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220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a network issue…
A technician is troubleshooting a network issue where a user's computer can access local resources but cannot reach the internet. The user's cable is connected to a wall jack that leads to a patch panel in the server room. The technician tests the cable and finds it is wired as a crossover cable. What is the most likely impact?
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 crossover cable is not the cause of the internet issue.
This question tests understanding of crossover cables and modern networking. The correct answer is that most modern switches have Auto-MDIX, so a crossover cable may still work, but if the switch is older, it could cause connectivity issues. However, the symptom of local access but no internet suggests a different problem, so the crossover cable is likely not the issue.
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 crossover cable will prevent any network connectivity.
Why it's wrong here
Modern networking equipment, including switches, routers, and network interface cards (NICs), widely incorporates Auto-MDIX (Automatic Medium-Dependent Interface Crossover) technology. This feature automatically detects the cable type and adjusts the transmit/receive pairs accordingly, allowing a crossover cable to function identically to a straight-through cable in most contemporary network environments. Therefore, a crossover cable would not inherently prevent network connectivity.
- ✗
The crossover cable will cause intermittent connectivity.
Why it's wrong here
Intermittent connectivity is not a typical symptom of using a crossover cable in a modern network environment. If Auto-MDIX is present, the connection will be stable; if it's not and the cable is incorrect for the connection type, there will be no connectivity at all. Intermittent issues are more commonly associated with physical cable damage, loose connections, electromagnetic interference, or duplex mismatch settings, rather than the fundamental wiring scheme of a crossover cable.
- ✓
The crossover cable is not the cause of the internet issue.
Why this is correct
Given that the user has local network access, it indicates that the physical layer connection established by the crossover cable is functional and allowing communication within the local network segment. If the crossover cable were causing a problem, local resources would also be inaccessible. Therefore, the issue preventing internet access must lie beyond the local network segment, such as with the router's internet connection, DNS resolution, or external firewall configurations.
- ✗
The crossover cable will only work at 100 Mbps.
Why it's wrong here
The maximum speed supported by an Ethernet cable, whether it is a straight-through or crossover type, is primarily determined by its category rating (e.g., Cat5e, Cat6) and the capabilities of the connected network devices. Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) and faster standards utilize all four twisted pairs in the cable. A properly constructed Cat5e or higher crossover cable can fully support Gigabit speeds and beyond, provided the connected network interfaces also support those speeds.
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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.