220-1101 Practice Exam 59 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A technician installs a new M.2 NVMe SSD in a desktop computer that previously only had a SATA HDD and boots from it. After installation, the BIOS does not list the M.2 drive in the storage devices or boot menu. The technician has already reseated the M.2 drive. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

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

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot is disabled in the BIOS settings. The BIOS not listing the M.2 drive after reseating indicates the slot may be disabled in the BIOS settings. Many motherboards have a dedicated M.2 slot enable/disable option, often found under 'Peripherals' or 'Onboard Devices Configuration'. Disabling the slot prevents the BIOS from detecting the drive entirely, even if the drive is properly seated and powered.

Answer

The M.2 drive is not compatible with the motherboard

Answer

The system needs a BIOS update

Answer

The M.2 drive is not partitioned or formatted

Question 2

A small office network consists of 12 workstations and a single router. The administrator wants each workstation to obtain an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway automatically without manual configuration. Which protocol must be enabled on the router to provide this functionality?

Accepted Answer

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol). DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is the correct answer because it automatically assigns IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateways, and other network parameters to clients from a defined pool. Without DHCP, each workstation would require static manual configuration, which violates the requirement for automatic assignment.

Answer

DNS (Domain Name System)

Answer

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

Answer

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

Question 3

A user dropped their smartphone and now the touchscreen is completely unresponsive, although the display appears normal and the phone powers on and receives calls. Which of the following components is most likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

Digitizer. The digitizer is the component responsible for converting touch input into electrical signals. When the display appears normal but the touchscreen is unresponsive, the digitizer layer is the most likely damaged component, as the LCD panel (which handles image rendering) and other system components are functioning correctly.

Answer

LCD panel

Answer

Battery

Answer

Motherboard

Question 4

A company wants to migrate its internal web application to the cloud to reduce hardware maintenance costs and improve scalability. The IT team needs full control over the operating system and application software, but they want the cloud provider to manage the physical servers and virtualization layer. 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, giving the IT team full control over the operating system, applications, and middleware while the cloud provider manages the physical hardware and hypervisor layer. This matches the requirement for reduced hardware maintenance and scalability without sacrificing OS-level control.

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Software as a Service (SaaS)

Answer

Desktop as a Service (DaaS)

Question 5

A technician is assembling a new desktop computer. After installing the motherboard, CPU, heatsink, RAM, and power supply, the technician presses the power button but nothing happens. No lights turn on, no fans spin. The power supply is brand new and known to be compatible. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the power switch cable from the front panel is connected to the correct motherboard header pins. When a brand-new desktop shows no signs of power (no lights, no fans), the most logical first step is to verify the front panel power switch connection. The power button on the case is connected to the motherboard via a small two-wire cable that must be attached to the correct header pins (typically labeled PWR_SW or PWR_BTN). If this cable is not connected or is on the wrong pins, pressing the button will not complete the circuit to signal the power supply to turn on, even though all other components are properly installed.

Answer

Remove and reseat the CPU to ensure it is properly installed

Answer

Remove and reseat the RAM modules in the correct slots

Answer

Test the power supply by using a paperclip to short the green and black wires on the 24-pin connector

Question 6

A user dropped their smartphone onto a tiled floor. The screen now flickers intermittently and there is a visible column of dead pixels on the left side. The touch input continues to work in the unaffected areas. Which of the following components is MOST likely damaged?

Accepted Answer

LCD panel. The LCD panel is responsible for displaying the image on the screen. A visible column of dead pixels and intermittent flickering, while touch input remains functional in unaffected areas, indicates physical damage to the LCD layer itself. The digitizer (touch layer) is separate and still working, which isolates the fault to the LCD panel.

Answer

Digitizer

Answer

Backlight

Answer

Battery

Question 7

A user dropped their smartphone and the touchscreen is now completely unresponsive. The display shows the home screen normally, the device powers on, and physical buttons (power, volume) work. The user has already performed a forced restart (holding power and volume down) but the touchscreen remains unresponsive. The device is not backed up, and the user needs to recover data before sending it for repair. Which of the following is the NEXT best step?

Accepted Answer

Use an external mouse via USB-OTG. Using an external mouse via USB-OTG (On-The-Go) bypasses the broken digitizer by sending touch input through the USB host controller, allowing the user to navigate the phone and initiate data transfer. Since the display and system are functional, this method enables data recovery without repair or data loss.

Answer

Connect the phone to a computer and use file management software to extract data

Answer

Replace the digitizer assembly

Answer

Perform a factory reset from recovery mode

Question 8

An IT administrator is configuring a virtualized server to support a legacy application that requires exclusive access to a physical USB dongle license key. The dongle is plugged into a USB port on the physical host server. The administrator needs the virtual machine to directly interface with the USB device as if it were connected directly to the VM, bypassing the host OS. Which virtualization feature should the administrator enable?

Accepted Answer

Hardware pass-through. Hardware pass-through (also known as PCI passthrough or device assignment) allows a virtual machine to directly access a physical hardware device, such as a USB controller, bypassing the host operating system. This gives the VM exclusive, direct control over the USB dongle, making it appear as if the device is physically connected to the VM itself. This is essential for legacy applications that require a physical USB license key and cannot function through host-mediated USB redirection.

