220-1101 Practice Exam 63 — 20 Questions

Question 1

A financial services company must store customer data on-premises due to strict regulatory requirements. However, they want to leverage cloud resources to run analytics on that data during peak reporting periods. The company plans to use a cloud provider that can securely access the on-premises data and provide additional compute capacity only when needed. Which cloud deployment model BEST describes this configuration?

Accepted Answer

Hybrid cloud. The hybrid cloud model combines on-premises infrastructure (private cloud) with public cloud resources, connected via a secure VPN or dedicated link. This allows the company to keep sensitive customer data on-premises for regulatory compliance while bursting compute-intensive analytics workloads to the public cloud during peak reporting periods, paying only for additional capacity when needed.

Answer

Public cloud

Answer

Private cloud

Answer

Community cloud

Question 2

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 3

A company wants to migrate its critical applications to the cloud while guaranteeing that physical hardware resources are dedicated to its virtual machines to avoid performance interference from other tenants. The company also needs full control over the operating system and applications. Which of the following BEST describes the cloud model that meets these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with dedicated hosts. Option C is correct because Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) with dedicated hosts provides physically isolated hardware resources for the virtual machines, ensuring no performance interference from other tenants. The customer retains full control over the operating system and applications, which aligns with the requirement for dedicated resources and administrative access.

Answer

Public cloud with multi-tenant infrastructure

Answer

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Answer

Hybrid cloud deployment

Question 4

A company runs a critical web server on a virtual machine hosted on a Type 1 hypervisor cluster. The cluster consists of two physical hosts connected to a shared storage array. The IT manager requires that if one host fails, the VM should automatically restart on the other host without manual intervention. Which virtualization feature should be configured?

Accepted Answer

High Availability. High Availability (HA) is the correct feature because it automatically restarts a virtual machine on a surviving host in a cluster when the original host fails, without requiring manual intervention. This is achieved by monitoring heartbeat signals between hosts and the shared storage; if a host stops responding, HA triggers the VM restart on another host. The scenario explicitly requires automatic restart on host failure, which is the primary function of HA in a Type 1 hypervisor cluster.

Answer

Live Migration

Answer

Fault Tolerance

Answer

Load Balancing

Question 5

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that randomly freezes and then reboots. The technician runs a CPU stress test; after about 5 minutes, the system freezes and reboots. The CPU temperature during the test is monitored and never exceeds 75°C. The technician has run a full memory test (MemTest86) and a hard drive diagnostic (SMART check); both pass without errors. The power supply voltages are within specifications when measured with a multimeter at idle and under load. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

A failing power supply unit. The symptoms—random freezing and rebooting under CPU stress, with all other components (CPU temperature, memory, storage, and power supply voltages) passing diagnostics—point to a failing power supply unit (PSU). Even though the multimeter shows correct voltages at idle and under load, a PSU can fail intermittently under sustained high current draw, causing voltage ripple or transient drops that trigger a system reset. The CPU stress test specifically taxes the 12V rail, and a marginal PSU may not maintain stable output during extended high-load scenarios, leading to the observed behavior.

Answer

Insufficient voltage to the CPU due to motherboard VRM failure

Answer

A corrupted operating system driver

Answer

A failing system fan that spins intermittently

Question 6

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop computer that randomly restarts when running graphically intensive applications like games. The technician has verified that the CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits. The power supply unit (PSU) is rated at 400W, and the system includes an Intel Core i7-10700 (125W TDP) and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (170W TDP), along with several drives and fans. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the random restarts?

Accepted Answer

Insufficient power supply wattage. The system's total power draw under load (CPU 125W + GPU 170W + drives, fans, motherboard ~50-80W) can exceed 400W, causing the PSU to trip its overcurrent protection or drop out of regulation, leading to random restarts during graphically intensive tasks. This is the classic symptom of an underpowered PSU, even though temperatures are normal.

Answer

Faulty RAM module

Answer

Outdated GPU driver

Answer

Failing CPU fan

Question 7

A company runs a web application on a public cloud platform. The application often experiences variable traffic, with usage spikes lasting only a few hours. The company wants to automatically increase the number of virtual machine instances when CPU utilization exceeds 70% and decrease them when utilization drops below 30%. Which characteristic of cloud computing does this capability BEST represent?

Accepted Answer

Rapid elasticity. The ability to automatically scale virtual machine instances up and down in response to CPU utilization thresholds (70% up, 30% down) is a direct example of rapid elasticity. This cloud characteristic allows resources to be provisioned and released elastically, often automatically, to match demand at any given time. The scenario describes a dynamic, automated scaling action, which is the core definition of rapid elasticity in cloud computing.

