easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A user complains that their cloud-hosted virtual…
A user complains that their cloud-hosted virtual desktop is slow to open applications and frequently disconnects. They are using a satellite internet connection. Which cloud characteristic is most likely being impacted?
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
✓
Latency
This scenario tests understanding of cloud computing characteristics, specifically latency. Slow application opening and disconnections are classic symptoms of high latency, which is often caused by the physical distance data must travel over a satellite connection. The other options (elasticity, scalability, high availability) are cloud features that do not directly address network delay.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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High availability
Why it's wrong here
High availability refers to the design and implementation of systems to ensure continuous operation and minimize downtime, even in the event of component failures. It focuses on redundancy and failover mechanisms to keep a service online and accessible, rather than influencing the speed or responsiveness of data transfer once a connection is established. A highly available system might still experience slow performance if underlying network conditions, such as high latency, are poor.
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Elasticity
Why it's wrong here
Elasticity in cloud computing describes the ability of a system to automatically scale computing resources up or down in real-time based on fluctuating demand, without manual intervention. This dynamic adjustment ensures that sufficient resources are always available to meet workload requirements efficiently, preventing performance degradation due to resource starvation. However, elasticity primarily addresses resource provisioning, not inherent network delays that cause a virtual desktop to feel sluggish.
- ✓
Latency
Why this is correct
Latency is the time delay between a user's action (e.g., a mouse click or keystroke) and the corresponding response from the cloud-hosted virtual desktop, measured in milliseconds. High latency significantly degrades the user experience by causing noticeable input lag, delayed screen updates, and an overall sluggish feel, making interactive tasks frustrating. Factors like geographical distance, network congestion, and the type of internet connection (e.g., satellite links) directly contribute to increased latency.
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Scalability
Why it's wrong here
Scalability is the capability of a system to handle an increasing amount of work or a growing number of users by adding resources, either vertically (upgrading existing hardware) or horizontally (adding more instances). While scalability ensures that a cloud service can accommodate future growth and maintain performance under heavier loads, it does not directly address the responsiveness or speed of a single user's connection to a virtual desktop experiencing current slowness due to network transmission delays.
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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.