220-1101 Networking Practice Test 8 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A small office uses a single router as the DHCP server for the 192.168.1.0/24 network. The DHCP scope is configured to issue addresses from 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200. A new employee connects a laptop to an available wall jack and receives an IP address of 169.254.13.57. Other devices in the office are receiving valid IP addresses in the 192.168.1.x range. The technician checks the wall jack and the switch port, and the link light is solid green. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The switch port is configured for a VLAN that does not have access to the DHCP server. The APIPA address 169.254.13.57 indicates the laptop failed to receive a DHCP lease. Since other devices on the same network are getting valid 192.168.1.x addresses, the DHCP server is functional and the scope is not exhausted. A solid link light confirms Layer 1 connectivity, so the most likely cause is that the switch port is assigned to a VLAN that does not have Layer 3 access to the DHCP server, preventing the DHCP discover/offer handshake from completing.

Answer

The laptop's network adapter is faulty

Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted

Answer

The router's DHCP service is disabled

Question 2

A technician is troubleshooting a workstation that can access local network resources and can successfully ping external IP addresses like 8.8.8.8, but cannot browse any websites using a web browser. Other workstations on the same network are able to browse the internet normally. The workstation's IP configuration is static: IP 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS server 192.168.1.1. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server 192.168.1.1 is not a functional DNS resolver, so the workstation cannot resolve domain names to IP addresses. The workstation can ping external IP addresses (e.g., 8.8.8.8) and access local resources, confirming that IP routing, the default gateway, and physical connectivity are working. However, it cannot browse websites by name, which requires DNS resolution. Since the DNS server is set to 192.168.1.1 (the same as the default gateway) and other workstations on the same network work normally, the most likely cause is that 192.168.1.1 is not functioning as a DNS resolver—it may be a router that only forwards packets but does not run a DNS proxy or forwarder. Without a working DNS server, the workstation cannot resolve domain names to IP addresses, even though direct IP communication is fine.

Answer

The web browser has proxy settings configured that are blocking all web traffic

Answer

The Windows firewall is blocking HTTPS traffic (port 443)

Answer

The network adapter TCP/IP stack is corrupted and needs to be reset

Question 3

A user's workstation is connected to a network switch. The workstation can access the internet and other network resources, but network transfers are extremely slow. The technician runs a speed test and gets 10 Mbps download, but the internet plan is 500 Mbps. The technician checks the switch port and sees the link light is green but blinking slowly. The technician connects a laptop to the same cable and gets 500 Mbps. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The workstation's network adapter is configured for half duplex. A is correct because a half-duplex configuration on the workstation's network adapter forces it to use only one wire pair for transmission and one for reception, and it must wait for the line to be clear before sending data. This collision-avoidance mechanism drastically reduces throughput, often capping speeds at 10 Mbps even when the switch and cable support 500 Mbps. The green but slowly blinking link light indicates normal link detection but possible duplex mismatch, and the laptop achieving full speed on the same cable confirms the issue is with the workstation's adapter settings.

Answer

The Ethernet cable is damaged

Answer

The switch port is faulty

Answer

The workstation has a virus consuming bandwidth

Question 4

A network technician is tasked with providing secure remote access for employees who work from home. The solution must encrypt all traffic between the remote devices and the corporate network and must allow the remote devices to access internal resources (e.g., file servers, intranet) as if they were directly connected to the office LAN. Which of the following technologies should the technician implement?

Accepted Answer

VPN. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is the correct technology because it creates an encrypted tunnel (using protocols like IPSec, OpenVPN, or WireGuard) between the remote device and the corporate network. This ensures all traffic is encrypted in transit and the remote device receives a virtual IP on the corporate LAN, allowing seamless access to internal resources such as file servers and intranets as if directly connected.