Answer

On-demand self-service

Answer

Resource pooling

Answer

Measured service

Question 8

A technician is troubleshooting a user's workstation that intermittently loses network connectivity. The user says the connection drops for a few seconds and then reconnects. The technician checks the switch port and sees a high number of runt frames. The Ethernet cable is properly connected and passes a cable tester. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Duplex mismatch between the workstation and the switch. A duplex mismatch occurs when one device (e.g., the workstation) is set to auto-negotiate while the other (the switch port) is manually set to full-duplex, or vice versa. This causes the switch to detect runt frames (frames smaller than 64 bytes) due to collisions on a half-duplex link, leading to intermittent connectivity drops. The cable passing the tester and the high runt count point directly to a Layer 1/2 negotiation issue, not a physical cable fault.

Answer

Faulty network interface card (NIC)

Answer

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) near the cable

Answer

Incorrect VLAN assignment on the switch port

Question 9

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

Question 10

A technician is troubleshooting a desktop PC that randomly shuts down after about 30 minutes of use. The technician has already swapped the power supply unit (PSU) with a known-good 550W unit, but the issue persists. The system is running a standard productivity workload with no overtaxing of components. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?

Accepted Answer

CPU cooler thermal paste application and cooler seating. Since the PSU has already been replaced with a known-good unit and the system is not under heavy load, the most likely cause of a consistent 30-minute shutdown is thermal throttling or overheating due to poor CPU cooler contact. Dried-out or improperly applied thermal paste, or a cooler that is not seated evenly, can cause the CPU to reach critical temperature thresholds (typically around 100°C for modern Intel/AMD processors) after a period of sustained operation, triggering an automatic shutdown to prevent damage.

Answer

RAM module seating and memory diagnostics

Answer

Motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaking

Answer

Hard drive health using S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics

Question 11

A network technician configures a managed switch with two VLANs: VLAN 10 for workstations and VLAN 20 for servers. A workstation on VLAN 10 can ping its default gateway (192.168.10.1), and a server on VLAN 20 can ping its default gateway (192.168.20.1). However, the workstation cannot ping the server's IP address (192.168.20.10). All switch ports are configured as access ports in their respective VLANs, and the default gateways are correctly assigned. Which of the following is MOST likely needed to allow this communication?

Accepted Answer

A router configured for inter-VLAN routing. The workstation and server are on different VLANs, which are separate Layer 2 broadcast domains. Even though each device can reach its own default gateway, communication between VLANs requires a Layer 3 device to route packets between them. A router configured for inter-VLAN routing (either router-on-a-stick or a Layer 3 switch) is necessary to forward traffic from VLAN 10 to VLAN 20.

Answer

A DHCP server on each VLAN

Answer

A higher category Ethernet cable

Answer

A trunk port between the switch and the router

Question 12

A network technician is troubleshooting inter-VLAN routing. Clients on VLAN 10 (192.168.10.0/24) cannot communicate with servers on VLAN 20 (192.168.20.0/24). The router has subinterfaces for both VLANs and is connected to a layer 2 switch. The switch port connecting to the router is configured as an access port in VLAN 10. An ACL on the router is configured to permit all traffic between the VLANs. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The switch port is not configured as a trunk. The switch port connecting to the router is configured as an access port in VLAN 10, which means it can only carry traffic for VLAN 10. For inter-VLAN routing, the router's subinterfaces need to receive frames tagged with their respective VLAN IDs. A trunk port (802.1Q) must be used on the switch side to allow both VLAN 10 and VLAN 20 traffic to reach the router. Without a trunk, frames from VLAN 20 are dropped at the switch port, preventing communication.

Answer

The ACL on the router is misconfigured

Answer

The default gateway on the servers is set incorrectly

Answer

VLAN 20 is not defined on the switch

Question 13

A server administrator configures two identical virtual machines on two separate physical host servers. The VMs are kept in constant synchronization using a hypervisor-level clustering feature. If one host fails, the other VM instantly takes over with no interruption in service and no data loss. This scenario describes which of the following virtualization features?

Accepted Answer

Fault tolerance. The scenario describes fault tolerance, a hypervisor-level feature that creates a shadow VM in constant lockstep synchronization with the primary VM. If the primary host fails, the secondary VM takes over instantaneously with no interruption and no data loss, because every instruction and state change is mirrored in real time. This is distinct from high availability, which involves restarting the VM on a surviving host after a failure, causing a brief outage.

Answer

High availability

Answer

Live migration

Answer

Snapshots

Question 14

A network technician is connecting two network switches in a small office to extend the wired network. The technician uses two cables between the switches for redundancy, but the network becomes unstable and devices experience intermittent connectivity. Which of the following protocols should the technician implement to prevent network loops while allowing the redundant links?

Accepted Answer

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) prevents network loops by placing redundant links into a blocking state while maintaining a single active path between switches. When a primary link fails, STP automatically recalculates the topology and transitions a backup link to forwarding, ensuring redundancy without broadcast storms or MAC table instability.

Answer

VLAN (Virtual LAN)

Answer

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Answer

NAT (Network Address Translation)

Question 15

A network technician is configuring a router for a small office. The office has two subnets: 192.168.1.0/24 for staff and 192.168.2.0/24 for guests. Staff can access the internet, but guests cannot. The technician confirms that both subnets have a default route to the router's WAN IP. The router has an ACL applied to the guest VLAN interface that denies all traffic to the WAN interface. What should the technician change to allow guests internet access?

