easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A customer reports that their new Gigabit…
A customer reports that their new Gigabit Ethernet connection is only achieving 100 Mbps speeds. The cable run is about 75 meters through a drop ceiling. You verify the switch and NIC are both Gigabit-capable. Which cable issue is most likely causing the speed limitation?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume any Cat5-style cable (Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6) is sufficient for Gigabit, but only Cat5e and above are certified for 1000BASE-T, and Cat5 is limited to 100 Mbps.
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 cable is a Cat5 cable.
Cat5 cable is only rated for 100 Mbps over distances up to 100 meters. Since the run is 75 meters, the cable itself cannot support Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T), which requires at least Cat5e cabling. The switch and NIC being Gigabit-capable confirms the bottleneck is the cable category.
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 cable is a Cat5e patch cable.
Why it's wrong here
Cat5e supports Gigabit Ethernet up to 100 meters, so this would not cause a 100 Mbps limit.
- ✗
The cable is a Cat6a cable.
Why it's wrong here
Cat6a exceeds Gigabit requirements, so it would not cause a speed drop to 100 Mbps.
- ✓
The cable is a Cat5 cable.
Why this is correct
Cat5 cable is only rated for 100 Mbps, so using it for a Gigabit connection would limit speed to 100 Mbps.
- ✗
The cable is a Cat6 cable.
Why it's wrong here
Cat6 supports Gigabit Ethernet, so it would not cause a speed limitation.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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