Answer

VLAN

Answer

DMZ

Answer

Port forwarding

Question 5

A support technician is troubleshooting a user's workstation that can successfully ping the loopback address (127.0.0.1) and the default gateway (192.168.1.1), but cannot access any internet websites. The user's web browser displays 'This site cannot be reached' for all URLs. Other devices on the same network can browse the internet without issue. The technician runs ipconfig and finds: IP 192.168.1.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, DNS server 192.168.1.1. The technician can successfully ping 8.8.8.8 from the affected workstation. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server setting is incorrect or the DNS server is not resolving names. The workstation can ping the loopback (127.0.0.1), the default gateway (192.168.1.1), and even a public IP (8.8.8.8), confirming that IP configuration, local network connectivity, and routing are all functional. However, it cannot resolve domain names to IP addresses, as evidenced by the browser's 'This site cannot be reached' error. Since the DNS server is set to 192.168.1.1 (the gateway), and the gateway is reachable, the issue is that the DNS server itself is not performing name resolution, or the workstation's DNS setting is incorrect (e.g., pointing to a non-functional DNS service on the gateway).

Answer

The default gateway is incorrectly configured

Answer

The network cable is faulty or the switch port is malfunctioning

Answer

The web browser is infected with malware that blocks all websites

Question 6

A user reports that their desktop computer is experiencing very slow network performance. The technician runs a speed test and gets only 10 Mbps download speed, while other devices on the same network achieve 500 Mbps. The technician checks the network adapter settings in the operating system and sees that 'Speed & Duplex' is manually set to '10 Mbps Half Duplex'. Which of the following should the technician do to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Change the Speed & Duplex setting to 'Auto-Negotiation'. The issue is that the network adapter is manually locked to '10 Mbps Half Duplex', which forces a 10 Mbps connection even though the network infrastructure supports much higher speeds. Changing the setting to 'Auto-Negotiation' allows the adapter to automatically negotiate the highest mutually supported speed and duplex mode with the switch or router, restoring the expected 500 Mbps throughput.

Answer

Replace the Ethernet cable with a Cat5e cable

Answer

Update the network adapter driver

Answer

Disable and re-enable the network adapter

Question 7

A user reports that their workstation can access the internet and other network resources by IP address, but cannot connect to an internal file server (fileserver.company.local) by its hostname. Other users on the same network can access the file server by hostname without issue. The workstation's IP configuration is static: IP 192.168.1.10, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, default gateway 192.168.1.1, and DNS server 192.168.1.1. The technician pings the IP address of the file server (192.168.1.100) successfully from the affected workstation. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The local hosts file has an incorrect mapping for the file server. The workstation can access resources by IP address but not by hostname, and other users can resolve the hostname successfully, indicating a local name resolution issue. The hosts file on the affected workstation likely contains an incorrect or outdated mapping for fileserver.company.local, overriding DNS resolution. Since the DNS server is working for other users and the workstation can ping the file server by IP, the problem is isolated to the local hosts file.

Answer

The workstation's network cable is faulty

Answer

The DNS server is not configured to resolve internal hostnames

Answer

A firewall rule is blocking port 445 (SMB) on the workstation

Question 8

A user is unable to print to a network printer. Other users on the same network can print to it successfully. The technician checks the user's workstation and confirms it has a valid IP address on the correct subnet. The printer's network cable is plugged in, and the link lights are active. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The user's printer driver configuration. Since other users can print to the network printer successfully, the printer itself, its network connectivity, and the switch port are all functioning correctly. The issue is isolated to the user's workstation, and a valid IP address on the correct subnet indicates basic network connectivity is present. Therefore, the most likely cause is a misconfigured or corrupted printer driver on the user's machine, making the printer driver configuration the first thing to check.

Answer

The printer's toner or ink levels

Answer

The switch port that the printer is connected to

Answer

The network cable connecting the printer

Question 9

A workstation with a static IP address of 192.168.1.10/24 can ping its default gateway (192.168.1.1) and other workstations on the same subnet. However, it cannot ping any device on a different subnet (e.g., 10.0.0.1) nor access the internet. Other workstations on the same subnet can ping the same remote device and access the internet without issue. The technician has verified the workstation's IP configuration is correct. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The router's ACL or firewall is blocking the workstation's IP address from accessing other networks.. Since the workstation can ping its default gateway and other local hosts but cannot reach remote subnets or the internet, the issue is not with the local IP configuration or the gateway's reachability. The fact that other workstations on the same subnet can access remote networks points to a policy or filtering mechanism on the router that specifically blocks traffic from this workstation's IP address. This is most commonly implemented via a router ACL or firewall rule that denies traffic from 192.168.1.10 to other networks.