Accepted Answer

Configure NAT for the guest subnet. Option D is correct because the ACL on the guest VLAN interface blocks traffic to the WAN interface, but without NAT (Network Address Translation), the router would not translate the private guest IP addresses (192.168.2.0/24) to a public IP for internet access. Even if the ACL were removed or modified, the router would still drop packets from the guest subnet destined for the internet because it lacks a NAT rule to translate the source address. Therefore, configuring NAT for the guest subnet enables outbound internet access by translating private addresses to the router's WAN IP.

Answer

Remove the ACL from the guest VLAN interface

Answer

Add a permit statement for the guest subnet to the ACL

Answer

Change the guest subnet to 192.168.1.0/24

Question 16

A technician is setting up a small office network. The router has only four LAN ports, but the office has six computers and two network printers that all need to be connected to the same network. Which additional device should the technician use to connect all devices?

Accepted Answer

A switch. A switch is the correct choice because it provides multiple Ethernet ports (typically 8, 16, or 24) and operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model, forwarding frames based on MAC addresses. This allows the technician to connect the six computers and two printers (eight devices total) to the router's single LAN port via the switch, creating a single broadcast domain while efficiently managing traffic.

Answer

A hub

Answer

A modem

Answer

A patch panel

Question 17

A technician is troubleshooting a laser printer that produces pages with faint images. The toner cartridge is full and the imaging drum has been replaced recently. The technician prints a test page from the printer's control panel, which also appears faint. Which of the following components should the technician check or replace NEXT?

Accepted Answer

The primary charge roller (or corona wire).. The primary charge roller (or corona wire) applies a uniform electrostatic charge to the photosensitive drum. If it is worn, dirty, or failing, the drum cannot hold a proper charge, resulting in a faint image even with a full toner cartridge and a new drum. The test page being faint confirms the issue is in the image formation process, not the data path.

Answer

The fuser assembly.

Answer

The transfer roller.

Answer

The paper pickup rollers.

Question 18

A technician is troubleshooting a user's computer that can successfully ping internal servers by IP address and hostname, but cannot access any external websites or services on the internet. The user can ping the default gateway (192.168.1.1). Other users on the same subnet have normal internet access. The technician has verified that the IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server settings are correct on the user's computer. Which TWO of the following are the MOST likely causes of this issue? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

The computer has a static route configured with a low metric that bypasses the default gateway.. Option A is correct because a static route with a low metric can override the default gateway for external traffic. If the computer has a manually configured route that points to a non-existent or unreachable next-hop for the 0.0.0.0/0 destination, all internet-bound packets will be sent there instead of the default gateway, breaking external access while internal pings (which match more specific routes) still work.

Answer

The DNS server is not resolving external domain names.

Answer

The default gateway is incorrect.

Question 19

A small office network uses a managed switch with port security enabled. A new employee connects their laptop to a configured port, but the laptop cannot obtain an IP address or communicate on the network. The link light on the switch port is on. Other ports in the same VLAN work correctly. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The switch port has MAC address filtering enabled that does not include the laptop's MAC. Port security with MAC address filtering restricts which devices can communicate through a switch port based on their MAC address. Since the link light is on (Layer 1 is up) but the laptop cannot obtain an IP address or communicate, the switch is likely dropping frames from the laptop's MAC because it is not in the allowed MAC list. This prevents DHCP discovery and all other traffic, even though the physical connection is established.

Answer

The switch port is administratively shut down

Answer

The laptop has a static IP address that conflicts with another device

Answer

The switch port is not in the correct VLAN

Question 20

A small office network uses a single managed switch connected to a router. A workstation is configured with a static IP address of 10.0.0.50/24, default gateway 10.0.0.1, and DNS server 10.0.0.10. The workstation can successfully ping other workstations on the same local subnet, but it cannot ping the default gateway (10.0.0.1) or access the internet. The technician checks the router and finds that the router's interface connected to the switch has IP address 10.0.0.1/24. The switch port connecting the router is configured as an access port on VLAN 1. The workstation's switch port is configured as an access port on VLAN 10. Other workstations on VLAN 10 have the same issue. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The router's interface does not have a subinterface configured for VLAN 10. The workstation is on VLAN 10, but the router's interface is configured as a simple access port on VLAN 1 with no subinterface for VLAN 10. Without a subinterface (e.g., 10.0.0.1/24 on VLAN 10) or a separate physical interface, the router has no Layer 3 presence in VLAN 10, so it cannot route traffic from VLAN 10 workstations. This is a classic router-on-a-stick misconfiguration where the router lacks a logical interface for the workstation's VLAN.

Answer

The default gateway IP address is incorrect

Answer

The DNS server is unreachable

Answer

The switch is not trunking to the router