220-1101 Networking Practice Test 10 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user in a small office can access internal network resources by IP address but cannot access any websites by domain name. Other users on the same network can browse the internet without issues. The user's workstation obtains an IP address via DHCP and can successfully ping the default gateway. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

Incorrect DNS server address on the workstation. The user can access internal resources by IP address and ping the default gateway, confirming Layer 2/3 connectivity is intact. The inability to resolve domain names to IP addresses while other users can browse normally points directly to a DNS resolution failure. Since the workstation obtains its IP via DHCP, the most likely cause is that the DHCP server provided an incorrect or no DNS server address, or the workstation's DNS settings were manually misconfigured, preventing name resolution.

Answer

Faulty network cable

Answer

DHCP scope exhaustion

Answer

Firewall blocking outbound traffic

Question 2

A user in a small office reports that they can access websites on the internet but cannot connect to the company's internal file server using its hostname (\fileserver). Other users in the same office can access the file server by hostname without any issues. The technician runs ipconfig /all on the affected workstation and sees the following: IPv4 Address: 192.168.1.45, Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1, DNS Server: 8.8.8.8. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The workstation is using an external DNS server instead of the internal DNS server.. The workstation can access the internet (via 8.8.8.8) but cannot resolve the internal hostname 'fileserver' because it is using an external DNS server (Google's 8.8.8.8) instead of the internal DNS server that holds the private DNS records for the company's local resources. Internal DNS servers typically host A or CNAME records for internal hostnames, which public DNS servers like 8.8.8.8 do not contain. This mismatch prevents hostname resolution for the file server while leaving internet access functional.

Answer

The workstation's subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The default gateway is misconfigured.

Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted.

Question 3

An employee connects their laptop to the company network via Ethernet. They can access the internet but cannot connect to internal servers using their hostnames (e.g., \fileserver). They can ping internal server IPs. The network uses an internal DNS server at 192.168.1.5. The technician checks the laptop's network adapter settings and sees that the DNS server is manually set to 8.8.8.8. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop is configured to use a public DNS server instead of the internal DNS server.. The laptop can access the internet and ping internal servers by IP, confirming that basic IP connectivity and routing are functional. However, it cannot resolve internal hostnames because its DNS server is manually set to 8.8.8.8 (a public Google DNS server), which does not have records for the company's internal domain. The internal DNS server at 192.168.1.5 is required to resolve names like \fileserver, so using an external DNS server breaks internal name resolution.

Answer

The laptop's IPv4 address is outside the company's subnet.

Answer

The DNS resolver cache on the laptop is corrupted.

Answer

The internal DNS server is not responding to queries from different subnets.

Question 4

A user reports that their workstation is displaying an 'IP address conflict' error message and cannot access the network. The technician runs ipconfig and sees IPv4 address 192.168.1.15 with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Run ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew. The 'IP address conflict' error indicates that another device on the same subnet is already using 192.168.1.15. The correct first step is to release the current DHCP lease with ipconfig /release and then request a new IP address with ipconfig /renew, which forces the DHCP client to obtain a fresh, non-conflicting address from the DHCP server.

Answer

Change the subnet mask to 255.255.0.0

Answer

Change the DNS server address to 8.8.8.8

Answer

Disable the Windows Firewall

Question 5

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 6

A technician is troubleshooting an issue where users in one department cannot access the internet, but they can access shared files on the local network. The router's status lights indicate WAN connectivity is active. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

DNS server settings on the affected computers. The symptom—users can access local resources but not the internet—strongly suggests a name resolution failure. Since the router's WAN light is active, the physical and data-link layers to the ISP are up, so the issue is likely at the application layer. Checking DNS server settings on the affected computers is the first logical step because if the DNS server address is incorrect or unreachable, domain names cannot be resolved, making internet access appear down even though IP connectivity exists.

Answer

DHCP scope exhaustion

Answer

Firewall settings on the router

Answer

Faulty network cable from the department switch to the router

Question 7

A small office has 10 computers connected to a single switch. The ISP provides a modem with a built-in router and DHCP server. One user reports they cannot access the internet but can access shared files on the local network. The technician checks the IP configuration on the user's computer and sees an IP address of 169.254.12.5. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DHCP server is unavailable. The IP address 169.254.12.5 is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address (169.254.0.0/16 range), which Windows assigns when a DHCP discovery request fails to receive a response. Since the user can access local network shares but not the internet, the DHCP server (built into the ISP modem/router) is unavailable or unreachable, preventing the computer from obtaining a valid IP configuration.

