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220-1201 Practice Question: A customer complains that their LCD monitor shows…
A customer complains that their LCD monitor shows a persistent dark shadow in the upper-left corner that does not change with different input sources. The monitor is three years old. What is the most likely cause?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The monitor's backlight has failed partially.
A dark shadow that stays in the same spot regardless of input indicates a hardware defect, typically backlight failure or a damaged LCD panel. Backlight LEDs can fail over time, creating uneven illumination. Replacing the monitor is the standard fix because panel repair is often cost-prohibitive.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The monitor's resolution is set incorrectly.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect resolution settings typically manifest as a blurry image, stretched or compressed display, or black bars around the screen if the aspect ratio is mismatched. They do not cause a localized, fixed dark shadow, which indicates a hardware defect within the display panel itself rather than a signal interpretation issue by the monitor.
- ✗
The video cable is loose or damaged.
Why it's wrong here
A loose or damaged video cable (e.g., HDMI, DisplayPort, DVI, VGA) would typically result in intermittent signal loss, flickering, color distortion, or "snow" artifacts across the entire screen. It would not produce a consistent, localized dark shadow, as such a shadow points to an internal display component failure rather than an external signal integrity problem.
- ✓
The monitor's backlight has failed partially.
Why this is correct
LCD monitors rely on a uniform backlight to illuminate the liquid crystal display, which forms the image. If a portion of the backlight array (e.g., a section of LED strips or a CCFL tube) fails, that specific area of the screen will appear significantly darker, creating a fixed shadow. This is a common hardware failure that affects the display regardless of the input source, confirming an internal monitor issue.
- ✗
The graphics card is overheating and throttling.
Why it's wrong here
An overheating graphics card would typically lead to system instability, such as graphical artifacts appearing across the entire screen, stuttering, freezing, or complete system crashes. It might also cause the entire display to go blank or show distorted colors globally. A localized dark shadow, however, is not a symptom of GPU thermal issues but rather a defect within the monitor's panel or backlight system.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.