Answer

Virtual USB controller

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Live migration

Question 9

A technician built a new desktop computer. When the power button is pressed, all fans spin and the case LEDs light up, but the monitor shows 'No Signal'. The technician has verified that the monitor works with another computer. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Ensure the monitor cable is connected to the discrete GPU instead of the motherboard. The correct first step is to ensure the monitor cable is connected to the discrete GPU rather than the motherboard. Modern CPUs often lack integrated graphics, or the motherboard may disable the integrated graphics when a discrete GPU is installed. Connecting to the motherboard's video port would result in a 'No Signal' error because the system is outputting video through the discrete GPU.

Answer

Reseat the RAM modules

Answer

Replace the power supply with a higher wattage unit

Answer

Reinstall the CPU and check for bent pins

Question 10

A technician is building a new desktop computer. When power is applied, the fans spin, the drives spin up, but the monitor shows no signal and no beep codes are heard. The technician verifies that the power supply is adequate for the components. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

CPU is not properly seated. The absence of beep codes combined with fans and drives spinning indicates the motherboard is receiving power but fails to complete the Power-On Self-Test (POST). A CPU that is not properly seated prevents the CPU from communicating with the chipset, halting POST before any beep sequence can be generated, while the power supply and other components receive power.

Answer

Power supply is faulty

Answer

RAM is incompatible

Answer

Hard drive is not connected

Question 11

A small office uses a single unmanaged switch to connect 20 computers. Users report that file transfers between computers are very slow, and the network feels sluggish. The technician notices that the switch's collision LED is blinking frequently. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

A duplex mismatch between the switch and one or more connected devices. A duplex mismatch occurs when one device is set to full-duplex and the other to half-duplex, causing the half-duplex device to detect collisions when the full-duplex device transmits without checking for a clear channel. The frequent collision LED on an unmanaged switch indicates that collisions are occurring, which is a classic symptom of duplex mismatch, as the switch and workstation negotiate incorrectly or are manually misconfigured.

Answer

An excessive number of broadcast packets flooding the network

Answer

A malfunctioning NIC on one of the workstations

Answer

An incorrect VLAN configuration on the switch

Question 12

A technician is configuring a small office network with a managed switch and a router that supports inter-VLAN routing. A workstation on VLAN 10 (192.168.10.0/24) can ping other workstations on VLAN 10 but cannot ping a server on VLAN 20 (192.168.20.0/24). The switch has a trunk port connecting to the router, and the trunk is configured to allow VLANs 10 and 20. The workstation's default gateway is set to 192.168.10.1. The server's default gateway is set to 192.168.20.1. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?

Accepted Answer

A. The router's subinterface for VLAN 20 is not configured or is incorrectly configured.. The workstation can communicate within VLAN 10 but cannot reach VLAN 20, indicating that inter-VLAN routing is failing. Since the trunk is correctly allowing VLANs 10 and 20, the most likely cause is that the router's subinterface for VLAN 20 (e.g., GigabitEthernet0/0.20) is missing, has an incorrect encapsulation dot1Q 20 command, or lacks an IP address in the 192.168.20.0/24 subnet. Without a properly configured subinterface, the router cannot route traffic to or from VLAN 20.

Answer

B. The workstation's firewall is blocking ICMP echo requests.

Answer

C. The switch port connecting the router is configured as an access port on VLAN 1.

Answer

D. The server's default gateway is set to 192.168.20.254.

Question 13

A cloud provider houses multiple customers' virtual machines on the same physical server hardware. Each customer's data and applications are logically isolated, and customers have no knowledge or control over exactly which physical resources they are using. This scenario best describes which essential characteristic of cloud computing?

Accepted Answer

Resource pooling. Resource pooling is the correct characteristic because it describes the cloud provider's ability to serve multiple customers (tenants) from the same physical hardware while maintaining logical isolation. The hypervisor (e.g., VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V) abstracts the underlying physical resources—CPU, RAM, storage—and dynamically allocates them to virtual machines as needed, without the customer knowing or controlling the exact physical hardware. This multi-tenant model is the essence of resource pooling, as defined by NIST SP 800-145.

Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

Broad network access

Answer

Measured service

Question 14

A user reports that they can access internal company servers by IP address and hostname, 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 should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Check the browser's proxy settings. Since the user can access internal resources by hostname (indicating DNS resolution works for internal names) and can ping the default gateway, the issue is isolated to internet-bound traffic. The most likely cause is that the browser is configured to use a proxy server that is unreachable or misconfigured, which would prevent internet access while leaving local network connectivity intact. Checking the browser's proxy settings is the logical next step because the user's IP configuration is correct and other users on the same subnet have full internet access.

