easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A customer reports that their laptop connects to…
A customer reports that their laptop connects to the office Wi-Fi but cannot access the internet. Other devices on the same network work fine. The technician checks the laptop's IP configuration and sees an IP address of 169.254.15.22. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the distinction between a DHCP server being out of addresses (which would affect all clients) versus a client-specific DHCP failure (which results in an APIPA address only for that client), leading candidates to incorrectly choose 'DHCP server is out of available IP addresses' when the symptom is isolated to one device.
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 laptop's DHCP client is failing to obtain an IP address.
The IP address 169.254.15.22 falls within the Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) range (169.254.0.0/16), which Windows assigns when the DHCP client fails to receive a valid IP from a DHCP server. Since other devices on the same network work fine, the DHCP server is not exhausted; rather, this specific laptop's DHCP client could not complete the DORA process, likely due to a misconfiguration, firewall blocking DHCP traffic, or a driver issue. Option D correctly identifies that the DHCP client is failing to obtain an IP address, as evidenced by the APIPA address.
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 DNS server is misconfigured.
Why it's wrong here
DNS misconfiguration would cause name resolution failures, but the IP address would still be a valid one from DHCP, not a 169.254 address.
- ✗
The laptop's network adapter is faulty.
Why it's wrong here
A faulty adapter might not connect at all, but here the laptop has an APIPA address, indicating it can communicate locally but failed to get a DHCP lease.
- ✗
The DHCP server is out of available IP addresses.
Why it's wrong here
If the DHCP pool were exhausted, the laptop would still get no IP and use APIPA, but other devices are working, so the server likely has addresses available.
- ✓
The laptop's DHCP client is failing to obtain an IP address.
Why this is correct
The 169.254 address is a self-assigned APIPA address, which occurs when the DHCP client cannot contact the DHCP server. This is the correct diagnosis.
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JA
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.