Answer

The DNS server is down

Answer

The default gateway is misconfigured

Answer

The switch port is faulty

Question 8

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 9

A technician is troubleshooting a computer that cannot access any websites by their domain name (e.g., www.example.com) but can access websites by their IP address. The computer's IP configuration shows it received a valid IP address from the DHCP server. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server address is incorrect or unreachable. The ability to access websites by IP address but not by domain name indicates that name resolution is failing. Since the computer has a valid IP address from DHCP, the most likely cause is that the DNS server address provided by DHCP is incorrect or unreachable, preventing the translation of domain names to IP addresses.

Answer

The default gateway is incorrect

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrect

Answer

The DHCP lease has expired

Question 10

A technician is installing several wireless access points in a large office to provide Wi-Fi coverage. The access points are PoE-capable, but the existing network switches do not support Power over Ethernet. The access points are located too far from available power outlets. Which of the following devices should the technician use to provide both data connectivity and power to the access points?

Accepted Answer

PoE injector. A PoE injector is the correct choice because it inserts power into the Ethernet cable between the non-PoE switch and the PoE-capable access point, providing both data and power over a single cable. This solves the problem of the access points being too far from power outlets without requiring replacement of the existing switches.

Answer

PoE switch

Answer

Network hub

Answer

Power supply unit

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting a user's laptop that connects to the corporate Wi-Fi network successfully and obtains a valid IP address in the 192.168.x.x range. However, the user cannot access the internet or any internal servers. Other devices on the same Wi-Fi network are working fine. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The laptop's network profile type. The laptop obtains a valid IP address (192.168.x.x) and connects to Wi-Fi, but cannot reach the internet or internal servers while other devices work. This points to a local configuration issue on the laptop, not the network infrastructure. The network profile type (Public, Private, or Domain) controls Windows Firewall rules; a Public profile often blocks file/print sharing and can block access to internal servers or even the default gateway, while still allowing DHCP and DNS. Checking this first is quick and non-invasive, and it directly addresses a common misconfiguration that matches the symptoms.

Answer

The DHCP server's IP address pool

Answer

The default gateway's MAC address

Answer

The DNS server settings

Question 12

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 13

A technician sets up a small office network using two unmanaged switches to connect 25 computers. After connecting both switches to the router, the network becomes extremely slow and many computers lose connectivity intermittently. The technician notices that the router's status lights on all ports are flashing rapidly. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

A broadcast storm caused by a network loop. When two unmanaged switches are connected to the same router without any loop-prevention mechanism (such as STP), broadcast frames forwarded by one switch can be received and re-forwarded by the other, creating a network loop. This causes a broadcast storm, where broadcast frames circulate endlessly, saturating the network bandwidth and causing the router's ports to flash rapidly due to the high traffic load. The resulting congestion leads to extreme slowness and intermittent connectivity loss for all devices.

Answer

A faulty router causing packet loss

Answer

DNS server misconfiguration

Answer

Incorrect DHCP scope size

Question 14

A technician is installing network cabling for a new office. The office has a server room in the basement, and the technician needs to connect workstations on the 2nd floor, which is approximately 120 meters (394 feet) away. The required bandwidth is 1 Gbps. Which cabling type should the technician use?

Accepted Answer

Multi-mode fiber. The correct answer is C, multi-mode fiber, because the distance requirement of 120 meters exceeds the maximum segment length for twisted-pair copper cabling (Cat5e and Cat6), which is 100 meters for 1 Gbps. Multi-mode fiber supports distances up to 550 meters at 1 Gbps using 1000BASE-SX, making it the only viable option among the choices.

Answer

Cat5e

Answer

Cat6

Answer

Coaxial

Question 15

A user's computer can access the internet and can successfully ping the IP address of a local file server (192.168.1.50). However, the user cannot access the file server by its hostname (fileserver.local). Other computers on the same network can access the file server by hostname without any issues. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this problem?

Accepted Answer

The computer's hosts file contains an incorrect entry for the file server.. The hosts file on the local computer overrides DNS resolution. Since the user can ping the file server by IP but not by hostname, and other computers resolve the hostname correctly, the most likely cause is a static, incorrect entry in the local hosts file that maps 'fileserver.local' to a wrong IP or is malformed. This file is checked before DNS, so even if DNS is working for others, the local computer will use the faulty entry.

Answer

The computer's subnet mask is incorrect.

Answer

The file server's firewall is blocking the user's computer.

Answer

The DHCP lease has expired, and the computer has an APIPA address.