Answer

The workstation's firewall is blocking all traffic to remote subnets.

Answer

The default gateway IP address is misconfigured on the workstation.

Answer

The subnet mask is incorrect.

Question 10

A user reports that their workstation intermittently loses network connectivity. The technician checks the IP configuration during an outage and finds the IP address is 169.254.12.34. The network uses DHCP, and other workstations on the same subnet are functioning normally. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the issue?

Accepted Answer

The network cable is either faulty or not fully seated.. The 169.254.x.x address is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned by the OS when DHCP fails. Since other workstations on the same subnet are working, the DHCP server and switch port are functional, isolating the issue to the local link. A faulty or loose cable can cause intermittent connectivity, leading to DHCP discovery failures and APIPA assignment.

Answer

The DHCP server has run out of IP addresses.

Answer

The network switch port is administratively shut down.

Answer

The workstation's network adapter driver is corrupted.

Question 11

A user reports that their workstation can access internal network resources by IP address (e.g., \192.168.1.100\share) and can browse the internet using IP addresses (e.g., http://8.8.8.8), but cannot access any resources by hostname (e.g., \fileserver\share or www.example.com). Other workstations on the same subnet can resolve hostnames without issue. The workstation obtains its IP address via DHCP. The technician runs ipconfig and sees: IP: 192.168.1.105, Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0, Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1, DNS Server: 192.168.1.1. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The DNS resolver cache on the workstation is corrupted or contains invalid entries.. The workstation can access resources by IP address but not by hostname, which indicates a name resolution problem. Since other workstations on the same subnet resolve hostnames correctly, the DNS server (192.168.1.1) is functioning. The most likely cause is a corrupted DNS resolver cache on the local workstation, which can be cleared with the `ipconfig /flushdns` command to force fresh queries.

Answer

The DHCP scope is exhausted, and the workstation received an incorrect DNS server address.

Answer

NetBIOS over TCP/IP is disabled on the workstation, preventing NetBIOS name resolution.

Answer

The workstation is in the wrong workgroup or domain, so it cannot resolve remote hostnames.

Question 12

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 13

A technician is troubleshooting a user's workstation that has intermittent network connectivity. The technician observes that the Ethernet link light on the workstation's NIC flashes irregularly and occasionally stays off for a few seconds. The cable passes a wiremap test. The switch port is configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Electromagnetic interference from nearby power cables.. The intermittent flashing and occasional off periods of the Ethernet link light, combined with a passing wiremap test, strongly indicate that the signal is being corrupted by external interference. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) from nearby power cables can disrupt the differential signaling on twisted-pair copper cabling, causing link drops and flapping link lights even when the physical wiring is intact. This matches the symptom of a link light that flashes irregularly and stays off for seconds, as the NIC and switch repeatedly lose and re-establish the link due to noise.

Answer

The cable is too long (exceeds 100 meters).

Answer

The workstation's IP address is a duplicate.

Answer

The NIC driver is out of date.

Question 14

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 15

A user reports that their laptop can see the corporate Wi-Fi network (SSID: CorpNet) and has a strong signal, but cannot connect. Other users on the same network are connecting successfully. The technician checks the laptop's wireless configuration and finds that it is set to obtain an IP address automatically. However, the security settings are set to 'Open'. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason the laptop cannot connect?

Accepted Answer

The laptop is using the wrong encryption type.. The laptop's security settings are set to 'Open', but CorpNet is a corporate Wi-Fi network that almost certainly uses WPA2 or WPA3 encryption. Since the laptop sees the network with a strong signal but fails to connect, the mismatch between the 'Open' (no encryption) setting and the required encryption type prevents successful authentication and association, even though the IP configuration is set to DHCP.

Answer

The laptop's MAC address is not allowed (MAC filtering).

Answer

The laptop is trying to connect to the 5 GHz band but the network is only 2.4 GHz.

Answer

The laptop's wireless adapter is faulty.