network bandwidth) among multiple tenants. Even though your VM shows low CPU/memory utilization, the underlying physical host's network I/O or storage throughput may be oversubscribed, causing contention during peak usage periods for other tenants on the same host. This shared infrastructure is the most likely cause of the observed performance variability, as the provider does not guarantee dedicated resources unless explicitly purchased.

Answer

Measured service

Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

Rapid elasticity

Question 9

A company is migrating a legacy application to the cloud. The application requires a specific operating system configuration and the IT team needs full administrative control over the operating system, including the ability to install custom software and configure kernel settings. The company wants to avoid upfront hardware costs and pay only for what they use. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). IaaS provides virtualized computing resources over the internet, granting full administrative control over the operating system, including kernel settings and custom software installation. This model eliminates upfront hardware costs by offering pay-as-you-go pricing, aligning with the requirement to avoid capital expenditure.

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that fails to boot with the error 'Bootmgr is missing.' The technician boots from a Windows installation media and runs bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot, which complete successfully. After restarting, the error persists. The hard drive is detected in BIOS and appears in the boot order. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Run bootrec /rebuildbcd. The error 'Bootmgr is missing' indicates that the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store is corrupted or missing. While bootrec /fixmbr and bootrec /fixboot repair the master boot record and boot sector, they do not rebuild the BCD store. Running bootrec /rebuildbcd scans the system for installed Windows installations and recreates the BCD store, which is necessary to resolve the persistent error.

Answer

Replace the hard drive

Answer

Check the SATA data cable

Answer

Set the system partition as active

Question 11

A user reports that they can access internal company servers using IP addresses (e.g., 192.168.1.100) but cannot browse the internet. The user can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1) successfully. Other users on the same subnet have full internet access. The technician checks the user's IP configuration and sees that the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server (192.168.1.10) are all correct. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The user's browser proxy settings are configured to use an incorrect proxy server. Since the user can access internal servers by IP and successfully ping the default gateway, Layer 3 connectivity is intact. The inability to browse the internet while other users on the same subnet have full access points to a client-specific configuration issue. A misconfigured browser proxy setting (e.g., pointing to an incorrect or non-existent proxy server) would prevent HTTP/HTTPS traffic from reaching external destinations, even though DNS and IP routing are working correctly.

Answer

The DNS server is not resolving external domain names

Answer

The network cable is loose or faulty

Answer

The user's IP address is in the wrong subnet

Question 12

A network administrator is setting up a new wireless network for a small business. The administrator configures a wireless access point with WPA2-PSK and a strong passphrase. Several users on different floors report intermittent connectivity and slow speeds. The administrator checks the access point and finds that the signal strength is excellent in the area. The access point is dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) and broadcasts a single SSID. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The channel width is set to 40MHz on the 2.4GHz band, causing interference.. In the 2.4 GHz band, using a 40 MHz channel width consumes more spectrum and overlaps with adjacent channels, causing co-channel and adjacent-channel interference. This interference leads to intermittent connectivity and slow speeds, especially on different floors where signal propagation is more complex. The strong signal strength and dual-band setup with a single SSID point to channel width misconfiguration as the most likely cause.

Answer

The access point is configured to use the default IP address, causing an IP conflict.

Answer

The encryption type is too weak for the number of users.

Answer

The access point's firmware is outdated and needs an update.

Question 13

A small business wants to move its company website to the cloud. The goal is to eliminate all management tasks related to the operating system and the web server software. The business wants to simply upload its website content and have the cloud provider handle all patching, security, and availability. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS). Platform as a Service (PaaS) is the correct model because it provides a managed platform where the cloud provider handles the operating system, web server software, patching, security, and availability. The business only needs to upload its website content (e.g., HTML, PHP files) and the provider manages the underlying runtime environment, including the web server (like Apache or Nginx) and OS updates. This eliminates all management tasks related to the OS and web server software, directly matching the requirement.

Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 14

A user reports that their Android smartphone will not connect to a Bluetooth headset that was previously paired. The user has tried turning Bluetooth off and on, and restarting the phone. The headset works with other devices. Which of the following should the technician advise the user to try NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Forget the headset in Bluetooth settings and re-pair. The most likely issue is a corrupted Bluetooth pairing profile on the phone. Forgetting the headset removes the stored encryption keys and connection parameters, forcing a fresh pairing handshake (using SSP or legacy pairing) that re-establishes a valid link. Since the headset works with other devices, the problem is isolated to the phone's Bluetooth stack, not the headset.

Answer

Reset the network settings on the phone

Answer

Update the phone's operating system

Answer

Replace the Bluetooth antenna

Question 15

A user reports that their desktop computer shuts down unexpectedly while running video editing software, usually after about 15 minutes of heavy rendering. The technician has observed that the CPU fan and case fans spin at high speed just before the shutdown. The technician cleaned all dust from the heatsink and case intakes, but the problem persists. The BIOS reports CPU idle temperature at 35°C (95°F). Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Replace the thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink. The CPU idle temperature of 35°C is normal, but the shutdown after 15 minutes of heavy rendering with high fan speeds indicates the CPU is overheating under load. Since cleaning the dust did not resolve the issue, the most likely cause is degraded thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink, which loses its ability to transfer heat efficiently over time. Replacing the thermal paste restores proper thermal conductivity, allowing the heatsink to dissipate heat effectively and prevent thermal throttling or shutdown.

Answer

Replace the CPU cooler with a larger model

Answer

Update the motherboard BIOS to the latest version

Answer

Test the power supply voltage rails under load with a multimeter

Question 16

A research organization requires a cloud environment that is exclusively used by their team and physically isolated from other organizations. They need complete control over the underlying infrastructure, including the ability to configure hypervisors and virtual switches. Which cloud deployment model should they choose?

Accepted Answer

Private cloud. A private cloud is the correct choice because it provides a dedicated, single-tenant environment that is physically isolated from other organizations. This model gives the research team complete control over the underlying infrastructure, including hypervisors and virtual switches, enabling custom configuration and management.

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Community cloud

Answer

Hybrid cloud

Question 17

A user reports that their Android smartphone's battery drains significantly faster than usual. The technician checks the battery usage statistics and finds that the screen is consuming 60% of the battery. The screen brightness is manually set to maximum. Which of the following is the MOST effective step to reduce battery consumption?

Accepted Answer

Reduce screen brightness. The screen is the primary battery consumer, and manual maximum brightness forces the display to use full backlight power. Reducing screen brightness directly lowers the power draw of the display, which is the most effective immediate step to extend battery life. This addresses the root cause identified in the battery usage statistics.

Answer

Disable mobile data

Answer

Remove the battery and reinsert it

Answer

Perform a factory reset

Question 18

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?

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 19

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 20

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.