Answer

Check the default gateway

Answer

Check the DHCP lease status

Answer

Check the switch port security settings

Question 15

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that fails to POST. The system powers on, fans spin, but no video is output and no beep codes are heard. The technician has already reseated the RAM, GPU, and all power cables. The motherboard has a built-in speaker. The technician then removes all RAM sticks and powers on the system; this time, the system emits a series of long beeps. Which of the following should the technician do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Install one RAM stick at a time and test each in slot 1. The system's behavior—no POST, no beeps with RAM installed, but long beeps when RAM is removed—indicates the motherboard's BIOS is successfully detecting the absence of memory and reporting it via the speaker. This confirms the CPU, motherboard, and power delivery are likely functional, and the issue is isolated to the RAM or its configuration. The next logical step is to test each RAM stick individually in slot 1 to identify a faulty module or slot, following standard memory troubleshooting procedures.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit

Answer

Reinstall the CPU and heatsink

Answer

Clear the CMOS by removing the battery

Question 16

A technician installs a new M.2 SSD into a desktop computer. The motherboard has two M.2 slots: one labeled M.2_1 (PCIe only) and one labeled M.2_2 (PCIe/SATA). The technician places the SSD into the M.2_1 slot, but the drive is not detected in the BIOS. The SSD is a M.2 SATA drive. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the detection failure?

Accepted Answer

The SSD is a SATA M.2 drive, but the M.2_1 slot only supports PCIe/NVMe. The M.2_1 slot is labeled as 'PCIe only,' meaning it exclusively supports PCIe-based NVMe SSDs. The installed SSD is a SATA M.2 drive, which uses the AHCI protocol and requires a SATA interface. Since the slot lacks SATA signal lines, the drive cannot be detected during POST.

Answer

The SSD requires a driver to be loaded during POST

Answer

The M.2_1 slot shares bandwidth with a SATA port that must be enabled first

Answer

The motherboard does not support booting from NVMe drives

Question 17

A technician is troubleshooting a network laser printer that prints blank pages even though the toner cartridge is new and properly installed. The printer's self-test page also comes out blank. Which of the following should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

The imaging drum for exposure or contact issues.. The imaging drum is responsible for transferring the toner image to the paper. A new toner cartridge does not include a new drum in many laser printers; if the drum is worn, damaged, or has a contact issue, it will not charge or discharge correctly, resulting in blank pages even on a self-test page. Since the self-test page also fails, the problem is internal to the printer hardware, not the network or driver.

Answer

The fuser assembly for wear or damage.

Answer

The network connection and IP configuration.

Answer

The printer driver settings on the user's computer.

Question 18

A user's Android smartphone is experiencing intermittent touchscreen unresponsiveness, especially in the bottom corners. The screen has no visible cracks or damage. Which of the following troubleshooting steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Remove the screen protector and clean the screen. Intermittent touchscreen unresponsiveness, especially in the bottom corners, is often caused by a screen protector that is lifting, trapping debris, or creating air gaps that interfere with the capacitive touch layer. The first step should be to remove the screen protector and clean the screen with a microfiber cloth, as this is the least invasive and most likely fix for the described symptoms.

Answer

Perform a factory reset

Answer

Replace the touchscreen digitizer

Answer

Update the device firmware

Question 19

A technician is building a desktop computer. The motherboard manual states it supports DDR4-3200 RAM. The technician installs DDR4-2666 RAM. The system boots and operates normally. Which of the following best describes the performance of the installed RAM?

Accepted Answer

The RAM will run at 2666 MHz.. The motherboard supports DDR4-3200 RAM, but the installed RAM is rated for DDR4-2666. By default, the system will run the memory at the highest speed supported by both the motherboard and the installed RAM, which is 2666 MHz. This is because the memory controller reads the SPD (Serial Presence Detect) data from the RAM modules and sets the speed to the maximum supported by the slowest component.

Answer

The RAM will run at 3200 MHz.

Answer

The RAM will not be compatible and the system will not boot.

Answer

The RAM will run at 2933 MHz.

Question 20

A network technician is configuring a router-on-a-stick for inter-VLAN routing. The router has one physical interface (G0/0) connected to a managed switch. The technician creates subinterfaces G0/0.10 for VLAN 10 (192.168.10.1/24) and G0/0.20 for VLAN 20 (192.168.20.1/24). The switch port connected to the router is configured as a trunk allowing VLANs 10 and 20. On a workstation in VLAN 10, the technician can ping the gateway 192.168.10.1 but cannot ping the gateway 192.168.20.1. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The subinterface G0/0.20 is missing the encapsulation dot1Q 20 command. The workstation in VLAN 10 can ping its own gateway (192.168.10.1) but not the gateway in VLAN 20 (192.168.20.1). This indicates that the router's subinterface for VLAN 20 is not properly configured to accept and forward traffic from VLAN 20. The most likely cause is that the subinterface G0/0.20 is missing the `encapsulation dot1Q 20` command, which is required to tag frames with VLAN 20 ID when they traverse the trunk link. Without this command, the router will not process traffic for VLAN 20, and the gateway remains unreachable.

Answer

The switch trunk port is set to the wrong native VLAN

Answer

The workstation in VLAN 10 has an incorrect subnet mask

Answer

The router interface G0/0 is in a VLAN that is not allowed on the trunk